Do We Recognize the King of Our Lives? A Christmas Meditation

When we think of kings we think of privilege, palaces and thrones. We look for armies, power and riches. Is it no wonder that we often miss one aspect of the Christmas story and that is Jesus, born in a humble manger, is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! (1 Tim. 6:15, Rev. 19:16) In the United States of America we do not have kings but we have a government that is a republic. Even Scripture reminds us that upon Jesus' shoulders His government will stand. (Is. 9:6-7) No matter where one lives upon this planet, we cannot escape that Jesus is sovereign.  But do we recognize Him as our sovereign leader or do we look to ourselves and our earthly governments for our solutions to the problems we are responsible for?

When we look at the baby in a manger which is a feeding trough, we may not be convinced that He is the supreme ruler of our lives. We may say, "O how cute", but may not say, "Lord, save me!" After all, He is just a baby. Until He forms an army, I will put my trust in myself thank you very much. But we are called to see The King at His birth. The wise men saw it. Simeon saw it. Can we see it?

At His dedication in the temple, an old man exclaims, "My eyes have seen Your salvation!" (Lk. 2:22-35) He looked at this baby and saw salvation. But He is just a baby! The wise men followed a star looking for a king and would not stop until they paid tribute to Him. The star stopped and there in a house, just a house, was a baby. And they bowed down leaving their tribute of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They recognized a King even though there was no palace! No armed guards, no entourage. (Mt. 2:7-12)

In America we want more power to solve our problems of poverty and violence. We look to the force of government or fire power. We look to ourselves or those whom we elect. We don't look to a humble baby who has been promised long ago to be the Anointed One who will rule and govern us. We just don't see it! Old men and ancient wise men see it. But for the most part we are too smart and too proud to see it. We are the cause of our problems. It is called sin and we need to be saved from ourselves! We need to accept the gift God gave us in His Son, Jesus Christ, The Righteous! Look at Him for He is our salvation!

"Adoration of the Shepherds" by Gerard van Honthorst, 1622

My War on Hypocrisy!

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” (Mt. 15:7-11)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Mt. 7:21-23)

In a recent discussion I had with a layperson, I tried to explain that not everyone in church was a Christian. They may show up and go through the motions but they are not true converts. Nor is everyone in Church a member of God's elect. (Mt. 13:24-30) This seemed like news to this person. 

A preacher needs to preach the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:26-28) This includes predestination, election, law, sin, judgment, hell and grace! We do no one any favors when we leave them with the assumption that everyone is going to heaven if they say a prayer, perform good works or know who Jesus is. The Christian must see themselves as a sinner in need of a redeemer. They must recognize an old self that once was and a new self that is of God's making! (Eph. 4:17-24)

A hypocrite means a mask-wearer, the root word coming from the masks worn by actors in Greek theater. A hypocrite plays the part but is only a pretender! Unless there is a true encounter with Christ leading to true conversion, we remain false in our sins!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season More Than Ever!

Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas. Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season and I am quite sure there are other cliches as well. But why Jesus? 

This Christmas will be an extremely painful holiday for too many families in Newtown, Connecticut as a man wielding three guns walked into an elementary school and murdered almost 30 children and adults. This was after he killed his own mother in her home. The carnage ended with the killer taking his own life. 

I only watched about an hour of news on television that day but what I heard will not answer the why of such an evil act. TV commentators were saying mental health and access to mental health providers should be increased. No, this does not answer the why of such an atrocity. The reason for the evil is sin. Man is sinful by nature. Scripture is quite clear about that. 

 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Gen. 6:5

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me. Ps. 51:5

“None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹     no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.” Rom. 3:11, 12

This is why Jesus is the reason for the season! Without Him, there is no cure for sinful man!

Jesus came to unite our flesh with our most holy God. He is a redeemer meaning He is buying us back from the slavery of sin. Rom. 6:20-23. He came into our world, a world where murder abounds, to save us from such evil. But first we must all recognize that it is we who are all guilty. No one is sinless. Hell, God's divine punishment for sinners, is just as good for you and me. But God desires to give us life and life abundantly. Death abounds because we deserve it. Life abounds because of God's mercy! 

This Christmas season let us live out the cliches but this time truly understand that what happened in Newtown, CT is the reason we need Christ to redeem us from sin! By acknowledging our own sins and our helplessness in helping ourselves, we open the door for Jesus to come in and change our hearts thereby being freed from our sinful nature and free to serve God in holiness and righteousness.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    in the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76-79

Thank God I Am a Loser!

