What is Church?

 

As we enter the year 2016, some will consider attending a gathering of the church as a resolution for the new year. Some may decide to attend a church gathering more regularly. In this post I am assuming that there are many valid forms of church gatherings. Jesus Christ, who is the head of the universal Christian Church, is in perfect communion with the Father, and Holy Spirit in guiding His Church. There are church fellowships suited to unique settings in the world and valid forms include (but are not limited to) house churches, church plants in school gymnasiums, gatherings that meet in historic liturgical buildings in city cores, clandestine church gatherings that avoid the scrutiny of government officials, mid-sized churches, simple churches, organic churches, small churches, mega-churches, multi-site churches, and missional-communities. We may be prone to ask, “What is church?” It is an easy question to ask - and hard to answer! In this year of 2016 I plan to write a few posts addressing various aspects of the answer to this question. I offer humble research, opinions, and assessments, not definitive, or complete answers. For “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.” (1 Corinthians 13:12 NLT)

The first topic I will address is that “the church gathering is a place where we search for God.” Of course, we often attend church after we have had an encounter with God; yet, there is another sense in which we continually search for the God of the universe and for His communication to us. Furthermore, we want to make our church gatherings a safe place to search for God.

How do we make our gatherings a safe place to search for God? One way will be that we will stop being certain that we have already found God in all of His mystery and magnificence. 1 Timothy 3:16 reminds us that God has revealed Himself to us through Christ and yet there is still great mystery in understanding this faith which we now proclaim.

Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith:

Christ was revealed in a human body
    and vindicated by the Spirit.
He was seen by angels
    and announced to the nations.
He was believed in throughout the world
    and taken to heaven in glory

(NLT)

 And Proverbs 25:2 (NLT) says,

“It is God’s privilege to conceal things and the king’s privilege to discover them.”

God has not totally revealed Himself to anyone. Some, like Moses, Solomon, Paul of Tarsus, and John, the Beloved, have been taken deeper into the mystery of Christ than any others. Yet, even they did not receive a perfect picture of the God of creation, the Son, or the Holy Spirit. We cannot expect to fully understand God this side of heaven.

So, a gathering of believers that recognizes they do not have all of the answers will be a place in which there is less argument and more grace; less protection of the past and more protection of the future of God’s Kingdom on earth. We will never achieve perfection in this area but let us aim for greater unity despite our diversity of opinions. There will be times when we will be convinced that we have the full truth in some aspect of our theology and, it is just possible that, in some narrow area of theology, we might be right. Still, our churches need to be places in which a person is free to dissent from the majority opinion and seek a greater understanding. That is the kind of church of which we would all be proud.

Small Steps

Resolutions or irresolution; we hear many opinions. You may also hear many statistics telling us that only about 7% will have kept their resolutions by the second week in January. You don’t even want to read a blog about resolutions! Neither do I. So instead I would like to advocate for small, feeble, steps throughout the entire year.

“God is waiting eagerly to respond with new strength to each little act of self-control, small disciplines of prayer, feeble searching after him. And his children shall be filled if they will only hunger and thirst after what he offers.”

Those are the words of the former Bishop of Edinburgh of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Richard Holloway. He is a controversial theologian; but I find this to be an inspiring statement.

To these words I would add that this means that God is waiting for every feeble step toward Jesus; for, our trajectory is everything. Moving toward Jesus may mean small steps in the direction of self-control, prayer, and searching. It may also mean small steps toward helping the poor, the oppressed, the sick, the widow, the orphan, and the spiritually lost. Small steps - that is all I can take. Small improvements to this world I have been given - by God's grace, that is all I can hope to achieve. Yes, I will be filled. I will be filled if I hunger and thirst. I will be filled if I hunger and thirst for these small steps toward a redeemed world.

