Awesome News!!
November 21, 2009
GOD IS GOOD!
On Thursday, November 19, the Vestry of Church of the Redeemer, acting on the unanimous recommednation of the Search Committee, voted unanimously to issue a call to Craig Stephans to be the new Rector of the Parish. On Friday, November 20, Craig accepted that call.
Thanks be to God for the wonderful way He moves in all of our lives!
Craig and his wife, Missy, will be assuming their new posts after the first of the year.
Running to Win the Prize: Adult Education Class on Heresy
November 19, 2009
I have attached a new page in the column to the right under “Topical Papers” on Christian Heresies. It is in the format for an adult education class on historical and present Christian heresies. It includes content and discussion questions.
Peter’s Use of Joel 2.28-32 in his sermon on Pentecost
June 19, 2009
A new page has been added to the right under “Craig’s Topical Articles and Papers”. The paper discusses Peter’s use of the prophecy of Joel in response to the events of Pentecost after Jesus’ resurrection. The paper provides exegesis of both texts and describes Peter’s use of Joel.
A new page has been added to the righthand column that includes a paper of exegesis and commentary on Mark’s account of Jesus and his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to Jesus’ arrest. The title is The Gospel of Mark’s Narrative of the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:32-42)
Psalm 131:1-3 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. 3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.
This Psalm speaks to me because I happen to have a weaned child, and it also illustrates exactly what I need to be doing at this time in my life.
My son Jack will be two yrs old in June. If you have seen him running around you know he is all boy. He throws anything he can get his hands on and kicks anything in his path. We daily have to pull him off of his 6 yr old sister whom he climbs on, bear hugs and sooner or later starts doing the windmill on, all because he loves her. Jack loves balls and trucks. This morning was his highlight of the week, b/c the trash truck came and he got to watch his heroes throw stuff in the truck and throw our trash cans all over the yard and then drive off in the big truck.
Even with Jack, when he is scared, tired, hurt or disoriented, he cries out for Mommy. If he awakens during the night and in the morning he cries out for Mommy. And when she holds him, he quiets down and is comforted. If he was scared or hurt, soon after being held by her he will be back at his game. It is in his mother’s arms that he is secure, comforted and restored. When he is alone with me and we are watching sports and eating candy, every so often he will start looking around calling out “Mommy.” She is really his orienting center.
A few scholars think the Psalm is not speaking of a weaned child but of a nursing child that has been satisfied at the mother’s breast and is therefore fed and quieted, resting between the mother’s shoulder blades. The practice in the ancient Near East was to strap a nursing child in a sling onto the back between the shoulder blades where the child would rest while the mother continued to work. This is the image described in Psalm 116:7 “Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.” Both Psalms use the same Hebrew term that can mean “to wean” or “to deal bountifully with.” Either way, the image is of a child resting in the Lord, fully satisfied and calmed.
If I had to describe in one word my physical and mental condition during this current semester it would probably be exhaustion. I have been somewhat overwhelmed…mostly with good stuff like family, seminary and ministry, but some bad stuff. One thing out of the routine can knock me out…a lingering cold, broken washer, a sick child, no power steering suddenly while driving, etc. It becomes too much. Last week my dad told me about his friend’s 39 yr old son who had died without apparent cause the previous morning sitting at his desk. I am 39 yrs old. That hit home as I suddenly considered dying while hidden away in the basement attempting to work on a Greek exegesis paper…I decided to press on. But this also set me right…what can I do about it? Nothing. Jesus even says in Matthew 6:27 “which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” If we cannot do that, why bother worrying about smaller things? I placed it all in the Lord’s hands and re-centered myself in him, deciding not to occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
A few years ago a navy friend of mine described a vortex that occurs in the water when two large ships pass each other close by. The water in between becomes a chaotic whirlpool that can sink a smaller boat that gets caught. I feel like I am in the vortex of all the situations and responsibilities of my life. There all also the regular demonic attacks and temptations that come.. There is a lot of good stuff too causing this whirl of life. But the outcome is exhaustion. It reminds me of a song by the band Fuel, called “Falls on Me,” in which the weight of even something good falling on the singer may prove to be too much to sustain.