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mt. 5:1-11)

We live in a society that celebrates winners. But by societal standards I am a loser. And to be honest, it's not something that I tried to accomplish. And that's the point.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with depression. Before the diagnosis I knew something was not right in my world. But I did my best to pretend that all was well. It was during my wellness exam my physician confronted me and asked if I was depressed. I broke down crying. That was my answer. The really bad news is that she asked if I had any fantasies about taking my life. I said, "No!" I lied.  T make a long story short, I was referred to a therapist and prescribed Zoloft. With therapy and medication, I came out of my depression. But I also ended up divorced. Shortly after my divorce my mother's cancer spread to her lymphatic system and I knew I should go back home to be with her. She died shortly after.

But the move required me to find a new position in the Church or secular employment. I found neither. Now through an old acquaintance I began volunteering at a church plant in the new Anglican Diocese of the South. My ordaining diocese in The Episcopal Church never returned my calls. Just as well. To try to make some money I did background work for some of the movies and TV shows filmed around Atlanta. But it was not enough to keep up with child support. To make another long story short I have been doing door to door marketing. It's not my calling but it makes a small dent in my bills. 

The good news, besides Jesus dying for my sins, is that out of all of this I am growing more and more dependent on Jesus as my Lord.  You see, if I were successful by the world's standards, I would have no need to lean on God. But by the world's standards as a divorced, under-employed person, you name it, I must lean on God. I have a new church home with a new future. God is not my servant but He is a caring Father whose desire for me is that I don't become a spoiled brat. (Heb. 12:5-11) The poverty I experience is an emptiness that only God can fill. And He is filling it in His own way for His own glory.  It is Jesus who died for all of me and He rose from the tomb defeating death. Therefore the victory belongs to Him. He is the real winner! 

God has never abandoned me not even during my depression. He sent friends and professionals to my aid. Even though there are days I wish I could be doing something different, I know God has a good reason for the circumstances I am in. If you are blessed with material goods and wealth then thank the Lord for He is the One who has blessed you. (Eccl. 5:19) If you are empty in any area of life, rejoice for God will indeed fill you with His abundance! The secret is to let God define the abundance you are meant to have! (John 10:9-11)

Reclaiming the Word 'Parson' for the Clergy

Parson
noun

1.

a member of the clergy, especially a Protestant minister;pastor; rector.

2.

the holder or incumbent of a parochial benefice, especially an Anglican.

Origin: 
1200–50; Middle English persone  < Medieval Latin persōna  parishpriest, Latin:  personage. See person

A Pastor is the Deputy of Christ for the reducing of Man to the Obedience of God. This definition is evident, and containes the direct steps of Pastorall Duty and Auctority. For first, Man fell from God by disobedience. Secondly, Christ is the glorious instrument of God for the revoking of Man. Thirdly, Christ being not to continue on earth, but after hee had fulfilled the work of Reconciliation, to be received up into heaven, he constituted Deputies in his place, and these are Priests. And therefore St. Paul in the beginning of his Epistles, professeth this: and in the first [v.24] to the Colossians plainly avoucheth, that he fils up that which is behinde of the afflictions of Christ in his flesh, for his Bodie's sake, which is the Church. Wherein is contained the complete definition of a Minister. Out of this Chartre of the Priesthood may be plainly gathered both the Dignity thereof, and the Duty: The Dignity, in that a Priest may do that which Christ did, and by his auctority, and as his Vicegerent. The Duty, in that a Priest is to do that which Christ did, and after his manner, both for Doctrine and Life. ~George Herbert, A PRIEST TO THE TEMPLE OR, THE COUNTRY PARSON HIS CHARACTER, &c.

If we want to define something we use words. There are a variety of words we use to define ministers of the Gospel. Minister, pastor, elder, priest, etc. One word that is very seldom used today is parson. At its root parson means person, nothing more. So often clergy are caught up in being something they are  not such as fund raiser, administrator, counselor, social worker, best friend to name a few. But deep down clergy are people. Deep down all of us are people. And not so deep down the fallenness of who we are is quite evident. We are sinners. So as far as being a person is concerned, we all fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23)

Now a pastor, rector, or vicar is a leader of a congregation. But where are they leading? And how? The answer to this question is found in Scripture.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:21-29)

In this passage we can see the nature of man ( hostile in mind doing evil deeds), what Christ has done (reconciled us by his death) and why (presenting us blameless before God). The purpose of the minister of the Gospel is to proclaim Jesus 'warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.' All this by the grace of God. Clergy shepherd (pastors) people to Jesus. But to maintain proper health, clergy should never forget that we are persons. By shepherding others we should be mindful of ourselves as fallen creatures in need of Christ's redeeming. We need to understand the food that must be our spiritual daily bread. We need to understand that not everyone goes to heaven. And we need to understand that works do not make us better people but only the Holy Spirit working in us transforming us so that we can do the will of God. (Philippans 2:13) All of this is by our service to the Gospel that saves the wretched sinner. The life of the parson is to look upon the cross daily, reading the Bible daily, and leading the flock to green pastures and still waters so that they may be the person that Jesus is molding for the sake of the Kingdom. After all, Jesus is the ultimate person. He will do the work in the parishioner for the elect in God. But to know what that fruit looks like, we have to know what Jesus is doing in us. (Luke 6:39-49)

Can We Be Good Without God?

