Today, we experienced the first real snow of the year. The horses were skittish as I led them to pasture in the semi-darkness of a mid-December day. The terriers literally tumbled down the front steps in wild anticipation of what they might find. Cleo, the barn cat, observed their idiocy with an icy glare from her safe perch. Real winter is arguably my favorite time of the year. As it limits my activities, it gives me more time for real contemplation of what is truly important. Some wag once said that with age comes wisdom. I don’t know about that, but with it certainly comes stiffer knees and a changed outlook. Most of the cause’s célèbre which occupied my energy and activity in earlier days have been abandoned or repudiated by most of the people I know, and certainly by society at large. But I continue to mull them over in my mind, and am convinced that a goodly portion of them, some with minor modifications, are as true as ever. The Old Republic has passed, and the ideas of Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin are as unknown as those of Scipio, Cicero, and Tacitus. The stately commitment of the Old Empire to responsibility and order is reinterpreted as nothing but greed and oppression by a younger generation of scholars and students, if they know of it at all. Even those Churches that God used to form my spiritual habit and outlook have developed into things that Fr. Maier and the Venerable Bede would not recognize.
In spite of the painful realization that the values which have shaped my life are at best repudiated and at worst forgotten, I remain an optimist for the most part. I remember as an undergraduate, and later as a graduate student, studying in detail the fall of Roman Britain. It was a slow and gradual passing from that day in the Year of Our Lord 486 when the Emperor wrote that there were no troops available, and that “the cantons must take steps to defend themselves.” Within a few years, the great villas were no more. People who could not or would not return to Italy clustered in the walled towns, or were slowly driven back into the mountains of the west. These were the days of Arthur and Gildas and Patrick, days of great deeds in desperate times. And then one day it became evident that the children no longer spoke Latin, and that the stonecutters had lost their art, and the flowing lines of Latin verse had been largely replaced by the throbbing and guttural chant of the Saxon warrior. But in spite of it all, the faith survived, and many of the old manuscripts were preserved, and stories were told of great days and great men. Lives and generations passed, but the ideas were passed down faithfully from Father to Son, from Mother to daughter, from Abbot to Monk, from Bishop to Priest, and from Priest to People. And then, many years later, by God’s good grace, there was a Renaissance of piety and learning. The barbarian was converted, civilized, and gentled. The ideas bore fruit, and God rebuilt that which had been lost through the excess of human sinfulness. Then, He was as always faithful to those who were called by his Name, those who followed Him in faith and in obedience.
And so, at the beginning of 2010, I remain an optimist, and I pledge myself to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love. I pledge to pass on those ideas and things which are good and true and beautiful. I pledge to study and pray, to teach and preach, to faithfully administer the sacraments, and to maintain the values I have received from apostles and prophets, from liberators and defenders, from my fathers physical and spiritual. I will “work with my hands and study to be quiet,” that I might be a godly example among those to whom I am called. I will gently resist that which is contrary to God’s Word written, and love all those for whom Christ died. And that will, I think, be enough for one year.
May God bless us all in this coming New Year. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN+
To Christ, The True King,
Bill+
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Reflections On A Wonderful Thanksgiving
1. Spending time with those you love is a bit of heaven on earth. Rebecca and I traveled with Tristan (home on leave from the Marines), and my mother to See Matthew and Ashley, Margaret and Jack in Wisconsin. We met Rebecca's parents there and shared memories, dreams, and time together. God has blessed us most richly, and I give him thanks.
2. Just when it seemed that I was almost alone as a traditionalist in the Episcopal Church, God brought me to Nashotah House www.nashotah.edu, a seminary of our Church. It is a wonderful place, and full of those ever so Anglican touches that first brought me to this demonination. Fr. Klukas' sermon, and the simple liturgies of Communion and prayer encouraged my heart and refreshed my soul. If you have a few extra dollars to donate to a cause, this is a good one.
3. Driving through Chicago has provided empirical data to support my contention and that of the Scriptures that man is fallen indeed! It never fails to amaze me how self-interest and anonymity can combine to make even decent people into rude and thoughtless barbarians. Lord have mercy on us all!
4. Ashley has introduced me to a wonderful website www.grooveshark.com, which allows the user to develop a playlist of music in an absolutely legal manner for home listening. It is like having my own radio station without commercials or morning hosts! Matthew learned about this wonderful place in Hebrew class, another reason for studying foreign languages.
There are, I'm sure, other reasons to be thankful, but this is enough for now.
2. Just when it seemed that I was almost alone as a traditionalist in the Episcopal Church, God brought me to Nashotah House www.nashotah.edu, a seminary of our Church. It is a wonderful place, and full of those ever so Anglican touches that first brought me to this demonination. Fr. Klukas' sermon, and the simple liturgies of Communion and prayer encouraged my heart and refreshed my soul. If you have a few extra dollars to donate to a cause, this is a good one.
3. