This is going to be the last post on this blog for the indefinite future. Over the last few months, I've been thinking about taking some time to focus my attention elsewhere, particularly on some more in-depth theological study and more focused and substantial writing projects. The time afforded by temporarily giving up blogging will help me achieve this goal.

Blogging has been a very beneficial exercise for me over the past years. I've used it as a forum to think through a number of different things, and it has helped me improve my writing a great deal. I will certainly return to it in the future, but for now I'm not sure when that will be.

My online presence will really be limited to Twitter from this point forward, so you are welcome to follow me there. I would deactivate my Facebook account, but I manage our church's Facebook page and can't deactivate without also losing the ability to manage that page. As a result, I will have to just limit my Facebook usage as much as possible.

To all of you who read this blog and have contributed to the conversations over the years, I thank you. I will look forward to resuming those conversations at some point in the future.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

In the first volume of his Reformed Dogmatics, the great Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck says this:

The essence of the Christian religion consists in the reality that the creation of the Father, ruined by sin, is restored in the death of the Son of God, and re-created by the grace of the Spirit into a kingdom of God (112).

That is one seriously loaded statement. But it lays down the sort of holistic understanding of Christianity that we so desperately need.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This is brilliant. Chris Wright talked more on this at Lausanne in 2010, which you can see here. In light of some of the events of the past week in the evangelical world, what he's saying here is really important.

(HT: Kinnon)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

This past Sunday I preached on 1 Chronicles 29:1-20, and in that passage David refers to the people of Israel as "aliens and strangers" in God's sight (v. 15). Although in that context the phrase has a different connotation than what we typically understand it to mean, this is common language in the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. The most common reference in the latter is probably found in Peter's letter (1 Pet. 2:11).

While I think this idea is certainly helpful for us to keep in mind (given that it is a biblical metaphor), there is also a danger in such a perspective leading to an eschatology shaped by escapism. Indeed, many evangelicals are quick to say that we are pilgrims in this world on our way to heaven. "We're just passing through," is the common catch-phrase of those who adhere to the sentiment.

Here's the thing, though – in one sense, we're not going anywhere. As I've said before, the history of God's redemption of his people is a pattern of God coming to us. The future of God's people is not some disembodied, ethereal existence. Our new Promised Land is "the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God" (Rev. 21:2). As Peter says, on the day of the Lord, "the earth and everything in it will be laid bare" (2 Pet. 3:10) in preparation for this Holy City.

In what sense are we aliens and strangers and pilgrims, then? One way of understanding this does tie the physical world, despite what I've just said. While this world is our home, we are aliens and strangers in it at the present time because our home has been occupied by a foreign enemy. It has become a wilderness; the presence of sin and the kingdom of darkness has obscured the inherent goodness of God's creation and made it unrecognisable. But we don't wait to escape from this wilderness. We wait instead for the Promised Land that God brings down to us after he purifies his creation from sin.

There is a spiritual element to this as well, though. We are pilgrims on a journey to a spiritual destination. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, we have new life (Rom. 6, Col. 3). By the power of the indwelling Spirit, we are given strength to put to death the old self, and to live holy and righteous lives (John 14:15-31, Rom. 8). On the day that Christ returns, we will be glorified – made like him (1 Cor. 15:51-57, Phil. 1:6).

Right now we remain in the wilderness of sin, wandering through it in the pursuit of holiness, longing and yearning for the fulness of Christ's redemption as we see sin wreak havoc in our lives and in our world. As Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 2:11, we need remember who we are so that we do not fall into sin and allow ourselves to be comfortable in this occupying kingdom. Instead, we follow the lead of our God towards that day when he fulfils his promise to forgive our wickedness and remember our sins no more (Jer. 31:34), and to wipe every tear from our eyes. "There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away" (Rev. 21:4).

The Promised Land that awaits us is God's good creation restored and glorified, a place where his people will dwell in his presence forever and where they, having been glorified, will be free from sin and flourish as they live the life that he intends for his people.

That's a Promised Land to look forward to. That's a pilgrimage worth making.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

In the middle of December I was on a bit of a rant tweeting about how Christians so often misunderstand work and vocation. I find myself returning to this topic more and more because I think it is so important. Browse through the gallery to see the tweets:

See the full gallery on Posterous

Then Steve Bishop posted this cartoon the other day and I thought that it did a good job illustrating the way the church often adds to the problem.