Can we be good without God? The answer is no! The Word of God states that what God creates is good! (See Genesis chapter 1) Goodness flows from God. And yet the Bible is quite clear that if we deny God there cannot be any good in that person (see Psalm 14)

It follows then that to be good one must seek the Lord while He wills to be found! (Is. 55:6, Ps. 122:9, Pr. 28:5)

Thirsting for The Springs of Living Water

 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” (John 4:13-15)

My day to day secular job requires me to do door to door marketing. Here in the deep south, it is very hot and staying hydrated is essential. One day I forgot to bring a bottle of water and so I became thirsty very quickly and began to feel the effects of dehydration. Fortunately a neighbor offered me some water and I was grateful for the relief. Without water we die.


Jesus promises us a spring of living water welling up to eternal life. My experience with the absence of real water reminded me that we cannot be absent of Jesus' life giving spirit. We are refreshed from within. For the Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus at the well, she recognized the Messiah for He told her everything she did. (John 4:39) Often we deny whatever we have done excusing our sins. As Paul reminds us it is our trespasses that makes us dead. (Eph. 2:1-3) But Jesus desires us to know our sins so that we recognize who we are and appreciate the life giving spirit He has to offer. For indeed we are thirsty. No wonder those who thirst after righteousness will be satisfied as it is Christ's righteousness that we need and it is His righteousness we thirst after. (Mt. 5:6)


When Jesus died upon the Cross, one of His last words was "I thirst." (John 19:28) He became death so that we may have life. In order to be made right with God we need to see the drought of our lives and thirst for the righteousness that only God provides through the Cross of Christ. 

Why is Grace So Hard to Understand?

Why is grace, God's unmerited kindness toward His elect, so hard to understand? Specifically, why is it that people refuse to acknowledge that we cannot enter into Heaven by our own merits? Actually, I do know the answer. It's called pride.


A recent article in the New York Times mentions that charitable donations can be counted as an indulgence that may diminish one's time spent in purgatory for Catholics. Evidently Catholic teaching never really did away with indulgences. Now the problem here is that Catholic teaching does not put much stock in the death of Jesus as being once and for all for the payment for our sins. And here is the rub. Jesus died once for the remission of our sins. Nothing we can do can earn our way into heaven. As an Anglican I don't believe in purgatory. The cross of Christ is sufficient for me to be saved. Whatever good works I do is a fruit of faith, not a bribe to God. The doctrine of purgatory is repugnant to Scripture. When one dies, one will either go to heaven or go to hell. Scripture is clear as to who goes where.


Now watch these next two videos. One is from a Catholic teacher and the other from a Protestant evangelist. And tell me where you want to put your faith, in yourself or in Christ who stood in our place on that first Good Friday granting us eternal life for those who repent. And that my friend is grace!




Now let us be clear what St. Paul taught: But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26


Now hear the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ as proclaimed to a sinner in the street:

Paganism, The Default Mode of Humans

pa·gan

   [pey-guhn]  Show IPA

noun

1.

one of a people or community observing a polytheistic religion, as the ancient Romans and Greeks. Synonyms:polytheist.

2.

a person who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim. Synonyms:heathen, gentile; idolator; nonbeliever.

3.

an irreligious or hedonistic person.

4.

a person deemed savage or uncivilized and morally deficient.

adjective

5.

pertaining to the worship or worshipers of any religion that isneither Christian, Jewish, nor Muslim. Synonyms: heathen,heathenish, idolatrous, polytheistic. Antonyms: Christian,Jewish, Muslim, monotheistic.

6.

of, pertaining to, or characteristic of pagans.

7.

irreligious or hedonistic. Synonyms: unbelieving, godless,atheistic, agnostic; impious, profane, sacrilegious, unholy,ungodly. Antonyms: religious, pious, devout.

8.

of a person deemed backward, savage, or uncivilized ormorally or spiritually stunted. Synonyms: primitive,uncultivated, uncultured, heathenish, barbaric, barbarous,philistine. Antonyms: civilized, cultivated, cultured, urbane.

We are all born pagan. By that I mean no one is born a Christian. If there is no regeneration of the heart by Jesus Himself, we remain a pagan.


We may be religious. We may go to church. We may say we believe in Jesus Christ or the God of the Holy Bible. But without a true conversion of the human heart, we remain the same as those who profess a belief in modern day paganism.


