Trinity Sunday Sermon Outline: The Glory of Real Diversity: Eph. 4:1-16
Introduction
We have just celebrated Pentecost, the high feast of the Holy Spirit, where we remember and glory in the pouring out of the Spirit on God’s people in the world. The Holy Spirit, we considered last week, is the creative, warrior storm of God that overflows the Triune fellowship as the New Wine, the joy of God. Another way saying a very similar thing is to describe the Spirit as the person in God who creates unity or harmony by destroying distance between persons. And now we come to Trinity Sunday where among other things we celebrate who our God is: unity and diversity, and seek to better live out the loveliness and essential goodness of this unity and diversity in our lives.
The God of Difference and Particularity
If there is unevenness in the ‘seesaw’ of our tradition, it is most assuredly on the side of ‘oneness’ that we tend to lean. But we serve the God who holds difference and particularity in unity as His very essence or ‘oneness’. The Trinity is sometimes misunderstood to be three persons that share some sort of ‘oneness’ behind or above their ‘threeness’, a plurality that is held together by some prior unity (which may be what is sometimes meant by “God is three in one”). But this is really just a subtle form of modalism, where a solitary god merely masquerades as different persons. But the true doctrine of the Trinity is that the oneness of God is the relatedness of the three distinct persons. This is the case because unity or relatedness is not possible where particulars do not exist, and particulars are not possible where relatedness does not exist.
Keeping the Unity: 4:1-6
Our text is very much concerned with unity and diversity, oneness and particularity. Paul begins with who Christians are (v. 1) exhorting them to be what they are (v. 2) and to preserve what they already have (v. 3). Christians are exhorted to humility, gentleness, patience, and bearing with one another in love (remember the Holy Spirit) (v. 2) which is how we endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit (v. 3). Notice that we are not commanded to create the unity, to manufacture unity or figure out some kind of common, middle ground between ourselves and the other baptized guy over there. The unity already exists and we are required to preserve it through humility, gentleness and love. If the unity already exists, that means that Paul is assuming that difference already exists. This is because God the Spirit Himself is that unity and bond of peace (v. 4-6).
Different Gifts: 4:7-12
But Paul knows that there cannot be unity without difference. We cannot compliment one another unless we have been given different gifts (v. 7). The center of this passage is the quotation from Psalm 68 where the Messiah is Yahweh God ascending to the highest of all mountains after having destroyed the enemies of His people (Ps. 68:12, 14, 21-23). Our triumphant King is the reason for our unity: having spoiled His and our enemies, He gives gifts to men (v. 8). If Jesus has given the Spirit and His gifts to men then we have been brought into the life of the Trinity. But the only way mortals can be brought into fellowship with the Immortal is if Hades has been ransacked. And it has (v. 9-10) and not only at Pentecost, but He “daily loads us.” (Ps. 68:19) This is the life of the Trinity overflowing in and through history: the terrible, joyful dance of the Father, Son and Spirit spilling gifts on His people. The ascension of Jesus Christ means that we have been joined to the Trinity in the body of our Lord. We, in the power of the Spirit are united to the Son and are now members of the eternal, most holy, most glorious gift-giving frenzy.
To a Perfect Man: 4:13-16
Lest any should doubt whether Paul believes in Truth or whether diversity has any limits, he concludes describing what true humility, gentleness, patience and love results in (v. 13,14). The result is NOT that they don’t believe anything or relativism, consigning most doctrines to the “who’s to say?” category, but the result is that they are “no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” (v. 14). Humility is not uncertainty or sheepishness any more than a son doubting his father’s love is being humble. True humility is confident and mature in doctrine. Because faith, the knowledge of the Son and true doctrine are gifts, humility does not doubt but recognizes the Giver, and refuses to despise the gift. And when thanks are given, when honor and glory for the undeserved are rendered, we are living out the Trinitarian life.
Application
The spirit of our age is one of false diversity and superficial multiculturalism. The most potent weapon against this is deep, profound thankfulness. We began by talking about the goodness of difference and particularity. Because this is what the Trinity is: three different persons united in the pursuit of the others’ glory. And without difference there could be no gratitude, and this is because there could be no gift, there could be no grace. This means that our gratitude cannot be generic, open-ended thankfulness, a counterfeit gratitude. Thankfulness always has specifics, objects, particulars, and this teaches us loyalty to our own gifts and openness to others’.
Live this gratitude in your homes. Give thanks for your food with exuberance; sing psalms and hymns with thanksgiving in your hearts. Speak to one another with grace, and guard your words: take care that your words don’t even sound ungrateful. As we seek to recover and rebuild a faithful Christian culture, our aim is to be built up into that perfect man, conforming to the image of Jesus Christ. But as grace has its way in our lives and we respond with thanksgiving, the glorious thing is that it will often look and sound very different in different people and places. The same God who made Hermit crabs also made asteroids, sea weed and icicles. And it’s the same God who’s remaking us now. In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!
Collect for the Day
Almighty and everlasting God, since you have given us, Your servants, grace to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity by the confession of a true faith, and to worship the true Unity in the power of Your divine majesty, keep us also steadfast in this true faith and worship, and defend us ever from all our adversaries; for You, O Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, live and reign, one God, now and forever. Amen.
All: Amen! The Lord is enthroned as King forever. The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace.
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Friday, June 09, 2006
C.S. Lewis on Predestination
"The thing was going to be done. There was going to arrive, in the course of time, a moment at which he would have done it. The future act stood there, fixed and unaltered as if he had already performed it. It was a mere irrelevant detail that it happened to occupy the position we call future instead of that which we call past. The whole struggle was over, and yet there seemed to have been no moment of victory. You might say, if you liked, that the power of choice had been simply set aside and an inflexible destiny substituted for it. On the other hand, you might say that he had [been?] delivered from the rhetoric of his passions and had emerged into unassailable freedom. Ransom could not, for the life of him, see the difference between these two statements. Predestination and freedom were apparently identical. He could no longer see any meaning in the many arguments he had heard on this subject."
-From Chapter 11, Perelandra, by C.S. Lewis
New Book
A new book will be out soon from Athanasius Press: The Case for Covenant Communion. It's not out yet, but you can read the Forward, Introduction, and Table of Contents. Looks like a great compilation.
St. Anne's Pub
The folks over at St. Anne's have just released their latest, a special edition on reformed presbyterian controversy. Take a listen here, or sign up for a free subscription and get a hard copy on CD.
Tuesday, June 06, 2006
Monism with a funny hat
This was posted by Doug Wilson over at blog and mablog.
"What multiculturalism in the curriculum assuredly does not mean is a renewed emphasis upon the mastery of foreign languages or the close study of complex civilizations . . . the campaign to impose 'multiculturalism' amounts to nothing less than a war on Western civilization and, beyond it, a war on the very idea of civilization" (Elizabeth Fox-Genovese in the Foreword to Sacks and Thiel, The Diversity Myth, xii-xiii).
The irony of course is that the 'campaign' or 'war' turns the diversity banner on its head, making their driving concern the unanimous concession to their version of whatever they think multiculturalism means. Their pluralism is actuall monism with a funny hat.
Obedience, courage and prosperity
Josh. 1:1-9
While the world is not a vending machine, and there are people like Job in the world. The Bible does not shy away from giving us the basic principle of the Good Life. Prosperity is the result of following the Law of God. The Lord says to Joshua, "Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart form your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous."
But how can Joshua (a sinner) obey? Shouldn't this make him terrified? Actually, the next verse says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage." The result of being told to obey is strength and courage. The exhortation to obey is followed up with, "so be strong and brave." Not, "but of course you can't do it because you're a lousy sinner." Protestants often get their hackles up at the first sound of law and obedience. But that betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of grace, salvation and even the way the world works. Of course no one was ever saved by climbing up to the back door of heaven. Of course no one will arrive in heaven having actually preserved any slightest smidge of automous righteousness. But this is simply the way the world works. God is sovereign over all things, and even if there was some guy who *thought* he was working his way to grace (whatever that would mean...), everything about him, including his self-dillusions of autonomous granduer were given to him by the Ancient of Days.
But the point is simply this: exhortations to obedience are calls to courageous faith. All of our obedience is given to us, and therefore we must trust the God who works in us to will and to do according to his good pleasure those works which he prepared for us beforehand to walk in them. And doing so, you will prosper.
The Holy Ghost Hole
“In medieval times the figure of a dove was widely used to enact in a dramatic way the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday. When the priest had arrived at the sequence, he sang the first words in a loud and solemn voice: Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come, Holy Ghost). Immediately there arose in the church a sound “as of a violent blowing” (Acts 2:2). This noise was produced in some countries, like France, by the blowing of trumpets; in others by the choirboys, who hissed, hummed, pressed wind bags, and rattled the benches. All eyes turned toward the ceiling of the church where from an opening called the “Holy Ghost Hole” there appeared a disc the size of a cart wheel, which slowly descended in horizontal position, swinging in ever-widening circles. Upon a blue background, broken by bundles of golden rays, it bore on its underside the figure of a white dove.
Meanwhile the choir sang the sequence. At its conclusion the dove came to rest, hanging suspended in the middle of the church. There followed a rain of flowers indicating the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and of water symbolizing baptism. In some towns of central Europe people even went so far as to drop pieces of burning wick or straw from the Holy Ghost Hole, to represent the flaming tongues of Pentecost. This practice, however, was eventually stopped because it tended to put the people on fire externally, instead of internally as the Holy Spirit had done at Jerusalem. In the thirteenth century in many cathedrals of France real white pigeons were released during the singing of the sequence and flew around the church while roses were dropped from the Holy Ghost Hole.”
-From the Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs, by Father Francis X. Weiser, the chapter on the Feast of Pentecost.
I’m just pleased to see that Modern Evangelicals aren’t the only ones to come up with bad names or silly charades.