It's my hope that in 2012 churches will do a lot more to help believers think about their work from a Christian perspective.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I don't typically do personal posts here, but I thought a year-end reflection might be worthwhile, even if only for my family and friends who read this blog. Be warned, though – when I do foray into more personal, introspective posts, they tend to be quite long, so get a cup of coffee if you're thinking of reading this all the way through.

Robin and I began 2010 with a great deal of uncertainty, still waiting for visas to process for us to move to the United Kingdom. To be honest, by January, we were seriously beginning to think it wouldn't happen. We both had jobs we did not particularly enjoy, and we had a lot of uncertainty about the future. The visas did come, however. On my birthday in February, we got the news that the church here had finally been approved to sponsor us. From there, the next few steps moved on comparatively quickly, and by May, we had the visas in hand.

Our remaining time in Florida was really a time of blessing, though. Relationships with our church family at River Oaks Church deepened, and I continued to have many opportunites to partake in the church's ministry. As we were leaving and saying goodbye to all the wonderful people there, we found that words could not express how blessed we were to have spent our four years in Florida sharing our lives with them.

We did a quite a bit of travelling last year. In early May we took a road trip across the southern United States and into Texas, going as far as San Antonio, and in June, we took another road trip on our way out of the United States, first heading west to visit some friends in Mississippi, and then north to visit Robin's family in Michigan and mine in Ontario, before flying from Toronto to Gatwick, and driving from Gatwick to Hull. Since arriving in England, we've been able to visit some of the sights here, including York and London.

Packing up all our stuff in Florida was an adventure in itself. Our move to Florida when we got married was a big move, but we didn't have a lot of stuff at the time. Moving to another continent, though, accessible only by air or sea, was going to be interesting. We had to sort through all kinds of stuff, and we managed to get rid of a lot. We ended up getting a 20-ft. shipping container to move our belongings to England. During our three weeks between leaving Florida and arriving in England, I enjoyed tracking the container and learning about the shipping container business. In the end, the process couldn't have gone smoother; everything arrived right on schedule and nothing was damaged.

The biggest event of the year was, of course, the actual move to England. This photo summarises our life for about three weeks in the middle of last year – going from place to place living out of suitcases. It was taken at Gatwick Airport in the carpark where we picked up the car we hired to drive to Hull. Robin says she gets dizzy looking at this photo because by that point, we were exhausted from travelling, and both nervous and excited because we were about to make the final journey to our new home.

We weren't really sure what it was going to be like living in a new country and a new culture, but our initial experience was very good. The church family at St John's was so warm and welcoming, and they were eager to make us feel at home quickly. And they succeeded – this is the fourth time I've moved in my life, and this has by far been the easiest transition. After being here about three months, I was beginning to get tired of people asking me, "How are you settling in?" because I felt that the process was over and that we had settled.

People often ask us to point out the differences between North America and England, but I always find this question hard to answer. There are little differences – terminology, the way houses are constructed, different cars, some unique foods – but I'm hard-pressed to make any sweeping observations about how these two places differ. I'm well aware that we are in a different culture, but it's not so radically different that I can be specific about it. People here are like everywhere else, in one sense – concerned about providing for themselves and their families, desiring relationships with others, spending their time watching television or going shopping or taking a walk. Maybe it will take time before I'm able to make more observations about the differences.

We moved to England so I could take up a position as an assistant minister at the church. My official title is "Assistant Minister – Community Action," meaning that half my role is sharing in the preaching and other pastoral responsibilities, and the other half is developing and coordinating the church's community outreach work. The first part of the role has gone well. The 'pastoral' side of the role is new to me, and while I'm still getting used to people unloading on me – seemingly without inhibition – I'm learning quickly. I have more experience preaching, although not a great deal, but I continue to be challenged by it and enjoy it, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to do it far more regularly now.

The community action side of the role is new, though, both to me and to the church. When I got offered the position, I was told it would be up to me to give shape to it. Starting almost from scratch, as it were, the first few months were a difficult. I spent a lot of time trying to get to know this city and thinking about how we wanted to approach this work. Within a few months, though, I felt much more confident about the role, having seen some things unfold and fall into place. I now understand myself to be doing three things – articulating a biblical and theological basis for our community work, developing and coordinating community projects, and equipping people in our church to participate in these projects and to live as Christians in their communities. I am excited to see how this will play out further in this new year.

For now, though, thinking back over the past year and looking forward, I'm reminded again of how blessed we are. While the year began with uncertainty, we now look back and clearly see God's hand guiding us. Yet at the same time, I'm aware that the uncertainty we experienced is nothing compared to what others around the world have faced, especially those who have suffered greatly in this past year from famine, war, natural disasters, and whatever other terrible things sin has wrought on creation. I mourn with them, and earnestly pray that 2012 will be a more peaceful year.

