St. John Apostle and Evangelist (Christmas I)

Today is the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist. John is certainly an important New Testament person and writer. He was the son of the fisherman Zebedee, and younger brother of the Apostle James. John, his brother James, and Simon Peter were often together and seem to have been the disciples closest to our Lord. In fact, John himself is usually identified as the beloved disciple to whom our Lord, while on the cross, entrusted His mother.

John may have been the youngest of the Twelve, and as hinted in today’s gospel, despite hardships, imprisonment, exile, and threats to his life, John was the only Apostle to survive to a truly old age and die a natural death. Because he lived so long, John provided the strongest personal connection between the first and second century churches. He also wrote the Gospel and three epistles that bear his name and probably also the Revelation or the Apocalypse.

St. John clearly deserves to be remembered and honored. But why today? Why is his day placed so close after Christmas Day? The Church seems to have had three reasons for this choice. First, in the early centuries of the Church, several commemorations that stressed something about the foundations of the Christian faith were placed on the calendar right after the celebration of Christ’s Birth. Secondly, having several important Christian celebrations during the pagan winter festivals of late December gave believers a positive distraction from surrounding pagan celebrations.

The third and most important reason for remembering St. John on the third day of Christmas is that John’s writings contain several themes associated with Christmas: light, life, love, truth, and the glory of the eternal Word, God the Son, revealed in human flesh. The Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke tell us some details about Christ’s Birth. The Gospel of St. John and his letters emphasize the doctrinal meaning of the Nativity. Thanks be to God for the apostle John and even more importantly, thanks for the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Christmas 2015

In the midst of our Christmas festivities, let us pause to meditate on the meaning of our celebration. To do that, let us focus the announcement of the angel to the shepherds. St. Luke 2:10 says, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”

The angel’s message “I bring you good tidings” translates two Greek words which could also be translated as “I announce good news to you” or “I proclaim the gospel to you.” So the announcement of Christ’s Birth is the beginning of the preaching of the Gospel. His Nativity is an integral part of the whole story, the entire Christian message. This birth cannot be isolated from all that Christ means.

This good news is “of great joy.” Despite all the humility and suffering that will be part of the story, it brings a deep and lasting happiness, an inner blessedness. And the joy is open to all people. The lowly shepherds are merely the first chosen to hear. They are humble representatives of all God’s people.

Christmas brings us a similar message. The deliverer that we have longed for still comes through the work Spirit in Word and Sacrament. This is really good news- tidings of great joy. However, the joy is not to be confused with external worldly happiness. Whether we have a great external celebration with lots of people, gifts, and food  or we just have a simple and small observance, let us focus upon what God does- how He sends His Son, the eternal Word, to become flesh and dwell among us. Glory to God in the highest!

Advent

Over the years, I have written varied comments on Advent. There have been general posts on the background of the season and on particular days and scriptural passages. This time, I would like to focus on the general purpose of the season in Christian devotion.

Advent is above all a season of spiritual preparation as we contemplate the ways that Christ has come, keeps coming, and will finally come among His people. We should use Advent wisely to think about spiritual subjects such as sin, judgment, forgiveness, prophecies,  promises of redemption, and grace coming in the person of the Christ, the Anointed One of God.

As Christians, we need to be awake, watchful, and prayerful at all times. We should not allow moral failings, earthly worries, or spiritual lethargy to draw us away from spiritual readiness. Yet, given our fallen human nature, we do tend to become forgetful and lazy. So the Church has incorporated reminders in our worship. In general and personal confession, in corporate prayers, in sermons, in Holy Communion, and in private devotions, we are repeatedly called to wake up and persevere. And in two major seasons of the church year- Advent and Lent-, we have reminders to wake up, watch, and prepare for new encounters with God in Christ.

So Advent is intended to be a spiritual wake up call. It is not quite as somber as Lent, but neither is it a time for premature holiday celebration. As we meditate upon the Scriptures, we should not rush ahead to the Nativity stories. We should consider a variety of Old Testament passages about the fallen human condition and the need for redemption., about the longings and hopes of Israel, and about God's promises to save all penitent and faithful people. We should also consider the many passages in the New Testament which exhort us to be ready for Christ to come among us anew. During Advent as always, we are to await Him with vigilance and constant prayer. May we all think on such things in this season and be open to new manifestations of divine grace in our lives.

All Saints Day- 1 November- Jude 3-4

Since a period of renewal of faith in my mid-twenties, All Saints Day has been important to me. It is a time to emphasize the Christian heritage passed down through the centuries. During this week, we think of all those Christ would call "blessed"; we think of all those made saints or "holy ones" through the Holy Spirit in Holy Baptism.

Although it is not an official reading for All Saints Day, I always recall the third and fourth verses of the brief Epistle of Jude- " Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."