One option is to hang on for dear life. But that is really living one stressor away from breaking down. That’s where we are on our own regardless of our awareness. It’s like Earl Johns’ prayer from the Lenten devotional says, “Lord, may we not pretend to see when we don’t.” Let’s not fool ourselves that we are okay on our own.
The Psalmist eschews that way of life…the way of haughty eyes, pride, arrogance and of delusions of having control of life. The psalmist instead opts for drawing back from dissipation, from being scattered and instead finds the center, calm and quiet in hope of the Lord.
God condescends to offer himself to us as Abba, Father, and invites us into his embrace. Jesus is the example for us in how to walk through this life without being overwhelmed. Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. During his most intense struggles in the garden and on the cross, he prays to the Father and finds the center and resolve. And he teaches us to do the same, but not necessarily as the grown ups we want to pretend we are who just need some advice or a little help here or there.
When his disciples ask him, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” that to me is a perfect example of what the Psalmist describes as having heart and eyes raised too high and being concerned with things too great. Jesus brings a little child to himself and says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Another time, Jesus overruled the haughtiness of his disciples and said of the children, “`Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.`” And he laid his hands on them.”
We really want to be responsible grown ups who have the information and the answers. We need to know all the stuff. We are going to be out there and we need to have it all together.
However, we are reminded in Isaiah 30:15 of what we need: “For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel, “In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” In the midst of it all, our answer, our solution is to draw back to our center, our source, our Father and allow him to quiet and calm our souls like a loving mother does her child. This is to be what Sr. Marilyn Lacey calls being “God’s guest, everyday and everywhere.” It is what develops and is nurtured in his presence that we can take to our families, friends and to the world. Each of us is called to be the child whom Jesus blesses. So, hope in the LORD from this time forth and forevermore.
These two papers were completed for a seminary class on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. One is a commentary and exegesis on Romans 5:1-11. The other is a paper on Paul’s teaching of the Gift of God versus the Wages of Sin.
The Reality of Abortion
March 7, 2009
No matter where you stand on Abortion, I think you should know the reality it, especially when we have a president that promises to be the most pro-abortion president in history. This is a brief video that I think you should consider:
Sermon Preached at Morning Prayer at Trinity School for Ministry
February 18, 2009
Feb 10, 2009 Morning Prayer New Testament Reading: 2 Timothy 1.1-14
Sermon Transcript
William Wordsworth wrote that poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquility: Poetry of value comes from a person possessed of more than usual organic sensibility who has thought long and deeply. The poet is a person endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul, a person who rejoices more than others in the spirit of life that is in him; emphatically may it be said of the Poet, as Shakespeare said of man, ‘that he looks before and after.’ (from “Preface” to Lyrical Ballads)
Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy, I think, is like poetry according to Wordsworth. Though lacking rhyme and verse, this letter flows from Paul’s tranquility and powerful feelings. Paul has reflected long and deeply on what has come before and on what comes after. And Paul is definitely a man who rejoices more than others in the spirit of life within him.
In this letter, Paul reflects on his Jewish heritage and his coming departure to be with Jesus. He reflects on his faith, his relationships, his message and Timothy, his beloved son in the faith. There is a deep intimacy apparent between Paul and Timothy. Paul prays for him night and day. He knows the faith of his mother and grandmother. Timothy wept at Paul’s leaving him, and Paul longs to see him that he may be filled with joy. Paul, as he reflects on his ministry, must see in Timothy a lasting product, a fruit of his ministry that makes it all worthwhile.