Monday, June 05, 2006
The Cup of the Ginger Ale of the Fierceness of the Wrath of God
From Capon's book The Supper of the Lamb, the chapter entitled "Water In Excelsis", all brackets and italics are his:
"Witness the teetotaling communion service. Most Protestants, I suppose, imagine that it is part of the true Reformed religion. But have they considered that, for nineteen centuries after the institution of the Eucharist, wine was the only element available for the sacrament? Do they seriously envision St. Paul or Calvin or Luther opening bottles of Welch's Grape Joice in the sacristy before the service? ... Even the Lord's own delight was explained away. One of the most fanciful pieces of exegesis I ever read began by maintaining that the Greek word for wine, as used in the Gospels, meant many other things than wine. The commentator cited, as I recall, grape juice for one meaning, and raisin paste for another. he inclined, ultimately, toward the latter.
I suppose such people are blessed with reverent minds which prevent them from drawing irreverent conclusions. I myself, however, could never resist the temptation to read raisin paste for wine in the story of the Miracle of Cana. "When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made raisin paste... he said unto the bridegroom, 'Every man at the beginning doth set forth good raisin paste, and when men have well drunk [eaten?--the text is no doubt corrupt], then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good raisin paste until now.'" Does it not whet your appetite for the critical opera omnia of such an author, where he will freely have at the length and breadth of Scripture? Can you not see his promised land flowing with peanut butter and jelly; his apocalypse, in which the great whore Babylon is given the cup of the ginger ale of the fierceness of the wrath of God?"
Ascending
For those of you interested in Jamie Soles, he's recently come out with a new album, Ascending. This is a collection of the Psalms of Ascent (Ps. 120-134) put to newer tunes. There is a chant version of one psalm as well as a tune from the Genevan Psalter for another. These are folk tunes, family tunes, good for long car rides and playing and singing around the house. The great thing is that they are word for word (or very close to it) taken from the ESV. I hadn't realized how close they were to the actual text until not long ago when I was reading through that section of the Psalter. And lo and behold I already knew them all.
So take a listen and get yourself a copy. Click here, or just google "Jamie Soles Psalms of Ascent".
Sunday, June 04, 2006
River at 2
And while it is still called Today, I would like to point out that in addition to this being my first Sunday at Holy Trinity Church in South Carolina and the high Christian feast of Pentecost, it is also my son's second birthday. While I'm pretty sure he doesn't read my blog, I would like to publicly wish him many happy returns of the day. I'm rather convinced that he's a bit confused: when I ask him how old he is, he says "three!" Then I laugh, he laughs, and I ask him, 'really, how old are you?' And he says, "five!" I give up and let it go. A few minutes later he looks up and says, "two, daddy." He's holding up his hand with his index and middle fingers ever so slightly more extended than the rest of his fingers. I congratulate him.
We have a fenced in, ground level balcony in our new apartment where River already loves to play. This morning while we were getting ready for church he was out there doing his thing, which on this occasion appeared to be reaching through the bars in the fence and pulling large handfuls of pine needles or some such foliage onto the deck. Upon finding him deep in the mysteries of pine-needle-grabbing, I asked, 'hey, whateryou doing?' He replied with wide eyes and a straight face, "I"m making a cheese burger, daddy." To which I of course replied, 'well, good for you.'
My son hunts wallies. I don't know what wallies are, but I found out tonight that they are edible. He announced that he had found some and he had killed some, but then he began eating them and asked if I wanted any. Of course I said yes and had a bite, but I'm afraid I'm still a little unsure what wallies are exactly. But he marches through the house, sometimes with a baseball bat, sometimes in sun glasses, and when he's found his wallies, well then, he kills them and eats them and makes sure to share some with mom and dad.
I really can't say how grateful I am to have a son. He's already such a person, such an individual with his own personality. He's such a joy, a delight, a mystery, a challenge, everything a good gift should be. May God make him a mighty man, and may he serve the Lord all of his days. Happy Second Birthday, River.
An Electrical Storm Gone All Wrong
In Acts 2 when the divided tongues of fire appear to the disciples, it is usually rendered that 'one [tongue of fire] sat/came to rest on each one of them [the apostles]'. However, given the context I wonder if this is really the best rendering. We already have a mighty rushing wind, the sound of which is loud enough for multitudes to gather wondering what's going on. The language of divided fire is reminiscent of Psalm 29 where Yahweh is described as the great storm God, the God who shakes the earth through the praises of His people and divides fire upon the earth. In Psalm 29 it is obvious that divided fire, in the context of a storm, is lightening. And I wonder if that is a little closer to what is going on in Acts 2. It's difficult to shake the children's picture Bible imagery of little cute candle flames hovering over the heads of all the apostles, but perhaps that's not what we're supposed to understand as happening. The word for sit/rest in Greek is KATHIZO, and is almost always used to denote an enthronement or sitting for judgment or teaching. Furthermore, the preposition usually translated "on" can have a wide range of meaning: on, around, concerning, against, towards, and others. So I would suggest rendering the verse something like: 'one [lightening bolt] signaled the enthronement/bestowed authority for each one of them.' That also fits with what Jesus had actually promised the apostles: "...you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.." And thus what we have at Pentecost is not just a gentle breeze and some creative pyrotechnics, we actually have the Holy Spirit roaring into the house in Jerusalem as a mighty wind, an electrical storm gone all wrong.
A Victory Feast
This meal is a Spiritual meal in many different senses. It is Spiritual because Christ is present with us at this meal in His Spirit. It is Spiritual because Christ feeds us with his body and blood in ways that are not explainable with chemistry or biology. But this meal is also Spiritual because God does with this meal what seems utterly ridiculous to carnal man. Paul says in 1 Cor. 11:26 that our eating and drinking is a proclamation of the Lord’s death. Throughout Acts people repent, believe, receive the Holy Spirit and start eating together. They don’t join a political party. They don’t immediately start dressing differently or working in particular industries. They immediately begin breaking bread together, this bread, Eucharistic bread together. And then the next thing that happens is that they’re getting in trouble with the authorities. What gives? What’s the threat of bread and wine? This meal is Spiritual because it accomplishes by faith what cannot be accomplished any other way. Moses sees the armies of Pharaoh and lifts up a stick. David sees the giant and picks out a few choice pebbles. And we see the world and all its ugly sin and we sit down to a table. It looks like insanity, and the world will do all it can to break our concentration. And it cannot be an accident that so many churches do not celebrate communion but very rarely. But here we are in the power of the Spirit joined to the millions thronging into the Kingdom. Salvation is a victory feast, a festival in honor of our victorious King and his mercy and grace to us and to the whole world. Therefore eat this bread with joy, drink this wine with a merry heart.
Pentecost Sermon: Acts 2
Introduction
Today is Pentecost (or Whitsunday). Today is the day, some fifty days after Easter when the Church celebrates the pouring out of the Spirit onto the church. Originally the Hebrew Feast of Weeks or First Fruits, God fulfilled that type or allusion by sending His Son and after He had ascended back into heaven, He poured the Spirit out on His Church. Going back to the second and third centuries, celebrating this momentous event has a deep history, but who is the Holy Spirit? What is the Holy Spirit like?
The Creator Spirit
When God created the heavens and the earth, He sent His Spirit to hover over the deeps (Gen. 1:2). This Spirit is the RUACH, the wind or breath of God. And it is the same Wind that rushes into the house where the apostles are staying on the day of Pentecost. The presence of the Spirit means that something new is beginning. Notice also that this wind precedes the spoken Word, just as in Genesis 1. The wind gives the force necessary for speech; it becomes the breath of the apostles such that when they speak, words they did not know before spring forth, languages known to the multitudes gathered in Jerusalem for the feast. But as has been pointed out before, these new linguistic abilities are the answer to the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). A new city is being founded. Finally, it’s difficult to imagine this scene without seeing the picture-Bible renditions of this event with picture perfect flames hovering over each apostle’s shiny Boy Scout face. But this scene should probably be considered far more like an electrical storm gone all wrong (Ps. 29). The same Spirit that roared the cosmos into being is once again at work in the world.
The Warrior Spirit
And if the Spirit of God is the storm of God, then it should not be surprising to see men act like storms when they are filled with that Spirit. Perhaps one of the most overlooked Spiritual men in all of Scripture is Samson. Of course Samson is looked to as a warrior, perhaps even a hero of Israel. But how often is he considered a prime example of what it looks like to be a Spiritual Man? Too many modern Christians portray faithful masculinity as soft and sensitive. When the Spirit comes upon a modern Christian man, it is assumed that he spent an extra ten minutes in quiet time, or maybe he got tears in his eyes when singing during the service. But when the Spirit comes upon Samson, he goes hunting for a Philistine wife (Jdg. 14:1). He tears a lion apart (14:6). He kills thirty men and takes their clothes (14:19). He breaks out of ropes and kills a thousand men with the jaw bone of an ass (15:14-15). This is not an exhortation to violence. But this is an exhortation to warfare. When the Spirit fills a man or a woman they act with fierce obedience, martial faithfulness. This is because obedience is treachery to the world and the betrayal of all sin and wickedness. It cannot be an accident that the Spirit appears as “tongues” and immediately following this the apostles are speaking in “tongues.” Words are fire; words are a storm, the only question is to what end (Jas 3). In our world and in the world of the first century, one the most central acts of obedience is with the tongue. When the Spirit descended on the apostles they got up and began boldly declaring the truth to the multitudes, and they and their descendents did it with such ferocity, that many of them were tortured and martyred for their faithfulness.
The Glad/Festal Spirit
Finally, the Spirit is the Wine of God. To be filled with the Spirit, one runs the risk of being accused of drunkenness (Acts 2:13, 15). And that’s a good thing. The passage quoted by Peter is Joel, where Yahweh expressly prophesies the sending of His Spirit and the pouring out of the Spirit as the pouring out of new wine on the people of God (Joel 2:19, 24). Paul also exhorts us elsewhere to be filled with the Spirit which is the proper alternative to drunkenness (Eph. 5:18). Remember Hannah who bitterly wept and prayed in the house of God pleading with Him for a child. She too was mistaken by Eli to be drunk. But of course this fits with the wildness of a storm and the fierceness of a warrior. The Spirit of Yahweh is also a thunderous, joyful festival (Psalm 78:65). And this is precisely what we see here in Acts 2 (2:29 (!), 41, 42, 46-47).