But Christ is still enthroned as King over heaven and earth, and as we move into another year it's again my hope and prayer that he will return to conquer sin and death and fulfil all his promises to his people.

Until then, let us continue to faithfully bear witness to the Kingdom of God, offering to the world the hope, joy, and peace that are only found in Jesus Christ.

May God richly bless all of you in 2012.

(NB: We're beginning the year with a short holiday. There is one post set to publish on the 4th, but aside from that, posting will not resume regularly until the 10th of January.)

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Orthodox men love church, says Frederica Matthewes-Green. A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across an article she had written after dialoguing with one hundred Orthodox men who had converted to Orthodoxy as adults to find out what drew them in.

It's no secret that in most Protestant churches, females make up a larger portion of the congregation, often significantly. This was one of the reasons Matthewes-Green decided to find out why Orthodoxy bucks that trend. What she discovered was very interesting. Look at some of the responses below. It is especially noteworthy, I think, that many of the men commented on the challenge of Orthodoxy:

"It's the only church where you are required to adapt to it, rather than it adapting to you."

"Orthodoxy is serious. It is difficult. It is demanding. It is about mercy, but it's also about overcoming oneself. I am challenged in a deep way, not to 'feel good about myself' but to become holy. It is rigorous, and in that rigour I find liberation."

"Guys either want to be challenged to fight for a glorious and honourable cause, and get filthy dirty in the process, or to loaf in our recliners with plenty of beer, pizza, and football. But most churches want us to behave like orderly gentlemen, keeping our hands and mouths nice and clean."

"Christ in Orthodoxy is a militant, Jesus takes Hell captive. Orthodox Jesus came to cast fire on the earth. In Holy Baptism we pray for the newly-enlisted warriors of Christ, male and female, that they may ‘be kept ever warriors invincible.'"

"...‘the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay’ has almost nothing to do with the Eternal Logos entering inexorably, silently yet heroically, into the fabric of created reality."

"Men get pretty cynical when they sense someone's attempting to manipulate their emotions, especially when it's in the name of religion. They appreciate the objectivity of Orthodox worship. It's not aimed at prompting religious feelings but at performing an objective duty."

A lot of the things these men say they like in Orthodoxy could be true of Protestantism as well. The problem, though, is that many churches have changed and have adapted too much to modern culture. But a Protestant church that is true to its heritage and tradition does require you to adapt to it. I mentioned the Book of Common Prayer the other day; worshipping in a church which uses the BCP presents a challenge that you need to adapt to. Protestant faith is serious and difficult and demanding; Jesus said that if anyone was to follow him they needed to first lay down their life (Matt. 16:24-25). We are called to be holy too, and learning to submit to Christ's Lordship over all of your life is a difficult process. Early Protestants saw Jesus as a strong and powerful King; the tender, soft Swedish Jesus is a modern invention. Protestant worship isn't about feelings and emotions and it does require participation.

But it's not difficult to see that in many churches this is not the case anymore. So, maybe we need to change something. Maybe it's not about coming up with new ways to challenge men, but returning to more classical forms of faith and worship. Maybe instead of dumbing everything down, we make men wrestle again with words and phrases that take some work to understand. Maybe instead of making worship as comfortable as we can, we make them kneel once in a while or stand for prolonged periods of time. Maybe we get them thinking hard about being disciples of Christ, as workers, as husbands and fathers, as citizens, as sports fans. Maybe we don't allow them to be passive and train them to teach or to lead in prayer or to mentor young men.

Christianity should be hard work. It should be challenging. It requires us, after all, to surrender everything to Christ. If men are not learning that in our churches, then something is wrong.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

In his Christmas message, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, had this to say about the Book of Common Prayer:

The Prayer Book is a treasury of words and phrases that are still for countless English-speaking people the nearest you can come to an adequate language for the mysteries of faith. It gives us words that say where and who we are before God: 'we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep', 'we are not worthy so much as to gather up the crumbs under thy table', but also, 'we are very members incorporate in the mystical body of thy Son, which is the blessed company of all faithful people; and are also heirs through hope of the everlasting kingdom'. It gives us words for God that hold on to the paradoxes we can't avoid: 'God... who art always more ready to hear than we to pray,' 'who declarest thy almighty power most chiefly in showing mercy and pity, 'whose property is always to have mercy.' A treasury of words for God – but also a source of vision for an entire society: 'Give us grace seriously to lay heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions'; 'If ye shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only against God but also against your neighbours; then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them; being ready to make restitution'.