The Mystery of the Incarnation

My fellow-blogger, Phil Reinders, over at Squinch, reminded me of this gem of a poem by one of our favourite poets. Of course, poetry is made for slow reading. So make yourself a cup of tea and dip your biscotti as you read (well, that is what I did today). The poem is entitled, “On the mystery of the Incarnation” and it is by Denise Levertov. Make certain you read it several times and catch the phrasing. Read it out loud (swallow that biscotti first). Convince yourself of the correct places for pauses. Wait for the moment when the meaning of this poem enters your heart and then meditate upon it throughout the day. May this mystery be good news of great joy for you this Christmas. 

On the mystery of the Incarnation 

It's when we face for a moment
the worst our kind can do, and shudder to know
the taint in our own selves, that awe
cracks the mind's shell and enters the heart:
not to a flower, not to a dolphin,
to no innocent form
but to this creature vainly sure
it and no other is god-like, God
(out of compassion for our ugly
failure to evolve) entrusts,
as guest, as brother,
the Word.

 - Denise Levertov

No Where's Good

The television series Hell on Wheels continues to intrigue me. The writers and director have done a great job of creating interesting questions for us to ponder. This scene from Season 4, Episode 11 is a good example. Cullen Bohannan has just walked into the room where Sydney Snow is recovering from being shot by Ruth Cole. If Sydney dies, Ruth, the “Church Lady," will be guilty of murder; so Cullen has worked hard to see that Sydney Snow survives. The following dialogue then occurs.

Cullen Bohannan: Congratulations, you ain't dead.
Sydney Snow: All this to see me hang?
Cullen Bohannan: Nope. First you gonna save the church lady.
Sydney Snow: One good act ain't gonna wash away all the bad I've done. What becomes of men like us, Bohannon? Where do you suppose we end up?
Cullen Bohannan: Nowhere's good.[1]

Is Bohannan a man of integrity, or an evil, vindictive man like Sydney Snow? Notice the double meaning of the words in Cullen’s reply to Sidney: “Nowhere’s good.” Does Cullen mean, “We will not be going to any place that is good.” Or does he mean that “‘Nowhere’ would be a good place for them to ‘end up’? Cullen Bohannan has killed many men. Some of the killings were clearly wrongful; others were a form of execution for persons who deserved the death penalty. Perhaps he is hoping that there is no after-life where he will be held accountable for his deeds. By episode four of the series, Cullen seems to be seeking to live a good life and repent of his past. At one point he puts away his guns and seeks to live a pacifistic life; but the circumstances of the world, and evil men like Sydney Snow, cause him to regretfully put on the gun belt and punish those who harm women and kill children. Where does a man like Cullen Bohannan “end up?” He has repeatedly ignored the offers from Ruth and her preacher father who encouraged him to turn his life over to Jesus. Bohannan is reluctant to turn to the church and to Jesus at either the Congregational Church or the Mormon Church because he seems to believe that he is unworthy of God’s grace. What will become of Cullen Bohannan? Perhaps Season Five will make things clearer.

---

[1] "Hell on Wheels: Bleeding Kansas (#4.11)" (2014); http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0259730/quotes

A Review of 2015

I have begun to review the events of 2015 and look forward to the year 2016. I find that the best way for me to review the year is to look back at the 107 blogs I have written in 2015. My favourite blogs will tell me something about my personality and my year. Here is a list of the posts for which I am most thankful.

1.     The Heart is Full 2015-02-10 - a poem for a new grand-daughter

2.     Whiplash 2015-04-06 - a movie review

3.     Oblivian 2015-07-13 - another movie review

4.     Running With Horses 2015-08-10 - inspiration from Eugene Peterson

5.     Of Hobbits and Books 2015-08-15 - about the joy of reading classic books

6.     Violet 2015-09-15 - another poem for another new grand-daughter

7.     Loving Our Enemies 2015-09-20 - inspiration from Wendell Berry

8.     Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Regulus are Alright Tonight 2015-09-30 - all year I have followed these celestial points of light