Application
First, this Sunday is not only Pentecost, the birthday celebration of the Christian Church, it is also (fittingly) a new beginning for Holy Trinity Church. Today really is a Pentecost here in Greenville, South Carolina. Here, after 2006 years of Christ’s reign, God is pouring out his Spirit yet again in a new and unique way in this place and time. The Creator Spirit is hovering over us. His storm is rushing over us here, right now.
Secondly, this means we should expect opposition. This is not arrogance; this is not self aggrandizement; this is faith. God is blessing us here in this church at this time. And whenever God blesses his people in particular places, people notice; they hear the noise and come running and the enemies of God come out of the woodwork. But we, no less than all of the heroes of the faith, are confident of victory. The same Spirit that empowered the man, Jesus Christ, to fight sin, the flesh and the devil and conquer death itself is at work in each of us. Therefore believe that God is blessing us, but be on guard. The devil loves to turn blessings into ropes on which the saints of God hang themselves.
Lastly (and this is our greatest defense), we must look for and expect great joy. The effect of the work of the Spirit is a community of celebration and gratitude. Sharing bread and wine here is the pinnacle of lives shared throughout the week, living with gladness and simplicity of heart. Sin really is the great complicator. Sin is darkness, emptiness and formlessness; sin is uncreated or decreated reality; sin is the ultimate straightjacket. But where the Spirit is, life comes pouring forth, life like a waterfall, like a tornado, like a Spanish dance. This is the life of the Holy Spirit that has been poured out onto us. Therefore live this: believe that God is at work and blessing us here and now, fiercely contend for the faith by obeying, and finally, pursue simple gratitude, the kind of thankfulness that counts pennies, watches sunsets, and gives inexcusable gifts.
In the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen!
The Collect of the Day
Almighty God, on this day you opened the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of your Holy Spirit: Shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Spiritual Worship
Worship is warfare. The Word of God is the Sword of the Spirit on our lips, and the Psalms and Hymns we sing are the double-edge sword in our mouths. But our warfare is dragon and giant slaying. We do not enter this battlefield with a reasonably sized foe. We do not face sin, flesh, the devil and all the enemies of God on equal footing. We are Moses with a stick, surrounded by seas and armies. We are David with a few stones and a taunting, towering giant. If we look at the battlefield it looks terrifying and useless to try. There are almost a half a million people in Greenville County, close to a million between Greenville and Spartanburg, among some 300 million in this country alone. And we are a tiny band in Greer, South Carolina. But this is what it means to do battle in the power of the Spirit. Spiritual battle does not mean we cease doing battle. It does not mean retreat from the arts, business, medicine, politics, culture, technology or any such thing. It simply means that the battle is the Lord’s. We serve the Lord God of Sabaoth. That means Yahweh God of Armies, and there is no other God in heaven or in earth or under the earth, all the rest are idols. And it is He that sent His Spirit, the Spirit of the risen and victorious Christ on His people at Pentecost, and it is He that sends His Spirit now, drawing us up into the heavenly places, joining our voices, to the voices of the countless millions who confess the name of Christ. Worship is warfare: therefore I charge you in the Name of Christ, sing, chant, pray, shout, eat, drink and listen with all faith, because you serve the God of Armies, King Jesus, who turns seas into dry land, decapitates giants, and He has crushed the head of that dragon of old. Look around, every place your foot trods has been given into your hand because it has been given into the hand of your King. Do not doubt but believe.
Friday, June 02, 2006
Made It
Thanks for the prayers and encouragement. Jenny, River and I arrived into Taylors, South Carolina yesterday, late afternoon and collapsed. The drive was pretty long, and it has been a busy 4 or 5 days. But God has been so good. On either end of the trip, both in Idaho and here in SC, the people of God have overwhelmed us with kindness. Both gifts and help have been very much appreciated.
It's strange to begin learning our way around a completely different area. New streets, new stores, new culture, etc. Of course this is America, we still have McDonalds and Walmart, but you know, there are still a number of new things to get down. One quick example: apparently here, street names do not necessarily correspond to the street you are driving on. One might drive down several blocks, and paying careful attention to the tiny street name signs on street corners find that one has been on two or three different streets without turning once. Still more mysterious (challenging) is the fact that often if one wants to continue driving on a particular street, one may have to make several turns here and there at sundry intersections in order to "stay" on that street. The road to destruction is broad and wide and many find their way easily, but the road to life is narrow and difficult and often makes many detours and there are few that find it, and even fewer who manage to stay on it.
I did notice that I had accidentally published the same picture of River twice a couple of posts ago. I've taken one down, although I really am a proud father and twice proud to be the father of River. Nevertheless, it was inadvertent and so now you'll just have to wait for a new one.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 61
1 To the Chief Musician. On a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.
HEAR my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
3 For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.
4 I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
5 For You, O God, have heard my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
6 You will prolong the king's life, His years as many generations.
7 He shall abide before God forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!
8 So I will sing praise to Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.
Monday, May 29, 2006
The Road Winds Ever Onward
1800 miles later, we're in St. Louis getting ready to head over to a Cardinals game. It's warm... in the 90s with substantial humidity. A few notes on the ride over:
Montana gets the award for the most internet networks so far. As we were driving through, we couldn't really use them, but still, driving through mountains and valleys, it was astonishing how many networks my computer picked up.
South Dakota was really long.
Iowa wins the award for best rest stops: all equipped with free wireless internet service. Iowa also wins the award for worst roads so far. Iowa also has the distinction of having a couple of weird combinations. In one town there was a liquor store laundry mat. You know how stressful laundry can be, this one-stop shop makes washing clothes easy and fun and you'll never remember you did it. We also ate dinner at a burrito coffee shop. Yep.
Missouri wins the award for most meticulous, with mile markers every 2 tenths of a mile. That seems a little obsessive, but I'm sure they have their reasons.
On to Greenville. Cheers.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Two Fairy Stories
Just finished working on an audio book project for Canon Press this week. I had the privilege of reading Peter Leithart’s book Wise Words. Having never read it before, I wasn’t entirely sure what the stories might be like, but as with all of Peter’s stuff, I must say that I am quite impressed. There are 18 fairy stories based in some way on the sort of thematic narrative of the book of Proverbs. But they are quite a bit more than that. In addition to the ‘proverb’ or moral of the story, he weaves traditional fairy tale elements together with biblical imagery and symbolism. Talking animals, damsels in distress, dragons, enchanted seeds, hidden kings, talking trees, and any number of other ordinary magical characters combine with his unassuming and subtle wit to make for a great read. One of the best titles is “Braxton Hicks,” the story of a young man who is quite good at fake labor.
Somewhat related is the fact that my wife and I watched Emma Thompson’s latest Nanny MacPhee on Saturday. Thompson wrote the screenplay and starred as Nanny herself. This was a simple delight to watch. Admittedly, it was not a great movie, but it was fun. It is perhaps one of the closest attempts I have seen in a while at an old fashioned fairy tale. Billed as the next “Mary Poppins” I was rather skeptical, but frankly I enjoyed it a bit more than MP even without the singing and dancing (ok, MP still has the edge in that regard: who can beat the chimney sweep song and dance routine?). Nevertheless, Nanny was effortless fun complete with a talking pig, magic spells, and a wedding at the end. As with all great fairy stories, it was an enjoyable imitation of the real magical world God made.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Stubborn Gratitude
One of the most wonderful things I've learned here in Moscow is the importance of gratitude. I've been reading Robert Farrar Capon's The Supper of the Lamb recently (there'll be another post on it shortly), and one of the things I was struck by is how Capon exudes gratitude for the particular. He delights in onions, pocket knives, and gravy, and takes time to explore each in various ways. One of the other striking things about Capon is how opinionated he is. He is decidedly anti-margarine, anti-electric carving knife, and numerous other particular "quirky" convictions. To which many might respond, "who cares?" And we might also think that a nut with such "random" dogmas would be someone we might view rather warily. Of course I don't know Capon at all personally, and so I can't really make any substantiated claims. But let me at least speak to the principle. It strikes me that there are really only two kinds of stubborn opinionated personalities in the world: the bitter, jaded souls that smolder in their sin and the grateful hearts overflowing with thanksgiving to their Creator and Redeemer. Much has often been said about the stubbornness of the bitter and conceited. The proud and arrogant who can't change their minds about anything and refuse to be corrected. The "hell-no, I won't go" sorts who visibly burn with envy. But there is another kind stubbornness; there is another kind of opinionated person: the person who sees everything as a gift from God. If this particular house is a gift from God, why would I sell? If this community is a gift from God, why would I move? If these particular doctrinal formulations were gifts to me from God, why would I let them go? And the list goes on and on: from unexplainable family traditions to cultural expressions and celebrations. Why, I don't know why we eat seafood on New Year's Eve, but we'd never stop doing it because it's what God has given to us over the last 20 years! Our families, our communities, our community cultures, our history is a gift of God. They are particular gifts of God to particular people. Why would we give them up easily? Of course there are times for everything (e.g. selling, moving, etc.), as the wise man once said, but it occurs to me that our transient and novel culture rides on the back of a collective bitterness and covenantal disenfranchisement with the God of heaven.
Gratitude deep down in the bones for the particular gifts of God isn't easily distracted and those particular gifts are not easily replaced. This also indicates that one New Englander's fiercely held opinion about chicken broth can be accepted cheerfully and charitably disagreed with by a South American's gastronomic dogma. Each have been given many different things, why do we feel the necessity to be the great Grinches of the world counting gifts, comparing values and insisting that everyone have the same opinions, concerns, or doctrinal heritage? There's of course a kind of gratitude that just wants others to share our own joy, but there's another kind of ingratitude that resents the way God has told the story of the world.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Hothouse Extremism
The following excerpt is from The Screwtape Letters. Remember it is Screwtape (a devil) who is writing his young apprentice devil, advising him how to tempt, muddle and discourage his "patient", a recent convert to the Christian faith.