The world has changed, the very rhythms of our speech have changed, our society is irreversibly more plural, and we have – with varying degrees of reluctance – found other and usually less resonant ways of talking to God and identifying who we are in his presence. If we used only the Prayer Book these days we'd risk confusing the strangeness of the mysteries of faith with the strangeness of antique and lovely language. But we're much the poorer for forgetting it and pushing it to the margins as much as we often do in the Church.

This is one of the reasons I love the Prayer Book. The language may be difficult and dated, but for myself, at least, it has a way of putting into words things I sometimes have trouble expressing. There is a challenge – a good challenge – in wrestling with the phrases and thoughts, one that will draw you deeper in the mysteries of faith and the wonders of God.

We do ourselves a great disservice when we cast off as irrelevant those things which require some work to understand. In the case of the Prayer Book, we miss out on some of the richest prayers and words of worship, and some of the most profound ways of expressing the timeless truths of the Christian faith.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

With this being our first Christmas in Britain, we had the opportunity to take part in the Christmas tradition of gathering around the television at 3pm to watch the Queen's Christmas address. What everyone is talking about after this year's address – and what the media is avoiding talking about – is the last part of her speech, where she spoke of the forgiveness of sins that comes through Jesus Christ and her prayer that all would make room in their heart for him.

The various reactions triggered by this are interesting. As I mentioned above, I saw several news reports this morning reviewing the speech, none of which mentioned the last part. But on Twitter and Facebook, I've seen many Christians overflowing with excitement that their Queen would point so clearly to Christ as the hope of the world. While the message itself excites them, of course, the excitement is probably more a result of such a prominent public figure so openly talking about Jesus.

What makes the Queen's speech interesting as well is how it contrasts with a recent speech by Prime Minister David Cameron on the place of Christianity in Britain – she insisting that salvation is found through faith in Jesus, he merely pointing to the role Christianity's values and morals play in shaping British society and his own rather minimal commitment to it.

When I lead the 8:00am service at our church, I sometimes get to pray these words from the Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God...we humbly beseech thee so to dispose and govern the heart of Elizabeth thy servant, our Queen and Governour, that, in all her thoughts, words, and works, she may ever seek thy honour and glory, and study to preserve thy people committed to her charge, in wealth, peace, and godliness.

Having heard her speech, I am glad to know a little more about the faith of the Queen we pray for each week. And we will keep offering these prayers for her, trusting that God will continue to guide and sustain her.

God save the Queen.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

I've often wondered why Psalm 117 is so short, just two verses:

Praise the Lord, all you nations;
   extol him, all you peoples.
For great is his love toward us,
   and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever.    

Praise the Lord.

But as I was reading it this morning it struck me that nothing more needs to be said. What other reason do we need to praise God than his great love toward us and his enduring faithfulness?

Incidentally, I discovered that Psalm 117 is the middle chapter of the Bible, according to the chapter division our Bibles use. Fitting, I think, that the central chapter of the Bible is a call to all people to praise the Lord.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Michael Bird had an interesting post recently on the level at which you should preach. There's always the danger of going to one of two extremes when preaching – making it far too academic, or far too simple – both of which have the same result of not helping those who are listening to grow and mature in faith. Bird offers a few points for consideration:

What I try to do in my homiletic journeys is: (1) Identify with your audience. Preaching to a youth group ain't the same as speaking at a retirement village. But make sure everyone can grasp what you're talking about. When in doubt, simple is better. (2) The form should be easy and aesthetically nice to hear, but the content should be theologically informed. (3) Remember, preaching is based on good exegesis, but it is not a display of your exegesis. (3) Preaching is about persuasion, changing peoples' hearts and minds, not just imparting more information; and (4) The most important elements of the sermon are the first thing and the last thing you say, so find a way to make it sing and sting!

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Of the things I have never understood, these are included – why church attendance rises so much at Christmas, and why so many recording artists produce Christmas albums during their career. The only conclusion I can draw is that they must not think about the words they are singing when they sing the traditional hymns of this season.

The church has many great hymns that proclaim the wonderful truths of the Christian faith, but I find that many of our Advent and Christmas hymns make those declarations in an especially poignant way. I was thinking about this yesterday evening during our carol service, looking at the many unfamiliar faces gathered in the church. Why were they there? And why did they so readily sing these songs, even with exuberance?