I say all of this now as many in the USA decry our nation's lack of moral leadership as abortions are protected and marriage is redefined. The truth is we come into this world as murderers and sexual idolators. Why else did God give us the Ten Commandments? In order for us be the people we must be in God's eyes, we must change. And the only way we can change is by God's mercy for nothing is impossible with God. The solution to our problems is the preaching of the Gospel plain and simple. Our political leaders need to hear the Gospel and the person in the street needs to hear the Gospel. That my friend is the business of the Church. 

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? (Gal. 4:7-9)

Resurrection

We die because we are supposed to. Our earthly life is not forever. But that was not how it was supposed to be. We were to enjoy our life forever. But our first parents, Adam and Eve, thought of themselves more highly than their Creator. So we die.

We die because of the evil we carry in our hearts. If we compared ourselves to our Holy God we can see how filthy our hearts are. But even then God isn't happy leaving us in such a pitiful damnation.

No God sent His Son to be among us. He took our flesh and nailed it to the cross. In our place He met the demands of the Law. For every time we broke God's Law in thought, word and deed, He paid the penalty on our behalf. And how do we know this is true? Jesus, the Son of God, rose from the dead. Death has been defeated.

Do we see our need to die? Do we see our hope in the Resurrection. This Easter, let us rejoice knowing that Jesus paid the debt for our sins by every single drop of blood on the Cross.

2012 Easter Message from Archbishop Duncan

2012 Easter Message from Archbishop Duncan:

'via Blog this'

Be Angy! Just Don't Sin!

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.  ( Eph. 4:26-27)

Many of us are familiar with this passage from Paul’s letter to the Church in Ephesus. He is reminding the young church they are not to act like the Gentiles whose behavior does not glorify God. As Christians, we are to put away greediness, thievery and lying. And so Paul admonishes his spiritual children with a quote from Psalm 4, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,” but adding to it his own words, “and give no opportunity to the devil.”

When we are angry, it is usually because we are reacting to something out of our control. Anger really is a secondary emotion resulting from frustration, disappointment or some other feeling. When Cain was jealous of his brother Abel because his sacrifice found favor with God, he became angry. And sin was crouching at the door. Even after God warned Cain to master his feelings, he succumbed to them committing the first murder. So how are we to interpret Paul’s use of Psalm 4?

St, Paul probably was reminding the early Christians what the Psalmist already knew and that is God is control. A portion of the Psalm states:

But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself;
the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 Be angry, and do not sin;
ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
5 Offer right sacrifices,
and put your trust in the LORD.

As true Christians, we are set apart for God. We are in His care. When something makes us angry, as we lie in bed, think about what it really is that makes us angry but make no plans to act on it. Ultimately our trust is in God as He is in control. After all, when we are angry, it’s usually because we want to control our world. But we must give up our control and let God have his rule in our lives. It is with this confidence that David could pray, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep;  for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.”
(v.8)

Good People Don't Go to Heaven

We all think we are good. We seek to do those things that help not harm others. Well, there are some out there who are bad. They care only for themselves and don’t care how their lives effect others. But not us. We are good people. We even get compliments from others about how we try to do good. For the most part, we want to be good.

But what does God say? We know He is good, too. He is perfect and holy as well. He created the heaven and the earth.  To know what God says we look to the Scriptures. Jesus tells a law abiding citizen that no on is good but our Father in Heaven. (Mk. 10:18) Strong words. But it was the character of man that brought about the flood. (Gn. 6:5)

We think we are good. But it makes no difference what we think. What is important is what God thinks. You see, our righteous deeds are considered polluted garments. (Is. 64:6) No amount of good works will make us clean. Sobering words indeed. But what help is there for us? Our help is in the Name of the Lord.

To think we can earn our way into heaven by our goodness is to put our trust in ourselves. But God wants us to trust Him alone. We must decrease and He must increase. (Jn. 3:30) The less we trust in ourselves, the more we can trust in Him. And how do we do this?

First we must realize who we are in the eyes of the Lord. If we just compare our thoughts to the 10 Commandments, we will indeed fall short. And if we are falling short, we fall short of the glory of God. (Rm. 3:23) Second, we must understand the judgment we deserve. Are we going to heaven or going to hell.?  Third we must admit our need for a redeemer, someone who will pay or fine to the jailor. And then we can understand what Jesus did on that cross. He paid our debt meeting the legal demands of the Law. By His death He destroyed death. This is all God’s doing for He is that good.  (Col. 2:14)

So let us have a healthy perspective on our own goodness.

You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, 
those who remember you in your ways. 
Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; 
in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? 
We have all become like one who is unclean, 
and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. 
We all fade like a leaf, 
and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Is. 64:5-6)