"All extremes except extreme devotion to the Enemy are to be encouraged. Not always, of course, but at this period. Some ages are lukewarm and complacent, and then it is our business to soothe them yet faster asleep. Other ages, of which the present is one, are unbalanced and prone to faction, and it is our business to inflame them. Any small coterie, bound together by some interest which other men dislike or ignore, tends to develop inside itself a hothouse mutual admiration, and towards the outer world, a great deal of pride and hatred which is entertained without shame because the "Cause" is its sponsor and it is thought to be impersonal. Even when the group exists originally for the Enemy's own purposes, this remains true. We want the Church to be small not only that fewer men may know the Enemy but also that those who do may acquire the uneasy intensity and the defensive self-righteousness of a secret society or a clique. The Church herself is, of course, heavily defended, and we have never yet quite succeeded in giving her all the characteristics of a faction; but subordinate factions within her have often produced admirable results, from the parties of Paul and of Apollos at Corinth down to the High and Low parties in the Church of England."
The Screwtape Letters
Letter VII
CS Lewis
And in our own day, these words of wisdom apply in numerous ways: Some in our local context seize upon extremes, ideals, the "Cause", banding together heaping mutual admiration upon one another, all the while sequestering themselves from the rest of the Church, the rest of humanity, the rest of God's claims on their lives. In a broader light, these words apply to some of the controversies within the Reformed world in regard to justification, covenant theology, ordo salutis, etc. And the point isn't just a plea for everyone to just get along. The point is that Lewis's insight is on the demonic nature of factionalism and sectarianism and the motivations often involved.
But this cuts both ways: the individuals with martyr syndromes, who think they've been squished by the big kahunas at the top of the ecclesiastical dog pile are just as responsible for protecting the spirit of unity in the bond of peace as the gurus at the top. No one gets to ignore their own responsibilities just because some other party neglected theirs.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
A Baby Horse
This evening after dinner, I began telling my son about the story of Adam and Eve. I began by explaining about the garden, all the sorts of things that would likely have been there, finishing up with of course, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. I also explained that Adam and Eve were 'nakey buns' which of course is Toddler Speak for "naked and without shame." He was pleased with that and listened eagerly as I told him about how God said that the Tree in the middle was a "no." They were not allowed to eat any of the fruit of the Tree. Although God had given them many other trees to eat from. But, I told him, they did not obey God. (When I first told him this story a few weeks ago, River immediately responded by saying "need spankings.") Since they disobeyed God, they should have been punished. They deserved to get a "spanking". But God had mercy on them-- here my son quickly picked up on the Kyrie we say in Church and began saying "have mercy on us"-- but I continued, explaining that this means that God killed an animal and gave Adam and Eve clothes. Here my son asked what animal God killed. I suggested maybe it was a cow or a bull or an ox, but my son looked up at me and said, "a baby horse." And that's about as far as we made it tonight. We'll try again soon.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Screwtape Wisdom
I have been reading The Screwtape Letters by Lewis this week with my students. In an early part of the book, Screwtape (a devil character) writes about what he calls the Law of Undulation. This is the ordinary way God sanctifies His people, through ups and downs, peaks and valleys. Screwtape writes that it is necessary to keep humans unaware of this cycle in order to always catch them off guard, not expecting anything. But the faithful and mature know that God is a faithful Father who disciplines the sons and daughters that He loves. The weak and unbelieving arrive at the bottom of the valley surprised, dumbfounded, doubting their families, their churches, and their savior. Whereas the Christian responds in faith and joy, knowing that this is the way of holiness, the Law of Undulation. I would highly recommend the book if you have never read it before, and even if you have.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Stayin' Alive
The fact of the matter is that I've just been too busy. As many of you know, we're moving across the country in less than four weeks. School is busy, as I'm trying to do as much as possible to ensure a smooth transition in my absence, and well you know... things.
I'll try to post something more substantive later this week.
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
Strangers in our Gates
I don't really know much about politics. And I sure don't know anything about immigration law. But frankly, the people whining about all this illegal immigration sound like greedy cranks. If Mexicans or Hispanics work harder and are willing to take less for their work than the average lazy American, then I think we'd be better off. Of course, I'm not advocating breaking the law, and I don't even know what the law is, by the way. But if a fellow is willing to work hard to provide for his family, and he thinks he can do that in the States, I say let him in.
To speak in crass terms: more competition tends to encourage ingenuity, hard work and it checks inflation. The whole thing also seems like a gross misunderstanding of value. Remember, it's people (and the work they do) who are valuable. Money is only worth as much as it buys. Money is the yard stick not the object being measured. The thing being measured, the thing of value, is a man or woman and the increase of their labors. That means that every immigrant that does better work than a current resident is more valuable.
And on a more theological level, throughout the Scriptures, God defends and provides for the stranger and the sojourner, and He commands us to do the same.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Christ the Lover: Song of Songs 3:8 – 5:1
Introduction
The fifth Sunday of Lent marks the final two weeks before our celebration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Historically, on this Lord’s Day, a liturgical shift occurs turning the focus of prayers, readings and song from our own personal fights against sin to the final days of Christ’s own struggle and passion. There is not a more fitting consideration as we turn our attentions toward these events than the love that drove Him to the cross.
The Text:
“Who is this coming out of the wilderness…” (Song of Songs 3:8 – 5:1)
Why Allegory
Apart from the overwhelming historical witness, there are a number of textual and contextual indications that point to the legitimacy of an allegorical reading. First, the name of the book is the normal superlative form in Hebrew meaning literally, ‘The Greatest Song’, reminding us of one of the most common superlative constructions, ‘The Most Holy Place’. Secondly, the vocabulary throughout the Song is architectural (e.g. 4:4, 5:15, 7:1, 7:4, 8:10). These sweet nothings present some awkwardness rhetorically that are difficult to overcome pleading for idiomatic oddity. Additionally, the recently constructed Temple fills a significant historical backdrop in Israel in general and for Solomon in particular. A third reason for considering the Song as an allegory, related to the second, are the particular ornaments, building materials and geographical references. It is difficult not to think about the temple with multiple references to cedar beams, lilies, pomegranates, palm trees, and Lebanon (compare 1 Kgs. 6-7). Lastly, the numerous prophetic references to Israel as the vineyard of God (e.g. Is. 5, Jer. 12:10, Matt. 20-21) as well as Paul’s exhortation to make the love of God for His people the standard for all earthly love (Eph. 5:25) would lead to us to consider the book in this light.
Coming Up from the Wilderness
It’s difficult to miss the historical allusion here to Israel’s own sojourn through the wilderness, particularly given what follows. Phrases like “columns of smoke”, “mighty men of Israel”, and even the reference to the “couch” of the king surrounded by an army remind us of the camp of Yahweh coming out of the wilderness (Num. 2). Apparently the portable couch finds its resting place as a palanquin or enclosed litter (v. 9). But this litter is built from the cedar of Lebanon. Thus King Solomon pictures the movement of Yahweh from the desert riding on a portable throne in the Tabernacle and coming to rest in the Temple, built from the cedars of Lebanon (1 Kgs. 5).
The Beloved
The beloved’s face is behind a veil (4:1, 3) which indicates that it is hidden and separated. This is what she said at the beginning of the Song as well (1:5). What are the “curtains of Solomon”? Overwhelmingly throughout the Old Testament this word for curtain refers to the curtains of the Tabernacle. While a number of the other descriptions may be obscure, describing her neck as the “tower of David” able to hold a thousand shields seems to further indicate that the beloved of the King is Israel. The references to spices, smells and in particular frankincense, remind us of the incense which was regularly offered before the Lord and often offered with sacrifices (Ex. 30:34). The phrase “honey and milk” (v. 11) is also hard to read without remembering the promises of God concerning the land of Canaan. Notice also the repetition of Lebanon. The fixation with the location (v. 8), the smell (v. 11) and the waters of Lebanon (v. 15) make best sense when considered in light of the cedar from Lebanon used to build the Temple.
A Garden Enclosed
While on the surface a “garden enclosed” could simply be referring to chastity and virginity, given all of the Temple imagery already clearly set before us, a “garden enclosed” could also simply be a reference to a house. Not just any house would fit this description, but one built of wood, decorated with palm trees, flowers and buds, one with chariots of water and an enormous pool inside of it would (1 Kgs. 6-7). And thus, not only is the Temple a garden enclosed, it is a spring shut up, a fountain sealed, a fountain of gardens, a well of living (running) waters, and streams of Lebanon (v. 12, 15). And thus to this garden, a new Eden – the Temple of Israel – the Lover comes to feast: to eat honey, to drink wine and milk, yes, to drink deeply (4:16 – 5:1).
Drinking Deeply
The temptations with allegory are either to make it irrelevant (over spiritualizing) or to make the story irrelevant (under spiritualizing). This means that we must insist that the Song is about the unsurpassed love of God for His people, and because this is so, it is also all about sex. And we must not forget either one. But striving to avoid both ditches, it is necessary to consider what this means in light of the Incarnation. Perhaps one of the most striking references to the Song in the New Testament is through the phrase “daughters of Jerusalem.” (1:5, 2:7, 3:5, 3:10, 5:8, 5:16, 8:4). If there was still any doubt, Jesus speaks authoritatively, interpreting the Song as His own Song on the road to Calvary (Lk. 23:28). It is the same Lover who wooed His bride, Israel out of the wilderness and into Canaan, it is the same Lover that rejoiced over his bride’s beauty and lavished her with jewels and perfumes and praise that now walks with criminals up a stony path to be crucified.
Conclusion
Looking at our dying Savior in the light of The Great Song reminds us in a powerful way why we call the cross of Christ His passion. This is a challenge to every husband or would-be husband to the nobility of real love, true passion. But considering Christ as the perfect Lover, demands furthermore that we live in the grace of forgiveness.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Big Yuck
Of course the most exciting news comes from HBO. The long time envelope-pusher is striking out again into the wilds of sexual improvisation and misogyny. In 'Big Love' the cable network introduces the first sitcom which centers around a man and his three lady friends and all of their children. Set in Salt Lake City (surprise!), Bill Paxton plays the "normal" middle aged, polygamist husband who strings three concubines, er, I mean wives along, seeking to hold their household(s) together.
I don't know; this is all really very boring actually. What I really want is for someone to be brave, really courageous. Quit pussy-footing around with this tame Mormon stuff; go for the gold. I want to see a sitcom about the exploits of a "normal" middle aged man in love with little boys. Of course being a 'principled' man, he would marry them along with their pet Labradors. Come on, HBO, is that as good as you can do?
