Christmas Day or the Nativity of our Lord

The greatest mysteries of the faith are often the hardest to write on. What can any mortal say that does justice to the awe-inspiring event of the Incarnation of God the Son? So in this post,  I will just do two simple things.

First, let me cite 4 verses from one of the Epistles for this day. Hebrews 1:1-4 says it wonderfully- 

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
These words point us to the meaning of the celebration.  They point to Christ's identity and His work for salvation. The whole revelation of God in Scripture finds its fulfillment in Jesus.

Secondly, I would highlight a phrase from A General Thanksgiving which was first included in the 1662 Prayer Book. May we all bless or thank God for His "inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ." Christmas has been observed in been many ways over the centuries, but giving thanks to God for sending His only begotten Son into this fallen world to save us is the real purpose for the celebration!

Third Sunday in Advent- I Corinthians 4: 1-5

For Advent III this year, my thoughts are drawn to the theme of ministry as expressed in the Collect and Epistle from 1 Corinthians 4: 1-5.: Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yea, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing against myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.

Of course, all Christians are called to ministry or service for Christ, and all too often we forget this, at least in practical daily speech and behavior. Every human being is called to serve his/her Creator. Every person baptized has been set aside and transformed in the name of the Holy Trinity. Every person confirmed has been strengthened for ministry by the Holy Spirit.

Yet, from the days of Christ and the Apostles to the present, the ordained ministry has been set aside, dedicated, and given grace for special service. Ordained ministers fail in many ways. We do not always live as recipients of special graces and responsibilities. But ordained ministers have been, among other things, called and ordered as "stewards of the mysteries of God." These mysteries are the teachings of Christ's Gospel- from the Annunciation, Visitation, and Nativity to the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension. And these mysteries become concrete and immediate for us in the sacred mysteries or sacraments, especially the Eucharist.

The clergy are called and ordained to honor, administer, and share these mysteries with the whole people of God and to proclaim them to all people near and far. So during this Advent, and especially on the approaching Ember Days, let us pray that all the ordained and all men considering or approaching ordination may be constantly renewed by divine grace so that they may be faithful stewards of God's mysteries.

Septuagesima- Salt of the Earth

This Sunday begins the old custom of a pre-Lenten season. From the sixth century until the 1960's, calendars in the Western Church called the third Sunday before Lent "Septuagesima," the Latin for "seventy."  The names of this Sunday and the following two seem to be based on a rough approximation of the number of days before Easter.

One New Testament lesson for Morning Prayer is St. Matthew 5:1-16. This selection contains the Beatitudes which can inspire extensive meditations. This time, I will briefly focus on St. Matthew 5:13:  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Christ's followers are called upon to have the character of salt in the world. Salt is a flavor, a nutrient, and a preservative. It is to be hoped that Christians can be all three in the world. We know better than to expect the whole world to be salt, but as Christ's followers, we should add to the quality of earthly life for those around us. And if we are not thinking and acting in ways that add something to life, we have lost our purpose, become useless and are ready to be discarded. May we look at ourselves and allow God's grace to make us saltier!

Thirty-nine Articles of Religion: A Personal Perspective

One of the many ironies of Anglicanism is the position of the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. A statement meant to promote some degree of harmony in the sixteenth-century Church of England (1562,1571) has occasioned much debate and disagreement over the years. Many Anglicans of various persuasions have distanced themselves from the Articles. Some others have tried to force the Articles to say things that they do not say.

Yet, despite differing understandings of details, most Anglicans over the last four and a half centuries have affirmed the Thirty-Nine Articles. Since at least 1662, they have been printed with the English Book of Common Prayer and Ordinal (and since 1801 with the American Book of Common Prayer). Furthermore, when non-Anglicans from almost any perspective write about Anglican doctrine, they always seem to mention the Articles along with the Prayer Book. So whether particular Anglicans like the Thirty-Nine Articles or not, it seems clear that the Articles are an inescapable part of the Anglican heritage and identity.

Personally, I view the Articles as an important part of my Anglican heritage. Alongside the Prayer Book liturgies, the Articles were one of the things that first attracted me to Anglicanism. They seem to be rooted in Scripture, consistent with the ancient catholic faith, and filled with valuable insights from the Reformation era. Despite historical developments since their sixteenth-century approval, the Articles contain valuable principles. While certain phrases may be linguistically, institutionally, or theologically dated, the Articles still provide a broad summary of the Christian Faith. They affirm core Christian beliefs, help distinguish the Anglican perspective from the views of other Christian traditions, and at the same time, allow for some breadth in emphasis and interpretation.