9.     Cullen Bohannan 2015-10-16 - good questions from a well-done television series

10.  Imagine True Religion 2015-11-17 - thinking about Paris.

Star of the East, Oh Bethlehem Star

For as long as I can remember, I have wondered about the nature of the star studied by the Magi of the east; you know, the one they used to find their way to Jesus. There are many theories. Could the “star” be a comet, a planetary conjunction, a supernova, or some other celestial event of miraculous or natural origin? It had never occurred to me that the biblical narrative in the Gospel of Matthew might describe the miraculous appearance of an angel that guided these men of wisdom. This is exactly how the Eastern Orthodox Church understands this event. Perhaps the Wise Men first noticed a light far off in the sky that they assumed was a new star. Later, they might have found this star growing in intensity as it began to reveal itself as an angel on its way to visit them. The angel may have even spoken to them and given them further guidance or simply moved ahead of them like the ancient pillar of fire that Moses and the people of Israel followed. This treatment of “the star” leaves more room for the miraculous nature of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus. It is an important perspective to keep in the forefront. We all need to leave room for miracles in our lives.

Oh Little Town of Bethlehem:

No ear may hear His coming

But in this world of sin

Where meek souls will receive Him still

The dear Christ enters in

The Troparion of the Nativity:

Your birth, O Christ our God,
dawned the light of knowledge upon the earth.
For by Your birth those who adored stars
were taught by a star
to worship You, the Sun of Justice,
and to know You, Orient from on High.
O Lord, glory to You.

Works Cited:

“Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ;” Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America; accessed 2015-12-14; http://www.goarch.org/special/listen_learn_share/nativity

“Star of Bethlehem;” Wikipedia; accessed 2015-12-14;  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_Bethlehem#cite_note-71

"Yesterday I missed my exit, on my way to Sears" - Joe Diffie

Have you ever had one of those days where you missed your freeway exit and had to take an alternative route? The process can be quite time consuming and often adds several minutes to the anticipated travel time. It is hard not to get frustrated. Of course, such emotions only complicate things and make the trip even less efficient. Recently, a team of Japanese aerospace engineers learned first hand that, in space exploration, one little missed exit can lead to many years of extra work. In 2010, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency was excitedly watching as their Akatsuki probe was moving rapidly toward Venus. All was well until the main engine failed to come online and make the appropriate course correction. The result of this, missed exit on the cosmic freeway, was five years of unplanned wandering in the wilderness. Not only did it mean that Akatsuki would be late for her rendezvous with the “planet of love,” it also meant that, like Icarus, Akatsuki flew too near the sun and singed her wings.

What I like about this story is that the team did not give up on the mission. They knew that this “miss” meant the probability of success was small; but they did not lose focus and they kept seeking solutions to the problem. They still could not rely upon the main engine but knew that every five years Akatsuki would be close to Venus. This would be their window of opportunity. They would use the attitude control thrusters to position the craft for Venus gravity capture. On December 7 at 8:51 am (Japan Standard Time) the gamble paid off and Akatsuki is now in orbit around our “sister planet.” The scientific mission can resume. The probe has been scorched by the sun but remains functional and will soon begin to take continuous pictures of the atmosphere and surface of Venus.

This reclamation of the mission is a testament to tenacity and problem solving. Lesser engineers might have given up on the Akatsuki probe and begun work on a replacement vehicle. These individuals continued to work as a team and redeemed what might otherwise have been seen as a failure. There is something very impressive about this work. May they now enjoy the fruit of their labour as they gather data and explore further questions related to this closest neighbouring planet.

Other Works Cited:

“Japanese spacecraft reaches Venus — five years late”; Science News, December 8, 2015; https://www.sciencenews.org/article/japanese-spacecraft-reaches-venus-—-five-years-late.

“That Road Not Taken,” Joe Diffie, from the album, Third Rock From the Sun;  Listen to it online here. Songwriters: Kelly Casey and Deborah Beasley, Published by The Bicycle Music Company. http://www.metrolyrics.com/that-road-not-taken-lyrics-joe-diffie.html