A Tree in an Electric Storm
We know the Ten Commandments. We are respectable middle class American Evangelicals. We don’t sponsor orgies or raves. We don’t vote for democrats. We are pro-life and against homosexual marriage. But the life of righteousness is not just about labels. We are not first and foremost income brackets or political partisans. We’re people; we’re lives called to holiness. In particular, we are called to hate and defy every sin. We are called to mortal combat with the legions of sin that war on our flesh. We are not called to a label; we’re called to actually fight. The beginning of wisdom is to hate evil, the wise man says. Do you hate evil? Or do you just hate “liberals”? Do you hate the sin of murder or do you just hate the idea of being killed? Does your stomach turn? Are you physically ill about the widespread stealing that passes as re-zoning, taxing, or gambling? You are called to hatred. You are called to the hatred of evil. And remember, as you accept this calling, that the most perfect instant of wrath and hatred ever poured out in the history of the human race was also the single greatest act of love. Jesus Christ bore the sins of the world, and like a lone tree on the summit of mountain in the middle of an electric storm, the Father struck the Son in your place. The beginning of wisdom is to hate evil, and the cross is the wisdom of God.
Cash Hurt
It is difficult to listen to “Hurt” by Johnny Cash without feeling deep remorse. The lyrics fill Cash’s aged, haunting voice with a disgust for things in the past, and yet when heard through the pictures supplied in the music video, it is obvious that some sort of redemption or salvation is in view. The lyrics speak of pain, needles, killing, lying and hard memories. These are sung over images of a younger Cash running, riding trains, a room full of awards and trophies, ever returning to the central figure of Cash as an old man playing a guitar, sitting at a piano. Cash refers to all of his accomplishments as his “empire of dirt” that he would be willing to give up entirely if able to take back his mistakes. The video culminates with images of a crucifix, a Christ figure being nailed to a cross, ending with a brief clip of a cross and a dove flying to freedom. These images combined with the final words, promising a different sort of life indicate that Cash found some kind of final peace in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Thus, while the song is full of an overwhelming sense of regret, one is not left hopeless—only sober and repentant.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Tongues of Fire
When the family of Aeneas is contemplating what to do after the Greeks have overthrown the city of Troy, a great omen occurs when a flame appears over the head of Aeneas' son Iulus. The flame is a portent that indicates the necessity for Aeneas and his father to flee the city, leaving their home and all their belongings to be ransacked and burnt. This of course reminds us of the story of Pentecost in Acts 2. The ascended Messiah sends the Spirit of the Father upon his disciples while they are praying in the upper room. But not only is the omen the same, the meaning is the same: leave the city. When the apostles are filled with the Spirit they speak in the tongues of the nations of the world that are gathered together in Jerusalem, and this is only the begining of the grand exportation of the Kingdom to the world. Of course it all starts in Jerusalem, but by the end of Acts Paul is in Rome and the disciples have scattered to the four corners of the earth. And Jesus had warned His disciples of the signs to look for: "When you see the abomination of desolation... let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains..." The judgment of God is coming upon the Jewish nation for rejecting the Messiah. But the portent is not only for flight, it is also a sign of a promised new city. Aeneas flees Troy in search of a new Troy, a new home, an eternal city. Likewise Christians fled Jerusalem and the wrath that God had promised it, in search of a new city, a New Jerusalem, an eternal and heavenly city. Of course Aeneas only founded Rome, and the apostles were the founders of a far greater city, the City of God which far supasses all that Virgil may have dreamed of.
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
A Temple Affair
I’ve been doing some studying of Song of Songs recently. Throughout the history of the church there have been many who held that the book was allegorical, depicting some embedded (no pun intended) love story between God and his people. Recognizing the prudishness and anti-sexual tendency of many Christians throughout the history of the church, this is hardly surprising. The text becomes a manual for de-sexing the world. “See? Breasts are just metaphors for the towers of the New Jerusalem descending out of heaven.” And thus our (my) general reaction is ‘bah’. Of course there are some eunuchs for the gospel, but the New Testament makes it clear that this is not the norm. But there’s the baby and the bath water bit. As we have been wont to argue elsewhere, there are many legitimate and complementary facets to any number of biblical texts. This book can be no exception. After reading and rereading the Song, I’m convinced that it is definitely a full on allegory and not just the Reformed Christian’s Kama Sutra. And here’s why:
It pretty much boils down to the vocabulary. First, consider the language of love being employed, “Your eyes are like doves”, “His legs are pillars of marble”, “You are as beautiful as Tirzah, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners”, “your navel is a rounded goblet”, (and one of my favorites) “your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks toward Damascus.” Everyone reads these metaphors and cringes. Or perhaps at best looks confused. No woman wants to be told that her neck is a tower built like an armory which could hang, say, a thousand shields. But then we wave our hands and say, ‘well, that’s Hebrew for you… different cultures you know…” But the fact of the matter is that while there pockets of idiomatic expressions and constructions throughout the Hebrew Bible, it should be odd to us to relegate an entire book to such a category (especially in the name of ‘poetry’).
Next, notice the preoccupation with the trees (wood), buildings (towers, walls), and Lebanon. What’s with Lebanon? “Come with me from Lebanon, my spouse, with me from Lebanon.” (There was an echo in the room it seems.) “… and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.” And describing the spices of the garden of his lover, he describes it as a “fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.” Notice also all the trees and wood: “The beams of our houses are cedar and our rafters of fir.” “Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, so is my beloved…” “Of the wood of Lebanon (!) Solomon the King made himself a palanquin.” “All the trees of frankincense…” “His countenance is like Lebanon, excellent as the cedars.” “I will go up to the palm tree, I will take hold of its branches…” And I’ve already pointed out a few of the architectural metaphors: towers, high walls, battlements, armories, pillars, etc.
The allegory is of Yahweh’s love affair with Israel in and through the temple. The temple is the marriage bed of this couple. This is why the lover can speak of herself as a “garden enclosed”; Israel is to see herself personified in the temple. There the Lord comes and dwells intimately with his bride. All of the garden imagery of course hearkens back to Eden where intimacy with God was lost. The temple then, is a glorification of the Garden, the communion of God and man. But all of the references to Lebanon can’t be confused with anything else. The temple was constructed with the cedars of Lebanon. Furthermore, throughout the narrative, pomegranates and lilies are spoken of. Of course pomegranates adorn the tops of the pillars outside the temple and lilies are scattered throughout as well. The great bronze sea poured out through the chariots that lined the temple walls (at least symbolically). These are the ‘fountain gardens’ spoken of. Notice also the references to “veils” –reminding us of the curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Consider even the priestly connotations of taking off a robe, washing one’s feet, being purified. The spices and incense that fill the temple are the perfumes of the lovers as they unite. There are references to eating, banqueting tables, drinking wine, and even the fire of the Lord (8:6). Anyone familiar with Old Testament sacrificial literature would recognize the explicit references to sacrifice and offerings being made, again, communion with the God of Israel.
But of course even granting this spectacular allegory, the covenant love of God for his people immersed in the intrigues of sexual attraction, pursuit and consummation does not do away with any of the practical ramifications for Christian lovers today. St. Paul’s command was for husbands to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. And by analogy, surely we can apply this to the Old Covenant as well: Husbands, love your wives as Yahweh loved his bride, Israel. If Hebrews teaches us anything, it’s not that the New Testament lowers the bar and lessons the expectations. Just the opposite: if the Song was an allegory of the Old Covenant, the immature sex of newly weds, then the New Covenant’s picture of covenant love is far more robust, far more enthusiastic, and far more fulfilling. And if God has so loved His Church, how much more so ought Christians to be known for their passionate love of their spouses.
Monday, March 06, 2006
New Site
Of course hardly being able to keep up with anything here, it may seem rather presumptuous to start a new blog. But hey, this is for the children. Vote yes for kids.
Atlas School now has a blog. Over the coming months the idea would be to use this for posting students' work, announcements for families, assignments, and whatever else may be helpful as Atlas seeks to build a learning community here in Moscow.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Oedipus Obscurus
The universe of Oedipus is a riddle, a blind old prophet taunting him with his empty eyes. He cannot escape the fates; destiny pulls him under like a tsunami undertow, all his struggles are in vain. Is Oedipus’s fate the result of a conspiracy? Hardly. Chance consults with no advisors. Destiny keeps no council.
According to the utterance of the faceless oracle, Oedipus is promised a future of pain and suffering: after murdering his own father, he will marry his mother and bring disaster to his entire house. But of course, the very attempts to avoid destiny are the steps leading directly into it. Oedipus flees with his eyes open into the darkness that Tereisias sees with the light of no day. And thus as Oedipus comes to ‘see’ the truth that he has already fulfilled the prophecy, his body fills with darkness, and in anger and remorse he blinds himself, joining Tereisias in the ‘light’ of hopeless knowledge, calloused and hardened.
The answer to the riddle of the Sphinx was both the salvation and the destruction of Thebes. While freeing the city from the tyranny of the Sphinx, it simultaneously delivered Oedipus up to his fate. As a result of the acclaim he receives through delivering the city, Oedipus is offered the kingdom and the hand of Queen Jocasta (his mother) in marriage. The riddle is famous: What crawls on four legs in the morning, two at midday, and three in the evening? The answer in general is man, but in the story of Oedipus, it is Oedipus himself. Oedipus is the child flung to a mountainside by his parents seeking to brace themselves against the words of the oracle. Oedipus is the king who stands on two legs at midday ruling the people of Thebes, and it is Oedipus who struggles, leaning on a staff, blind and weary through deserted places waiting for death in the twilight of his life. Oedipus’s life is the riddle of the sphinx. Life is a riddle, a blind riddle, one damn thing after another pulling him under.
To this the Christian gospel proclaims salvation. And in particular we proclaim the gospel of answers. This is not to say that the Christian faith claims to have all the answers: Far from it. Nevertheless we do claim that we serve the One who does. And we serve a God that listens to His people, a God that answers the prayers of His people. We do not serve faceless chance or blind fate; we serve the Triune God who is a community of persons. He, in a mystery far beyond our reckoning, has decreed the end from the beginning, every last detail through the spinning galaxies of time and space, and if that were not enough, He has invited us into the story and invited us to take part in the telling of the story. The Christian faith declares that in Jesus Christ, men, women and children are invited into the presence of the God who created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them. We are not only invited into that presence, we are invited into that presence in order to speak. Our words, our hopes, dreams, and goals, our thoughts and opinions are asked of us. Wonder of all wonders, the Triune God cares what we might think or want.