If people took a moment to think about the lyrics of the Advent and Christmas hymns, I wonder how they would react to something like the third verse of 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing':

Hail the heav'n-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Many of these songs are joyful expressions of the wonder of the incarnation. Other songs boldly present a challenge to those who have not confessed Christ as Lord, and demand a response. Consider this verse, from 'Joy to the World':

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love.

The first verse of 'O Holy Night', calls us to join in the weary world's 'thrill of hope' at the Saviour's coming, and to 'Fall on your knees!' in response. The text of another hymn, 'O Come, All Ye Faithful', triumphantly proclaims,

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to Thee be all glory giv'n!

In November of last year, Al Wolters wrote an excellent article for the online version of Comment magazine, making a similar point about the 'Hallelujah Chorus' in Handel's Messiah. He notes that despite the overtly religious theme – that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and that his Kingdom rules over all the earth – people in our culture still stand up when the choir sings the majestic chorus. What makes this especially interesting is the juxtaposition of the confession of Christ as Lord, ruling over all the earth, with Psalm 2, which is sung prior to the chorus. Wolters observes,

The meaning is unmistakable. The nations at large conspire against the Lord and against his Anointed, and plan to cast off all restraints that he has imposed on them. But God will only laugh at their defiance, and he (now addressed in the second person) will crush their rebellion and smash them like a piece of pottery. Then the "Hallelujah," with its celebration of the universal triumph of God in Jesus Christ, is sung. And audiences across several continents get to their feet in symbolic endorsement.

What do we make of this? It may be surprising that people who don't consider themselves Christians continue to sing these songs (or even celebrate Christmas, for that matter), but old cultural mores die hard, and that these songs remain so widely known owes to the vestiges of a culture in which Christianity once had a more prominent place.

Still, how can so many people sing the words of these songs and not be taken aback by the startling claims they make? One reason, perhaps, is their familiarity. Repetition serves as an aid to remembering something and implanting it in our mind, but too much repetition can sometimes dull the effect of the thing to be remembered. We hear these songs played over and over again at this time of year, and it may just be that the oft-repeated choruses no longer hit us with the full force of their declarations. More, the power of the message of the church's Advent and Christmas hymns is diluted further when mixed in with the many trivial and meaningless seasonal songs that have been produced over the years, such as the patently ridiculous 'Here Comes Santa Claus.'

Unfortunately, many of those who sing these songs during this season will likely not be in a place where the songs are accompanied by a faithful proclamation of the gospel, underscoring and heralding the powerful truths the hymn-writers penned, challenging the listeners to surrender their lives to the newborn King they sing of. The sad reality is that many of the churches that see a swelling of attendance during the holidays are no longer known for their orthodoxy, and so the bold hymns of Christmas just become happy carols to sing by candlelight.

That being said, it really is quite significant that during this season, even in our day, people will repeatedly hear songs proclaiming that Jesus is Lord broadcast over the airwaves or in their neighbourhoods or in churches all across our towns and cities. Let us hope and pray that as they hear and sing these songs and find themselves confronted with the truth of the gospel, that they would be captivated by the wonder and the promise of the incarnation, and fall on their knees in worship before the Lord of heaven and earth.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Over the past month, I have (very) slowly been making my way through William Willimon's book, Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry. In a section discussing different images and models of pastoral ministry, Willimon suggests the recovery of a classical form of Christian ministry:

There is much to be said for the pastor being educated in the classical forms of Christian ministry. The church has much experience as a minority movement. We need to draw from that experience today. In that regard, I predict a recovery of the classical shape of ministry: to teach, to preach, and to evangelize through the ministries of the Word, sacrament, and order. I sense the end of a proliferation of ministerial duties and a reclamation of the essential classical tasks of Christian ministry. Because so many of our people have not been well formed in the faith, pastors must now stress doctrine, the classical texts of our faith, our master narratives, the great themes. The culture is no longer a prop for the church. If we are going to make Christians, we must have a new determination to inculcate the faith. In some ways our age parallels that of the Reformation, in which the church was faced with a vast undereducated, uninformed, unformed laity and clergy. Pastors need to be prepared to lead in catechesis, moral formation, and the regeneration of God's people.

He argues that we no longer live in a culture where Christianity holds a prominent place. As Christians, we are now living in a context in which the idea of being aliens and strangers in the land must be recovered. This was the situation of the early church, and it shaped the way they carried out their ministry. In particular, they invested a great deal of time and energy into the formation of believers. As we now find ourselves in a similar context, Willimon suggests that

more of our pastoral time, in this missionary situation, will be spent in catechesis, the formation of Christians who have the equipment they need to survive as Christians.

