The Mystery of Jesus

 

Regarding the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Bible, Bruce Milne had this to say.

“The mystery of Jesus Christ is the theme of this gospel; always beyond us, yet always summoning us to explore it more fully. . . . the Godhead will be our endless, though blissful task in the world to come; but we can begin it now.”[1]

An “endless but blissful task in the world to come;” here and now, we struggle to understand who Jesus is, the place of God the Father, and the person of the Holy Spirit. Many times we are challenged by new religious movements like Oneness Pentecostalism, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and Jehovah’s Witnesses as they seek to explain the Godhead in other than orthodox and traditional ways. Yet, most of us have, at one time or another considered the conclusions to which they have been drawn. The mystery of Jesus is “always beyond us.” None of us can say that we have this mystery worked out perfectly in our mind, none of us have completed the blissful or difficult task of exploring the mystery fully. Perhaps a good place for us to start would be to study and meditate upon the simple, yet sublime, words of the Nicene Creed from around 325 CE.

Nicene Creed[2]

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen. 

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, light from light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end. 

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

(Hear more on October 2, 2016 as this will be the theme for the sermon at Bow Valley Christian Church, Calgary.)

Works Cited

Milne, Bruce. The Message of John: Here is Your King. Downers Grove, 1993.

Wikipedia. "Nicene Creed." Wikipedia. September 16, 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicene_Creed (accessed September 23, 2016).

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[1] (Milne 1993)

[2] (Wikipedia 2016)

Originality

Everything of importance has been said before by somebody who did not discover it.

- Alfred North Whitehead (English mathematician & philosopher; 1861 – 1947)

Works Cited:
"Quote of the Day"; http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/26863.html; Accessed 2016-08-28

Sympathy For the Dead

 

In his time, Johnny Cash sang more than one murder ballad. Adam Cohen, Kenny Rogers, Crooked Still, Sting, and Tom Waits also recorded songs in this genre. Even the consummate pop songwriter Barry Manilow wrote a song about murder (perhaps one day I will expand on these other murder-ballads).

What is it about murder ballads that catch our attention? Is it that we truly desire justice, revenge, or retribution? Or is it the horror of a train-wreck from which we cannot remove our gaze? The latest song from Key of Zed tells one such story of murder and asks the question, “Was it swift justice or retribution?” The soaring vocals, growling guitar, and haunting electric solo tell the story of two men who lose their way, and ultimately, lose their lives. There is a faint echo of a Kenny Rogers’ song; and it also makes a nod to Adam Cohen’s “Don’t Crack.” I will leave it up to readers to come to their own conclusions on the inherent question in the last line.

Sympathy for the Dead

(Listen while you read the lyrics)

Down the long dark corridor

I heard the sounds I couldn’t expect

Her clothes were strewn on the floor

My heart was frozen in my chest

Door was open just a crack

Pushed it wide for I must be sure

Gun on the floor she always packed

It would be used for this cure

It was over in an instant

Just another crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

The trial was over in three days

No time to hear all the facts

Nothing ‘bout his abusive ways

To explain my attack

It was over in an instant

Just another crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

Now the doors close on my plan

Excuses ringing in my head

Surely he was an evil man

Becky’s safe now the monster’s dead.

It was over in an instant

Just another crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

Down the long dark corridor

I hear from those who will wish me well

Those now standing at their doors

And those who wished I’d just go to hell

Over in an instant

Payment for a crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

It was over in an instant

Just another crime of passion

Punished to the full extent

Swift justice or retribution

Lyrics and music by Mike Charko and Keith Shields; Key of Zed Music, 2016;

SOCAN 2016.

April Wine

April Wine is one of those under-rated bands of 70s rock.1 The Canadian band were regularly heard on Canadian pop stations in the 70s and a few American stations caught-on to their sound. They toured with such bands as Nazareth, Rush, and the Rolling Stones. They had a following of their own and at their peak sold out stadiums across North America. Lead singer Myles Goodwyn 2 gave the band its vocal sound and wrote most of the songs while Jerry Mercer was the power-house drummer. Bass and three rock guitars rounded-out the sound of the band taking it close to a heavy metal edge; but Goodwyn would often play piano on the band's strong ballads. They toured incessantly through the 70s, took a break in the early 80s, toured again from 1982 to 1985, broke up in 85, re-formed in 88 and until recently could be seen doing the casino circuit in Canada and the US.  "In May of 2014, Goodwyn announced he [would] retire from touring with April Wine. He [plans to] do studio recordings with the band."3

Fans of the music will have their favourites; and for me, one of the best will always be "Lady Run, Lady Hide." Whether or not it was intentional, it sounds like an environmental ode to our planet. You can listen to it here; but, really listen to it by listening several times focusing on a different instrument, voice, or section each time. Yes, it is over-produced by the standards of music today; but what an overproduction!