Oedipus struggles against a blind force, but the Christian gospel tells the story of an exhaustively sovereign God who invites His people into His councils. He delights to hear us, and He listens to us. God declares the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham speaks and God amends His intentions. God declares the destruction of Israel, and Moses intercedes for them and God relents from the woe He had promised. God promises the destruction of Ninevah, and when the city repents in sackcloth and ashes, God relents, even in the face of Jonah’s protestations. And at the climax of all human history God poured out his eternal wrath against sin, the horrible justice due to our filthy deeds. But Jesus the Messiah stood in our place, and God relented.
God may say no; He may say yes, but the point is that we serve a personal God, a God we can actually appeal to, a God who answers. Fate speaks, destiny beckons and all of the scrapings of Oedipus are like sand in the wind. But YHVH speaks, YHVH beckons and the prayer of the righteous man avails much.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Sermon Outline: 1 Kings 16:29-17:24
Introduction
The season of Epiphany is a season that emphasizes the anointing of Jesus for ministry at His baptism and this blessing of Christ going out to the gentiles. We have much to recover culturally in these areas, but we must at least begin by studying these patterns throughout Scripture and seeking to apply them in thoughtful ways.
The Sidonian Princess
The story begins with a Sidonian woman, a princess whom Ahab marries. This Jezebel, whose name may mean “great woe” or perhaps “coastal honors”, brings Baal with her. (Jezebel’s name is related to the same root for the name Zebulun, which has associations with the coast and sea, e.g. Gen. 49:13). Ahab has no scruples about competing with Jeroboam for the infamy of worst Israelite king, and sets about building a temple and an altar to this foreign storm god. He also built the ‘asherah’ and gained the distinction of “doing more to provoke YHVH God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel who were before him.” (16:33) All of these things are indications of a reversal of the conquest. Pagans are being invited in (and married no less), temples to idols are being built, and altars are being erected to worship them. However, in case it was not clear enough, the text relates that it was during these days that Jericho was rebuilt, built on the blood of sons as Joshua had declared (16:34).
The Sojourner
Elijah’s appearance cannot be considered unrelated to the preceding material. YHVH’s anger has been aroused, and His response is in the person of Elijah. Elijah appears out of nowhere, and this is fitting as his title is “Tishbite” which appears to be a bit of a mystery in itself. The word is closely related to the word that follows it which could be translated “inhabitant” or “sojourner.” It’s possible that his title could be better rendered, “the Sojourner.” This is exactly what Elijah ends up doing throughout his ministry, and of course that’s why he shows up in Samaria quite unannounced. Elijah gives the decree of YHVH swearing by YHVH’s life (17:1). Following this, the Lord directs Elijah to the Brook Cherith. The name of this stream cannot be insignificant, as its root is the same for the word “cut” and a near relative of the word is “divorcement.” YHVH has declared a drought, displaying the status of Israel’s marriage covenant with Him, and Elijah is enacting divorce proceedings. The word “cut” is also the same verb that is used to make a covenant. When covenants are made, they are “cut”, and Elijah’s existence, drinking from the “Cut River” and being fed bread and meat in the morning and evening remind us of Israel in the wilderness, where God cut His covenant with them and fed them with manna and quail (Ex. 16:6ff). Thus Elijah is continuing the reversal of the Conquest.
The Brook and the Widow
When the brook dries up (remember the Red Sea), YHVH sends him to Zarephath a city in Sidon. It is believed that Zarephath is also a coastal city just south of Sidon. Now Ahab has brought a Sidonian woman into Israel, and YHVH is sending Elijah out of Israel to a Sidonian widow. There are a number of parallels and contrasts here. The woman is gathering sticks (two to be precise) in order to (presumably) build a fire and cook a bread cake with the last of their flour and oil. The circumstances are so desperate that she is resigned that she and her son will die after this (17:12). Jezebel and Ahab are building temples and altars where they offer food to Baal, and the Sidonian widow is building a fire where they can make their last meal. Of course Elijah declares that the flour and oil will not be used up, and they and their household eat for many days. But later the widow’s son becomes sick to the point that his “breath/spirit was not remaining in him.” In Samaria, the wickedness is so great that men are building cities in the blood of their sons (16:34), and here the son of the Sidonian widow dies and she immediately considers her sins (17:18). But the connection is even tighter than that. The widow is called a “widow” or “the woman” throughout the narrative except for verse 17 where she is referred to as the “mistress of the house,” but the word in Hebrew is “baalah” that is, the feminine form of “Baal” which literally means “husband” or “master.” The princess of Sidon has brought Baal to Samaria, and the nation is being built on dead sons. Now here in Zarephath, the Sidonian widow is a Baal in her own house and her son is dead.
A Son is Raised
Elijah takes the boy up to his “upper chamber” and after laying on top of him three times, God sends the boy’s spirit back “into the midst of him.” (17:21-22) It’s difficult to consider this story apart from what follows in the next chapter where Elijah challenges Baal to a duel on Mt. Carmel, and there a great reformation begins in Samaria. Elijah raises the Sidonian son in much the same way that the Israelite son needs resurrection. Just as Elijah raises the Sidonian Son in the ‘upper room’ so Elijah in the next chapter will raise the Israelite Son on Mt. Carmel. And of course the son in Israel is Israel. This was YHVH’s plea to Pharaoh when His people were in Egypt. Israel is God’s son, His first born son (Ex. 4:22-23). But this son, Israel, is dead and needs to be raised; it has starved and died of dehydration. But even after Mt. Carmel we know that exile still awaits Israel. The spirit has left the boy. Elijah signifies the Spirit, where Elijah goes, there goes the Spirit of YHVH. The Spirit of God has left His Son, Israel. There is no Spirit left in Him.
Conclusion
In Luke 4, when His own first begin their rejection of Him, Christ cited this very story as evidence of Israel’s death. “But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon to a woman who was a widow” (Lk. 4:25-26). Some seven hundred years later, Christ comes to Nazareth and sits down in a synagogue and reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to declare the good news… Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus claims that the Spirit is upon Him. And if the Spirit is upon Jesus, then the Spirit has returned to the midst of Israel. The breath has returned the son. And if the breath has returned to the son, the son will live again. How is this possible? Because YHVH gives His own life for the life of His people.
In this season of Epiphany we do well to consider these things: In the baptism of Jesus, the Spirit descended upon Him. The breath has returned to Israel in Jesus Christ, and after He rose again and ascended into heaven, He sent that Spirit down upon His Church, the new Israel, His Well Beloved Son. We are the Well Beloved Son because we are in the Well Beloved Son. And as Elijah brought life and salvation to the Sidonian Widow, so the gospel is good news: to the Jew first and then the Gentile and to the ends of the earth. This is nothing short of the overwhelming kindness and grace of God.
In a few minutes God will continue to pour out His kindness upon you by feeding you at His table. If the lesson of 1 Kings teaches us anything, it teaches us to follow the food. Food goes with Elijah, because the Spirit is with Elijah. And therefore since you come here to His table week after week, His Spirit is with you. Follow the food. Epiphany means manifestation. And in Christ Jesus, you are the manifestation of God because His Spirit is in you, therefore come and eat in faith and then go and give life as you have been given.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen!
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Out of the mouth of Atlas Students
So there we were, minding our own business, reading some Greek. We were reading the first chapter of the gospel of John. We read and translate around the room, taking turns and whatnot, and then we came to verse 29. A very well known verse, where John announces the arrival of Christ at the Jordan River. The student (who shall remain nameless) read and translated until he got to the phrase "Behold! the Lamb of _______" and for whatever reason, completely blanked on the next word which is not only well known in English, but frankly, the Greek is one of the most common words ever. Anyway, as a hint I suggested that our word 'theology' came from the same Greek root. The lights burned bright in his eyes and he smiled knowingly, restating the verse for the record: "Behold! the Lamb of Theology, who takes away the sins of the world!"
And while we laughed at the mix up, I wondered how many people have lived and studied as though what this boy said was actually true.
Number Two
I saw a picture of my second descendent on Thursday. This child is actually quite small, a mere 2 inches at this point. But I am nevertheless quite pleased with the progress so far. It was quite clear that this child has two arms and two legs, a head, a body and a vigorously beating heart. How could I not be proud?
We're excited, elated and simply thankful for another chance at making a person. Of course Jenny is doing most of the hard work right now, but I'm playing support and all that good stuff. Thanks for your prayers; number two should be here around the end of July.
Monday, January 09, 2006
When YHWH doesn't Sabbath
Just a little tid bit: In Ruth 4, when the women of the city bless Naomi they bless Yahweh "who has not left you this day without a close relative..." (v. 14, NKJV) The Hebrew actually says something like "who did not rest for you a redeemer." And even though that's kind of clunky sounding, the point could be made by saying "who did not rest in finding/providing you with a redeemer." The word is SHABAT which is verb for sabbath. The women of the city bless the Lord for not taking a sabbath when Naomi was in need. Yahweh is the God who gives sabbath, but He does not rest until the work is really done.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Thoughts on Education: Magic Words
In the beginning God spoke. Creation teaches us that God used words to make the universe, and with terrifying power, His words became the universe. Perhaps this is what is meant by the writer of Hebrews: the Son made the worlds and upholds “all things by the word of His power.”
Others, far more adept than I, have made the point, but some recent reading has sparked my imagination again: Words are magic. They are not magic by some autonomous, independent existence. They are magic because language was given to us by God, and they accomplish His vast and inscrutable ends which usually include far more than we ever intend. Consider the words of the gospel which when declared are able to make the hardest heart soft. Consider words of promise that are able to enact peace, words of institution that consecrate bread and wine, words of blessing that empower a people, words with water that incorporate an infant into Christ, words of pardon that release sinners from their faults. The stories of these sorts of words and language events testify of the power of God in language. And thus I affirm: words are magic, magic because God does with words more than seems possible.