From the times of the Apostles onward, false teachers have crept into the Church, seeking to corrupt the Christian message in a variety of ways for a variety of purposes. This infiltration has been especially strong in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. So more than ever we should heed St. Jude's exhortation to "contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Of course, faith is an attitude, but it also has specific content. The Faith has been revealed and passed on once and for all. It is enduring and unchangeable in its basic essentials. Its doctrine is embodied in Scripture, clarified by the ancient Fathers, and summarized in the ancient catholic Creeds. The appropriate behavior that flows from this Faith is summarized in the Ten Commandments, the Two Great Commandments, in lists of the gifts of the Spirit, and in lists of Virtues. In worship, this Faith is expressed in historic liturgies, especially in Baptism and the Eucharist.

On this All Saints Day, let us honor all the saints by following their lead and contending for the Faith that they have passed on. In a fallen world, especially in a decadent age, there are many false teachers, and we need to make special efforts to retain and pass on our godly heritage.

What is classical Anglicanism?

In recent reading on the internet, I came across a couple of posts on "Classical Anglicanism." They proposed several points or characteristics of such Anglicanism. The reading was interesting, and I generally agreed. So drawing on the work of others, I would propose the following characteristics of classical Anglicanism:

1. Classical Anglicanism is universal/catholic. Anglican doctrine and practice respects the heritage of patristic and medieval Christianity as long as that heritage does not contradict Scripture.  

2. Classical Anglicanism is broadly Protestant. Anglican theology stresses Scriptural authority, divine grace, and justifying faith in Christ. Anglicanism rejects the Roman Catholic system, especially the universal jurisdiction and pretended infallibility of the papacy.

3. Classical Anglicanism is confessional. This means that the Thirty-nine Articles are a general theological statement meant to guide one's understanding of other Anglican forms such as the Book of Common Prayer.  Anglicans do not view the Articles as unchangeable or infallible, but they are a good general guide to Anglican beliefs.

4. Classical Anglicanism believes that Scriptural principles guide church practices, including worship. While respecting the value of traditional liturgical elements and acknowledging the reality of cultural adaptation, Anglican worship has been and should remain Bible-centered.

To conclude, in its essence, classical Anglicanism is a conservative Christian heritage. It strives to be both reformed and catholic without going to extremes. Within the bounds of the Holy Scriptures, the ancient Creeds, the Books of Common Prayer, and the Thirty-Nine Articles, classical Anglicanism allows for varied theological emphases and religious practices. Such reasonable conservatism is key to its distinctive expression of Christianity.

The Anglican Blend

As we approach Pentecost and consider the descent of the Holy Spirit to establish and empower the Christian Church, I have been ruminating on the place of Anglicanism in the universal Church. Naturally, all groups of Christians like to promote their perspective. Some Christian traditions have a narrowly defined theological tradition, but  Anglicanism tends to be different. Most Anglicans have had a broader outlook. Sometimes, such Anglican breadth may seem like a weakness, and sometimes, it may seem like a strength, but in either case, Anglican doctrine is not usually defined very narrowly. Historically at least, Anglican liturgy and Anglican polity have been easier to identify while Anglican 

doctrine has seemed less distinctive.

Anglican doctrine has covered a wide range, partly because of political, social, and religious factors in English history. The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion reflect some of these factors in the sixteenth century. Some points of the Articles are clear, but some are deliberately vague. In addition, many Anglicans have deliberately sought to be comprehensive for theological reasons. Thus, Bishop John Cosin (1594-1672) has often been quoted as saying that the Anglican Church is "Protestant and Reformed according to the principles of the ancient Catholic Church." Likewise, Archbishop Geoffrey Fisher (1887-1972) wrote that Anglicanism "has no peculiar thought, practice, creed or confession of its own. It has only the Catholic Faith of the ancient Catholic Church, as preserved in the Catholic Creeds and maintained in the Catholic and Apostolic constitution of Christ's Church from the beginning." In other words, Anglican theology is both Catholic and Protestant. It brings together and passes on the best from the whole experience of broadly orthodox Christianity.

So is there anything unique in  Anglican theology? Yes, but upon reflection, it is not a specialized doctrinal system. It is rather in the blend. Like some good teas or coffees, Anglicanism takes good things from the whole of Christian history and tradition- from the Apostles, the ancient Fathers, the medieval Church, and a variety of (but not all) modern movements in Christianity. Particular Anglicans may stress one aspect of the blend or another, but it is the blend that gives Anglicanism its unique flavor in doctrine as well as in liturgy and polity. Of course, there are limits. Scripture, ancient catholic tradition, and Reformation insights define certain core aspects of both doctrine and morality; everything is not permissible. Yet, the Anglican blend reflects the realities of Christian history and experience. It is a recognition that God has worked and still works in various and sundry ways.

The Three Days

The Three Days from the evening of Maundy or Holy Thursday to Easter morning commemorate events at the heart of the Christian message. They are also themes at the heart of Anglican Liturgy and Doctrine. From the meaning of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper to the centrality of the Cross and Resurrection, the commemorations of these days bring an intense focus that reminds us of Christ's work for our salvation. This focus is important for sincere Christians of any tradition; for an Anglican, this focus should bring home the reality that our heritage is truly evangelical, that is, gospel-based. Thanks be to God the Father, and praise to our risen Lord Jesus Christ!