I often hear people react against the idea of catechesis because of an assumption that it is mere indoctrination, drilling purely intellectual and academic theological propositions into the heads of children. This, unfortunately, may have been the experience of some – to be honest, this was partly my own experience – but Willimon helpfully points out that catechesis instead is about the holistic formation of believers, equipping them with the tools necessary not only to think rightly, but to live rightly in the world.

In order to understand more fully what catechesis is supposed to entail, it is helpful first to have a well-rounded definition of the practice. The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides one such definition:

Catechesis...[includes] especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life....catechesis is built on a certain number of elements of the Church's pastoral mission...[including] the initial proclamation of the Gospel or missionary preaching to arouse faith; examination of the reasons for belief; experience of Christian living; celebration of the sacraments; integration into the ecclesial community; and apostolic and missionary witness (II, 5-6).

Catechesis is not just about intellectual matters, but it is about the whole of the Christian life. Recovering this sort of ministry is crucial for discipleship, and thus of great importance for pastoral ministry.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

(Our staff team meets for devotions and prayer each morning from Monday-Thursday, and this week I'm leading those devotions. I'm reflecting on some of the themes of Advent, and I thought I would share those reflections here. This is the final post in the series.)

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5

When the angels appear to the shepherds in Luke's account of the birth of Jesus, they announce that peace has come to those on whom God's favour rests (Luke 2:14). We cannot reflect on this season without thinking about the peace that comes through Jesus.

For the people of Israel, the promise of peace was a promise they deeply longed for. During their time in exile, scattered among the nations, they longed for the peace that would come from God when he sent the Messiah to redeem them. As Isaiah proclaimed, the promise of God was that through this Messiah, they would be comforted. These words from Isaiah called them to look forward to the peace they would have through the Messiah, who would pay for their sin and bless them.

As God's people, this peace extends to us as well. We too can take comfort in these words of Isaiah, that through Christ, our sin has been atoned for. It is in this season, of course, that we remember and celebrate the time when God sent his Son to earth for us so that he might bring his Kingdom and inaugurate the next part of redemptive history. He would offer himself as a sacrifice to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and finish the work that guarantees the redemption of all of creation.

But the peace we have through Jesus is not just about the forgiveness of our sins. We also have peace because Jesus promises that he will do everything to protect and preserve his people until he comes again. In this life we will face many obstacles and trials that will try to drive us off course. There are all kinds of things that will tempt us to keep from clinging to Jesus and the salvation he brings. People and possessions and ideas will be competing for our worship, wanting to keep us from serving and worshipping Jesus Christ alone.

Isaiah’s imagery of valleys and mountains and rough ground is a good picture of this difficult journey that is the Christian life. Yet, we have peace because, just as the way is made straight for the Lord, so he promises to raise up every valley, to make low every mountain and hill, to make the rough ground level, and the rugged places a plain (Is. 40:4). The road of faith is one we do not walk alone; instead, the one who leads us by his Spirit ensures that we will finish the journey and enter into the fullness of life in his Kingdom when he comes again.

Paul writes in Philippians 1:6 that we can have confidence "that he who began a good work in us will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." He is our peace. And so we place all our hope in trust in Christ, and surrender ourselves to him, fully dependent on him for our salvation. And as we wait for that final day when he returns and when the glory of the Lord will be revealed, we take comfort in knowing that he will preserve us until that day.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

(Our staff team meets for devotions and prayer each morning from Monday-Thursday, and this week I'm leading those devotions. I'm reflecting on some of the themes of Advent, and I thought I would share those reflections here. This is the third post in the series.)

Scripture Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-20, Philippians 4:4-9

In the past couple of days, we've seen that Advent is a time to look forward, and a time to prepare our hearts for Christ's coming. Today we are taking a moment to see that Advent is also a time of joy.

During this season, as we reflect on God's faithfulness to his covenant promises, we recognise that we have so many reasons to be joyful. The prophecy we read from Zephaniah is just overflowing with joy as the prophet announces all the blessings that the Lord will pour out on his people. He has taken away their punishment and he dwells with his people (3:15). The Lord is mighty to save, and he takes great delight in his people (3:17). He gathers those who have been scattered, brings them home, and gives them honour and praise among all the peoples of the earth (3:19-20).