There are many directions to go with this, but I would only suggest two. First, language is not insufficient for communication. It is not in se crass or crude. It is not an invention of God’s that is in any way demeaning or humiliating to Him. It is not as though God lives in a world of ‘pure thought and ideas’. God, from all eternity spoke the Son. The Son is from all eternity the Word of the Father begotten through the power of the Spirit. God speaks a Word from all eternity. This means that our language, our speech, our words are fundamentally sufficient and capable of true and lively communication.
Another way of saying this is that true communion does not take place with the least amount of matter possible. It is not as though the finest form of communication would be by some inter-cerebral-spiritual harmonizing of pure ideas. That ‘ideal’ simply doesn’t exist. Our bodies are not the prisons of our mind. Our affections and words are not the inhibitors of true knowledge and communication. Our bodies and words were given to us so that we can know, so that we can communicate. ‘A meeting of the minds’ occurs every time two or more people interact (and I mean this in its broadest sense). And interaction always occurs with words, symbols, art, shadows, touch, smell, sound, taste, etc. There is no such thing as a ‘pure idea’. Ideas have sounds and shapes and can often be photographed.
Secondly, words are heavy. Because they are God given and are images of the Son, the Word of the Father, they represent us, our histories, our futures, our loves, hates, thoughts, dreams, and conversations, in an analogous fashion as the Son is the perfect representation of the Father. Like pieces of clay passed from hand to hand, words meld and form through stories, poems and events. Words have physicality: not only do they take part of us with them, they also impact those they address. This is why St. James says that the unbridled tongue is a fire and a world of iniquity, and is so set among our members that it can defile the whole body and set on fire the course of nature. Of course it can become a temptation to make too much of human words, and thus we must remember that God’s Word is the heaviest. It has the most impact; it brings worlds into existence from nothing. But our words image His, and so we do well to guard our tongues and use them for blessing.
There are many applications of this, but one of my concerns is in the area of education. Education necessarily includes communication and a significant part of communication is with words. Because of the weight of words, because of the magical and transcendent quality of language, it is absolutely necessary that a teacher have faith. This faith informs not only our trust that our word will accomplish praiseworthy ends, but it also comforts any fears that we have started fires with our tongues in ways that we may or may not have intended. But faith has to rest in the fact that God has given us words to speak, sing and listen to, and we cannot shy away because we are afraid of the possible misuse of them.
But teachers also need to recognize how little is in their control. We must study to know our material well. We must be diligent to consider the best ways to present and incite the interests and attentions of our pupils. But the fact must always remain before us that far more is taking place in a classroom than a simple conscious presentation of information. The sunlight pouring into the classroom windows, the artwork on the walls, the tone of the instructor’s voice, the smell of the carpets, the wooden chairs and desks, and everything else and their histories intersect, interpenetrating in moments (some conscious but probably mostly unconscious) and all of it mingling to create the experience, all of it bending together to form what we know.
The sheer magnitude is overwhelming, but to the faithful, it should create a deep humility, joy and diligence. The humility comes from realizing that our pontificating (however organized and well researched) is a tiny fraction of what is actually being accomplished. While God is pleased to do much with words, the classroom is a dance of sentences, smells and sentiments (not to mention the fact that we are sinners and all of the hurdles that entails). The joy builds on this humility. Recognizing the teacher’s microscopic existence in the panoply of the classroom experience makes us thankful that we are even heard at all. Again, it’s the magic of words for the teacher to be heard of over the commotion of windows, chairs, hunger, fatigue, boredom, pencils and the pictures whirling around the room. Finally, I want to emphasize that a classroom where these things are accepted does not mean a chaotic classroom, an apathetic teacher, or lazy students. Recognizing the infinite in the finite, is always recognizing grace pouring through our nature. Seeing the impossible and far more than we think or imagine being accomplished before our very eyes reminds us that the Holy Spirit is ever active, making harmony of our dissonance, making sense of our noises, shapes and colors. And if it’s the Spirit of the Triune God active and present in the details of our classroom, then our utmost diligence, highest expectations and hardest work is the least we can do in return for the gift of Magic Words.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Tree Gallows
Haman, undone by Mordecai's refusal to pay him homage, follows the counsel of his friends and wife to build gallows for the Jew. The word in Hebrew for gallows is "tree"; Haman builds a tree to hang Mordecai on. Of course the story reverses the plot, exalting Mordecai to Haman's position and Haman gets hung on the tree he built for Mordecai.
Christ was crucified on a tree according to Peter, and for all we know, it may have even resembled the sort of gallows Haman had built. And all of this is part of the rich symbolic menagerie that surrounds our celebration of Christmas. A tree in one's living room conjures all of the biblical lore, millenia of providence and faith. From the garden trees in Eden to the trees that were built into arks and temples, from the gallows of Haman to the staff of Moses and the rods of Aaron and Jesse, we invoke the same Spirit into our homes as we celebrate the birth of the King of all the earth. The same Spirit that parted the roaring waves of a sea with a length of ordinary wood in the hand of a man, engrafts us into the tree that is Christ. And we form the tree of life that is for the healing of the nations, whose leaves do not whither, that produces its fruit in season.
So deck the halls with bows of holly; string a million lights around that gallow-tree and put a star on top to guide the wisemen from the east. Christ is born in Bethlehem; Christ is born to die. Christ is our ark, our rod, our gallows. Christ is Mordecai on Haman's tree.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
QADESH
Another connection to the 'qadesh' of the previous post is in 1 Samuel 2 where the sons of Eli are laying with the women who come to the tabernacle to (presumably) worship. The sons of Eli are called 'sons of Belial' which is exactly what the men of Gibeah are called in Judges 19. 'Scoundrels' is probably a good translation but there seems to be a fairly recurrent theme of sexual perversion and in this case some sort of ritual prostitution.
Visitors in an Evil City
There are a number of archtypal narrative "sets" throughout Scripture. The woman at the well and a man looking for a bride and the pharaoh/exodus motif are probably some of the most prominent. Perhaps Judges 19 and Genesis 19 are pieces of another narrative set which culminates in the birth of Christ. Both of these stories have foreigners visiting an evil city. They are taken in to be protected from the wickedness of the city. Sodomites come out demanding that they be given the guests for sport. Substitutes are offered, daughters or beloved concubines, and in the end someone close to the family dies and judgment falls on the city.
In the birth of Christ, Mary and Joseph are of course the travelers, ending up in Bethlehem as a result of a census. While there is no room in the inn, there is wickedness in the city in the person of Herod who is willing to go to great lengths to secure his reign, even butchering a number of baby boys. Men do hear about the visitors and seek them out, but they are not sodomites, they're gentile wisemen and shepherds. And they bring gifts and worship the baby. The baby boys of Bethlehem are the substitutes; they are Israel, the beloved daughter and concubine of God. The Christ child is spared only to rise up and bring judgment on Israel for her wickedness, eventually destroying the wicked city which has become even more depraved than Sodom and Gomorrah.
Just as a side note: while the word does not show up in either Judges 19 or Genesis 19, the Hebrew word for "sodomite" is 'qadesh' which literally means 'holy one'. Sodomy was ritually practiced in many ancient religions; thus to visit a harlot ('qadeshah') or a male temple prostitute ('qadesh') was not only a sexual perversion it was also an idolotrous act, an act of false worship. Which is an interesting back drop to the fact that Herod, hearing about the birth of King Jesus, tells the wisemen to tell him where the baby is so that he can go worship him also. This Herod while perhaps not a literal sodomite, wants to offer a pagan kind of worship; he wants to "un-man" the Son of Man.
A City Without Walls
Zechariah 2 is a glorious advent reading, promising the coming of Yahweh to His people. It's hard to miss the international flavor of the prophecy. It's not merely that Yahweh is returning to renew His people, but the renewal is going to turn Israel inside out. Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls because it will be bursting at the seems with people and animals. Many nations will be joined to Yahweh in that day. And He will dwell in their midst, and that's how you'll know that Yahweh of Armies sent Zecheriah to Israel. This new Jerusalem has burst wide open spilling out into every nation, making the ends of the earth the plunder of our King and spoil for his servants.
Friday, December 09, 2005
John Calvin
Marilynne Robinson points out in her introduction to The Death of Adam that John Calvin is regularly condemned, harangued and set forth as 'religion gone wrong' in many a university classrom, and yet it is simultaneously the unwritten assumption that it is highly suspect to actually read his writing. He is often labeled as tyrannical, seeking to build some narrow minded theocratic empire in Geneva. He is accused of sectarianism and has been made the poster boy of Salem-Witch-Trial-Puritanism, burning the heretic Servetus at the stake an all that. But Robinson makes several helpful points particularly on the bit about Servetus: "One man is one man too many, of course, but the standards of the time, and considering Calvin's embattled situation, the fact that he has only Servetus to answer for is evidence of astonishing restraint... Geneva in the time of Calvin had in fact reformed its laws so that religious infractions could not receive a penalty harsher than banishment. Servetus came there perhaps for this reason, having escaped imprisonment by the Inquisition in Vienna... Then the Genevans brok their own law by trying and burning him. Disheartening as that fact is, it nevertheless indicates that Calvinist Geneva was eschewing a practice which was, and for centuries had been, commonplace all over Europe--as Geneva was well aware since their coreligionists elsewhere were chief among those being burned."
Pacifism
I need to read more of Stanely Hauerwas, but he commonly refers to himself as a "pacifist". At least one sermon of his indicates that he would apply this even as far as the repudiation of self-defence or defence of a loved one. Christ's words in the Sermon on the Mount and other passages which deny the supremacy of the family (e.g. the necessity of hating one's father, mother, etc. in order to inherit the Kingdom) Hauerwas takes (it appears) in an absolute, unilateral sense, apparently insisting that Christ's words override the Old Testament allowence of self defence (Ex. 22:2). However I don't know what he would say about capital punishment, just war theory, etc.