Lady Run, Lady Hide
(Myles Goodwyn/Jim Clench) Published by Summerlea Music, Ltd. – BMI

Lovely lady, silent lady
Will tomorrow be the last day in your life
I can't free you, only plea you
On the last days of your life

Lady run, lady hide
Lady run, lady hide
Lonely lady, lovely lady

Do you know, do you know you've lost the fight
Cause we'll use you, and abuse you
On the last days of your life
Our tomorrow is now today
And our last chance to find a way

You'd think we'd learn, you'd think we'd try
When tomorrow we all could die

Lady run, lady hide
Lady run, lady hide
Lady run, lady hide
Lady run, lady hide, lady hide


1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Wine
2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myles_Goodwyn
3 "www.aprilwine.ca - April Wine, Myles Goodwyn - Biography". AprilWine.ca

God's Providence

I like this description of city and garden and Fall and Redemption in Making the Best of It.1

We must be careful, however, to see the Fall also in its context as just one part of the story. Some Christians instead have interpreted our current existence as if we are in a world utterly fallen, corrupted beyond repair, a valley of the shadow of death through which we must travel as expeditiously as possible in order to reach the sunlit lands of the next life. In particular, culture itself is seen as a bad thing in the form of the city - the antipode to Eden (which is, to make this contrast work best, depicted as a "natural" place, not the garden it was, which of course implies culture). The first city was founded by Cain. Aha! That means cities are bad, and thus all human culture downstream of the Fall is bad.

Yet long before the Bible set up its ongoing dialectic between the evil city (Babel/Babylon) and the good city (Jerusalem/Zion), even a little study of the immediate Biblical context suggests an interweaving of the good and the bad after the Fall. Genesis 4 proceeds from the story of Cain and Abel to show us at least two forms of cultural decline in the person of Lamech, who marries two wives and then boasts to them of his disproportionate violence, killing a man who had (merely) hurt him. Yet this Lamech fathers three sons, one of whom is the ancestor of nomads, those who dwell in tents and heard livestock; another of whom is the first musician; and the third of whom is the archetypal metalsmith. However one might be suspicious of cities, and however much one might disdain loutish Lamech, in the gracious providence of God even this family produces cultural advancement through three creative and productive sons.

I have always marvelled at a creator God who could use so many flawed people for His purposes. There are many in the Bible whom I would not want to meet, let alone befriend, who are used to fulfill the cultural or spiritual purposes of God. He seems infinitely capable of meeting us at our level and redeeming some part of our lives. He has worked through history with those who have pledged their faith in Him and those who have not and still brings about growth and progress in this family of humanity. I marvel at a God who allows good rain to fall on the righteous and the unrighteous; who works with the faithful and the depraved; and allows atheists to create art and science and literature which benefits humans and other creatures on this planet. I may not like this "loutish Lamech" but I am thankful for his farming, musical, and black smithy sons. It is a good thing that He can use any one. That tells me that, despite my flaws and sin and sloth, He can still use me.

1. Stackhouse, John G., Jr. Making the Best of It: Following Christ In The Real World. New York: Oxford University Press , Inc., 2008.

Follow-up to "Imagination"

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk. - Thomas A. Edison.

Imagination

Many of us spend very little time cultivating our imagination. The early twenty-first century was expected to give us more leisure time as automated devices freed us up from household chores. But instead the pace of life has robbed us of quiet times to dream and create. Add to this the fact that we have so much information and entertainment available to us and one soon sees why most of us are quite content to absorb someone else's imagination as we settle in for a night of television, movies, or video games. Most are content to listen to music rather than compose; read books rather than write; view movies rather than produce; and critique art rather than create. Perhaps you are one who has thought about using your imagination and becoming more creative. Can we cultivate an imagination? The good news is that we can. Think of imagination as an ability to play. When I was young I had no problem imagining that my bicycle was a space-ship on which I cruised through the solar system. I could use it to visit interesting planets and lost civilizations. When I was bored with another afternoon on the farm I could readily invent something that was far more interesting than dirt roads and fields of grain. My mind could transform these into other places, other times, and other creatures. Trees became jungles, barn-cats became fierce carnivorous beasts, and a granary roof the look-out for a castle. How could I be bored when I was capable of seeing all of these things in a single day?

Dorothy L. Sayers, in an interview, once explained how, at a certain point, she was discontented with her life and so she created a character in one of her novels that had all of the things she wished for. 

Lord Peter's large income... I deliberately gave him... After all it cost me nothing and at the time I was particularly hard up and it gave me pleasure to spend his fortune for him. When I was dissatisfied with my single unfurnished room I took a luxurious flat for him in Piccadilly. When my cheap rug got a hole in it, I ordered him an Aubusson carpet. When I had no money to pay my bus fare I presented him with a Daimler double-six, upholstered in a style of sober magnificence, and when I felt dull I let him drive it. I can heartily recommend this inexpensive way of furnishing to all who are discontented with their incomes. It relieves the mind and does no harm to anybody.[1]

What an amazing way to explain her process. I think I would have enjoyed spending an afternoon learning from Sayers. That too is another way to spark imagination: spend time with those who are creative. C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Owen Barfield, and other writers were known to spend time together at a public house known as "The Eagle and Child" in Oxford. The group was known as "The Inklings" and they read each other's works and inspired each other's imaginations. If you want to write books it certainly can't hurt to hang out with those who already write. Spending time with authors and song writers is a great way to stimulate your own creative gifts. Perhaps imagination and creativity are not expressed in every person. That is likely what makes them such precious gifts. Yet, I am convinced that more of us are capable of imagination than the ones who actually go on to express their creativity. What projects lie dormant in your heart? What might come of dusting off your imagination?

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[1] Barbara Reynolds, Dorothy L. Sayers: Her Life and Soul, p. 230.

Sacred Spaces Followup

A few days ago I wrote about sacred spaces and challenged us to create our own. Now I would like to ask you to tell me about your sacred spaces. Where do you go to be creative? Where do you go to unplug? Some write songs or solve problems in the shower. For others their creative space is in the car while they drive. Still others find solice and sanctity on a mountain-top? Take the time to send me a comment in the space below.

"Creative Arts raise a person to another level of consciousness as if you could imagine life before words." — Charlie Haden