As with so many of the prophecies, this has both a past and future fulfilment. And we rejoice in both, knowing that some of these promises have already been fulfilled in Christ's first coming, and because we know with certainty that when he returns, these promises will all find their ultimate fulfilment.

In this time, as we wait for Christ's second coming, how do we express our joy? John the Baptist, in Luke 3:8, called the people to prepare for the coming of the Messiah by "producing fruit in keeping with repentance." When we remember the work of redemption that God has done through Jesus, we respond with gratitude by submitting ourselves to him. Our joy is expressed by living in obedience to Christ.

In Philippians 4:4, Paul writes, "Rejoice in the Lord always." It is important to note that this is a command. Joy is a wilful action on our part. Our joy begins when we believe the good news of the Gospel and lay hold of what God has done through Jesus. That joy then finds further expression as we follow the commands which Paul mentions here – not being anxious about anything, seeking after that which is true, noble, right, and so on. We put into practice the way of living that God has designed for his people, and we receive his peace.

The more we submit our lives to our Lord Jesus, the fuller our joy becomes. So, we pray that as we look forward to his return, that we will remember all the blessings he has given us and rejoice in his goodness to us. We anticipate the fulfilment of all of his covenant promises. And we pray that our joy may increase as we live under his rule, that on the day when Christ returns, "when he gathers us and brings us home," as Zephaniah said, he will find us full of joy as we gaze upon his face and stand before his glorious throne.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

(Our staff team meets for devotions and prayer each morning from Monday-Thursday, and this week I'm leading those devotions. I'm reflecting on some of the themes of Advent, and I thought I would share those reflections here. This is the second post in the series.)

Scripture Reading: Malachi 3:1-4, Philippians 1:3-11

We saw yesterday that this season of Advent calls us to be forward-thinking, prepared for the day when Christ comes again. But what does that mean for how we live now? It calls us to pursue righteousness as we recognise that when Christ does return, he will come in judgement, "like a refiner's fire," Malachi says.

John the Baptist was the messenger Malachi spoke of, preparing the way for Jesus by calling people to repent and to seek forgiveness for their sins. It was a warning that the judgement of God was coming, but also a call for the people to prepare their hearts. The unrepentant heart would not be ready to receive Jesus.

This is no less true for us today. When Christ comes again, he expects us to be ready to receive him, to be holy and blameless, to be "filled with the fruit of righteousness" (Phil. 1:11). We need to undergo that process of refining even now, turning away from sin and seeking to live according to the rule of our King.

But God does not leave us to our own devices here. He has given us the Spirit to begin that refining work already now. When we submit ourselves to him, we begin a lifelong process of refinement, one that God carries out in us by his Spirit. He breaks down all of our idols, ambitions, and impurities so that, as Paul says, "he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 1:6).

This process won't be easy. It may come with trials and pain. The Spirit's work of purifiying us can hurt as he breaks our grip on the things of this world that we cling to and worship. But when we accept his refining work, it opens us up to the joy we find as we cling to and worship Jesus instead.

We live in expectation of Christ's return, and in expectation of one day dwelling in his presence in the Kingdom. As we wait, then, we pray that God will continue to refine us by his Spirit, that he will continue to prepare us for life in his Kingdom. We pray that he will continue that process of making us pure and blamless until the day of Christ.

When we submit ourselves to him, we can be confident that because of Christ's finished work, by which our sins our forgiven and by which we are raised to new life with him, and because of the Spirit's work to sanctify us, we will be able to "endure the day of his coming" (Mal. 3:2), and we will welcome him with joy.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

(Our staff team meets for devotions and prayer each morning from Monday-Thursday, and this week I'm leading those devotions. I'm reflecting on some of the themes of Advent, and I thought I would share those reflections here.)

Scripture Reading: Luke 21:25-36

The season of Advent is both a time to look back and a time to look forward. One of the things we look back to is the faithful remnant of Israel living in exile, awaiting the coming of the Messiah to fulfil the covenant promises God had made to them. They lived their life looking forward to that day, confident in such promises as Jeremiah 33:14-16, that a Messiah would come to redeem them.

In our modern Western society, we're not very forward-thinking. We don't orient that way. Instead we are always focused on the here and now. The present is what is important.

But this is not how Jesus expected his disciples to live, as we see in this passage. No, he called them to look forward, to prepare themselves. He told them to look for certain signs, to always be on the lookout and ready for Christ's return. They needed to be constantly looking forward, preparing for that day. He also told them there would be all kinds of things to distract them, to turn their focus away so that they wouldn't be prepared.