Jim Jordan points out in "Pacifism and the Old Testament" (Occasional Paper 6) that a just war is merely an extension of the doctrine of Hell. He says, "The Christian doctrine of war is surely an offense, but is only an extension of the doctrine of eternal judgment, which is also an offense... Christ is the Prince of Peace, true enough; but not for all men, only for His own sheep." Of course this doesn't really answer Hauerwas directly, but perhaps it's a start.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Worth Doing Well
That late, great Anonymous once said, "If something's worth doing, it's worth doing badly." But as with many things, we must say yes and no. Applying this to education in particular, one of the great concerns I and others have with the Classical Christian School movement (I speak as one from within the movement) is the possibility that we are inoculating our students to literature, history and classical languages. In other words, many classical Christian schools seem to have the, "if one's good, two is better" mentality when it comes to classical studies. Of course sometimes this is true. God apparently liked a number of things to come in pairs, if one arm was good, two was certainly better. And other things like fingers and hair certainly came packaged in greater quantities. But two heads is not better than one. And so it is with classical education. If Latin is good, perhaps Latin, Greek and Hebrew is better. Perhaps if 200 pages is good, 2000 is better, but not necessarily.
And for this reason, I would want to argue that in an important sense, especially when children are young, less is more. If education is worth doing, and it is, it is worth doing well. And in some areas, it would be far better to let things go, if it would mean doing them badly if we tried. It is far more important teach our students love for truth than for them to know the entire history of Rome. It is more important for our students to love beauty than for to know the history of Western Art from the Minoans to the present. It is far more important for our students to love the goodness of God than to remember who came first Odysseus or Othniel. They will not remember all the details of the Odyssey from when they were 10 or 11, but they will remember how it felt. Do their eyes light up and their imaginations wander, or do they roll their eyes and wish they were still at home playing Halo 2? My fear is that many schools are turning the greatest books and the classical languages into vaccinations. Are we igniting flames of imagination and excitement and wonder? Or are we ensuring that they never need another drop of Latin, thank you very much.
I am more and more convinced that how we interact actually creates the what. The method creates the content. When students are introduced to the world of history and literature, we should want them asking for more. It should be like so many evenings I remember when I was young, when Dad would come to the end of another chapter, and we would all beg for him not to stop. That kind of joy and anticipation is true Christian Education.
Douglas Wilson spoke this morning in Greyfriars Hall about the need for evangelists to have a deep awareness of the sovereignty of God. And I think the same is true for teachers and educators. This is not to say that it doesn’t matter what we do ‘cause, heck, God’ll fix whatever messes we make. Sure, God will do that too, but more importantly, we can be free to love our studies, love our students, and encourage them in their pursuits, not over anxious for their souls, not finicky about whether they ‘got it all’. Because, of course, they didn’t get it all and they won’t here and now. But God is faithful, He’ll make sure they do eventually.
And this is why less is more. If a class can handle 200 pages, a great teacher will assign 150. If students could enjoy a forty minute lecture, a great teacher will lecture for 30. The greatest teachers are not only concerned to impart wisdom; they are also concerned to impart the desire for wisdom. And thus, less is more: if we can give our students just a taste of the glorious story of history, just a glimpse into the beauties of Scripture, just a line of some silly song in Latin it is possible that they will come begging for more, hungry to learn, hungry for wisdom.
Staying Put
Once again the Daily News, that bastion of fundamentalism, has made a declaration regarding the future of Atlas School. I've come to enjoy the Daily News as a sort of extended comics section in general, although I must say they are improving in some areas here and there.
However, late last week, perhaps Friday, a front page story was run on the outcome of the Board of Adjustments hearing. The headline ran something like: "Atlas to leave downtown Moscow." With a number of qualifications that statement might be true. But as far as journalism is concerned it's like announcing that NSA is a worthless education or that peas and carrots are gross. As Jeff Bridges once said, "that's just like your opinion, man." And opinions are generally relegated to the 'Opinion' page.
But the fact of the matter is that Atlas School has no current plans to leave downtown Moscow. The law allows for due process, appeals and other judicial forms of discussion, and we’re still pursuing those rabbit trails.
The Board of Adjustments did reject our appeal of the zoning administrator's decision to 'enforce the code against Atlas School'. In a 3-2 vote it was their determination that Atlas School was a "school" and as such was excluded from the downtown because the word "school" does not appear in the Central Business District zoning guidelines, even though it does specify that "similar institutions" are allowed. And one would think that "churches, synagogues, commercial schools" would be "similar" to "schools." One brave man, who incidentally was accused of being affiliated with Christ Church (he wasn’t), argued in our favor that "schools" could be considered "similar institutions" because after all, "similar institutions" are nowhere defined in the holy writ as excluding schools. That man can follow an argument. But, as the courageous gentleman found out, diversity and open mindedness are code words for getting rid of anyone remotely related to the aforementioned institution.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Books
I dropped the side bar of books a while back because I could never keep up with it. But here are a few of the current books on my plate: C. Stephen Jaeger, The Envy of Angels. Jaeger teaches around the corner at the University of Washington. This is a fascinating study of the cathedral schools that existed around 950-1100 A.D. Jaeger's thesis revolves around the concept of 'charismatic education', an educational experience based upon the personality and personal interaction with instructors. Stanely Hauerwas, The Hauerwas Reader. Hauerwas is a professor of ethics at Duke Divinity School. I started with Unleashing Scripture, an essay followed by a series of sermons on the subject of the Word of God and its rightful place within the community of the Christian Church. I've really enjoyed Hauerwas so far. Just one quote: "Any religion that doesn't tell you what to do with your pots and pans and genitals can't be interesting." (Actually that's Chuck Primus, an instructor from Notre Dame, but quoted by Hauerwas and thoroughly in keeping with his rhetoric.) John Millbank, et al, Radical Orthodoxy. Millbank was Peter Leithart's advisor at Cambridge. I haven't gotten any further than the introduction, but I'm curious and look forward to more.
The Odyssey
Some of the most interesting elements of the story are the illusions and shadows that remind, mimic, and misrepresent various aspects of the Gospel. But before delving into some of those, it may be necessary to give an admittedly short defense of what follows. First, the epic poem is obviously the product of a pre-Christian paganism, and thus must be properly analyzed and appreciated from that context. However, pre-Christian or not, the world is inescapably the handiwork and symphony of the Triune God. Being a creature in the created world means confrontation with our Creator. Homer no less than any individual in the history of the human race came face to face with his Maker and either bowed his neck with thanksgiving or scorned the Truth with ingratitude. Further, it may be maintained by some that is simply unreasonable to cast a Christian shadow over the myth to see what fits. However, it must be asserted that the mysteries of redemption have not been confined to Old Covenant signs, shadows, and prophecies. In fact, the entire cosmos has been groaning and continues to groan in expectation for the redemption of the world (Rom. 8:21-22).
This said, The Odyssey is a ‘nostos’ or a return. The king has done battle with the enemy and is trying to get home to his wife, son, and kingdom. He is accompanied by a number of men who prove to be for the most part, bumbling fools. Here begin some interesting comparisons: Jesus is accompanied by disciples during his ministry, who often have a knack for putting their feet in their mouths, disobeying their master, and lacking faith in their master. Odysseus’ men are no better. From the Lotus Eaters to Circe’s island, his men disobey their master and wander into trouble at a terrific rate. Odysseus’ lifestyle of feasting and storytelling is another interesting comparison, particularly with the theme of hospitality so prominent throughout the story. Odysseus is given good food and rest by some hosts, and others seek to make him their meal (ie. the Cyclopes). Jesus is recorded throughout the gospels as being at meals and feasts, and many of the arguments and discussions that He takes part in are centered around the propriety of His eating habits. The Pharisees despise Jesus for eating with sinners, and some go so far as to invite Jesus to banquets in order to mock him (Lk. 7:36-50). Ultimately Jesus institutes a simple feast, the Eucharist, which will culminate at the resurrection in the great Wedding Feast of the Lamb. At the same time, the suitors are in Ithaca eating Odysseus and Penelope out of their house and kingdom. The men of the kingdom who should be guarding the Queen intrude upon the royal house and take advantage of the vacant throne, seeking to make Penelope their wife. Odysseus’ return has interesting aspects as well. He returns to his own and his own do not recognize him. He comes disguised by the gods. He spends the early part of his return seeking out those who have been loyal and labeling those who have betrayed him and done harm to his household. Even as Jesus who is the promised Messiah is not recognized by many of his own household. It also seems significant that Odysseus is disguised as a beggar. He has been humbled for a season in order to bring justice to his kingdom. As did Jesus. It is only a few of the oldest members of Odysseus’ house who recognize him. Likewise, it’s Simeon, Ana the prophetess, and other faithful Israelites who recognize Jesus for who he is. The actual unveiling of Odysseus can be seen from a number of different angles, but here are a couple. The clearing of his house is a miniature of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple. The actual clearing of the house is spoken of by Odysseus as a feast, and after the suitors have met their fates, Odysseus commands the servants to make like there’s a wedding feast taking place. This can be taken several ways of course, but in an important sense, Odysseus has returned to his bride and the whole event is a wedding renewal. These themes can compare with Jesus first coming, but there is much that might also sound like His second. Finally, Odysseus, like Jesus, is recognized by his people by scars. In the end, Odysseus also returns to his father and sets the kingdom at peace. And in these events, there are hints of the ascension and rule of Jesus at the Father’s right hand.
There are also a number of contrasts that can and should be made. Obviously, Odysseus lacks many of the necessary characteristics to what we might call Holiness. The Greek idea of a faithful husband obviously falls short of Christian standards. Nor can Odysseus be seen as the mediator between God and men: his justice is limited to a small portion of Greece (though it might be argued that his struggle to return is in some senses cosmic). And ultimately the justice that Odysseus brings falls short if only in so far as Odysseus does not give up his life for his loved ones. Death is not conquered by Odysseus, even though the story does center on his “descent” into Hades.
How might these observations be helpful? One of the most important reasons is for showing how the gospel story is inescapable, and how ultimately the story of Jesus is the only true one. Drawing these correlations can be helpful for teaching both the details and themes of the true gospel as well as showing the weaknesses and lies in the ‘gospel’ of ancient Greece. We ought to ask questions about how these themes work themselves out in the story and their cultures. What was the Greek view of marriage? Of masculinity and femininity? What is justice? What is hospitality? What is love or nobility? These questions are some of the most important questions in life and are answered very differently depending upon whether our savior is the Lord Jesus or a mere man like Odysseus.
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