Perhaps as Paul writes a verse like “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,” he is reaffirming his own ministry; we see the spontaneous flow of the powerful feelings that Paul has for Timothy and the love of God. Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy (1:5) “The aim of our charge is love;” What we are seeing here in the 2nd letter is the outcome of the love that Paul and Timothy have shared through the Spirit of love, power and self-control. There is a different tone here. It is instructional, yes, but more reflective. Later in the letter Paul will ask of Timothy 4:9 “Do your best to come to me soon.” And again in 4:21 “Do your best to come before winter.” Paul is bearing his heart to his beloved son in the faith.
Paul is illustrative of the mature Christian, differentiated from the world, knowing in whom he has believed and able to love passionately with the love flowing from Christ.
After I graduated from college, I was working at a home for emotionally-disturbed boys. I was in the midst of a 24-hour shift, 7am to 7am, in sole charge of 7 boys. Late at night, 6 of the boys were in their beds asleep. I was worn out from the day’s trials, conflicts and activities. Anthony, an 11 year old boy, would not go to bed. Memories of abuse and torment during nights in his past frightened him from his bed and sleep. He cried bitterly to avoid sleep and what nightmares may come. Exhausted, I pleaded with him and scolded him to get in bed and to stop crying before all the boys awoke. I imagined with dread dealing with all 7 of the boys awake and wild.
I had interviewed for this job as counselor a few months prior. When asked during the interview what I thought was most important in working with the boys, I said “to love them.”
Here I was a few months later absent of all love and enraged. As Anthony cried, I lost patience and seethed with anger at his disobedience. At the time when I was about to physically and ungently force him downstairs to deal with him, I experienced a sensation similar to warm bathwater flow over my being from head to toe. Out of nowhere, I felt the presence of love thoroughly consume me. I knew this presence of love was God. His Spirit overwhelmed me with love and compassion for Anthony. My anger and exhaustion were instantaneously displaced by the feelings that God had for Anthony. And not only did I at once feel great love for him, I was energized to reach out to him and embrace him. I walked him downstairs and ministered to him, sharing the scriptures with him and praying for him. I lost track of time, but eventually, I led Anthony to his bed. He was crying once more; although, this time it was not out of fear but because, as he told me, someone had prayed for him and told him about God. He went to sleep in peace that night.
In that moment with Anthony, the Spirit of Love, Power and Self Control transformed me so that on that day Anthony would know God’s love.
This love is the foundation of the ministry to which we are called.
This reading reminded me of a story Brennan Manning tells in his book The Signature of Jesus. He was living in France in an uncloistered community of 7 Little Brothers of Jesus. One of the brothers, Dominique, found out that at age 54 he had inoperable, terminal cancer. He took a job as a night watchman in a warehouse and spent his days hanging out at the park with old and young men, the outcasts of society who had nowhere to go.
As the men asked him about himself, he told them with a quiet conviction that God loved them and that Jesus had come for them. He died in obscurity in a French slum with nothing to show for himself except a journal that he kept beside his bed. More than 7,000 people gathered to attend his funeral.
Manning quotes his last entry:
“All that is not the love of God has no meaning for me. I can truthfully say that I have no interest in anything but the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. If God wants it to, my life will be useful through my word and witness. If he wants it to, my life will bear fruit through my prayers and sacrifices. But the usefulness of my life is his concern not mine. It would be indecent of me to worry about that.”
If we are nothing else, I hope that we would be vessels of God’s love in Jesus Christ which is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit of love, power and self-control.
Highly Recommended Book for Devotional Study of Romans
January 17, 2009
You can read my review of Life in the Lordship of Jesus Christ by Raniero Cantalamessa at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Life-Christ-Spiritual-Message-Letter/dp/0814627994/ref=cm_cr-mr-title
Recorded Sermon from 12/28/08 St. James Church, Charleston, SC
January 9, 2009
Transcript: blessed-hope
Listen to the sermon from the website for St. James, my home church in Charleston, SC. The sermon is based on the gospel reading for that day: Jn 1.1-18.