How forward-thinking are we? We're quick to look to Jesus' redemptive work in the past, accomplished through his death and resurrection, and we're quick to look at his work in our own lives in the present. But how often do we look forward to the final redemption, when Christ will return and fully establish the Kingdom of God? Are we prepared and ready for that day? Do we long for the coming of the Messiah just as the remnant of Israel did?

It's also important to think about how we are preparing our congregation for this day. Many of them will be stressing about their jobs, or worried about their financial situation. They are weighed down by the troubles of this life, because we're all part of a culture that focuses on the here and now. If we're honest, we all live as though this current world order, this reality we know right now, is permanent. How, then, do we break free from this and begin to look forward?

We find the key in verse 33. Jesus says, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." We need to keep going back to Scripture. We need to reflect on the story of redemption, of what God has accomplished in history through Jesus Christ. Like the faithful remnant of Israel, we must keep our focus on the promises of the covenant that were foreshadowed by Christ during his time on earth and that are guaranteed through his finished work on the cross. He will come again!

When we live in expectation of the day when Jesus will return, that will give shape to our perception of reality. Our longing for the Kingdom of God will replace the anxieties and troubles of life. As we look forward to the fullness of life in that Kingdom, we will seek to be holy and blameless. As the writer to the Hebrews says, we must "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith" (Hebrews 12:2).

Let us pray with confidence, "O come, O come, Emmanuel," knowing that because the Incarnate Christ already did come, he will come again to fulfil all of his promises to his people.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

Recently, I came across something called The Colossian Forum, a new initiative to designed to facilitate conversations on the relationship of faith and science, especially for those who are preparing young students to go to university and out into the world. One of the people behind the project is James K.A. Smith, professor of philosophy at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

What I find most encouraging about their work is that they are not attempting to hold one position above another, or to take sides on different points of contention, but they are giving people the tools to think about the often controversial relationship of faith and science and how Christ can be exalted as Lord in the midst of differences of opinions on this matter.

Here's an 8-minute clip in which members of the Forum talk a bit more about their work.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

A few weeks ago, I preached on the parable of the sower from Mark 4, and the week following one of our other ministers, Lee, preached on the parables of the growing seed and the mustard seed. Shortly afterward, I found the video below, which I thought really brought to light some of the things we had said in our sermons, especially emphasizing that when we sow the seed, we just never know where or how it is going to grow. But we have confidence in knowing that God, by the power of the Spirit, will cause it to grow when and in whom he pleases.

We showed it in our evening service last night as a way of encouraging our congregation to be eager to take up the task of proclaiming the Gospel. We wanted them to have that same confidence that when they tell of the good news of the Kingdom of God, it will produce fruit, often even beyond what they could imagine.

This is just so encouraging and uplifting. It is absolutely amazing the way that God works in people's lives.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

The topic of preaching has come up a couple of times here in the last few weeks, first when I talked about the conversation between Rowan Williams and Frank Skinner, and later when I wrote about my difficulties with the preaching contest that Mars Hill Church in Seattle recently held. In both those posts I raised the point that for preaching to be most effective, it must be done in a local context in which the pastor knows his flock well.

I've argued this in the past before, particularly when I have discussed the problems with the celebrity pastor phenomenon in modern evangelicalism. And as I have preached on a more regular basis over the past year, I have found this to be true from experience. While there are always exceptions to the rule, in general there will be something lacking from your preaching when you do not know who you are preaching to.

It seems that William Willimon agrees, as I read yesterday in his book, Pastor: The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry:

Preaching derives part of its power because it is done by pastors. The one who stands in the pulpit to speak on Sunday is the one who has been with the flock, in a variety of settings, throughout the week and over the years. The lonely, detached preacher, cloistered away in the pastoral study for much of the week, is not the most fruitful image for faithful preaching. It is the pastor who stands at that fateful intersection between the biblical text and the congregational context, the one who rises each week in service to the congregation's, 'Is there any word from the Lord?' A sermon is not a perfectly prepared and delivered oration suitable for later publication. The sermon is an act of corporate worship within the gathered congregation. The pastor...[listens] to the biblical text on behalf of the congregation, so that the congregation may better hear the text. Therefore, the metaphor of the pastor as preacher is best employed within the context of the pastoral work within a parish where it is clear that the preacher is also pastor.

As I said above, it would not be fair to conclude that someone should never preach to people they don't know. But those who preach on a regular basis to the same congregation should be intimately familiar with their local context and the people they are preaching to. When the pastor really knows their parishioners, that is when the preaching will connect most deeply with them.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »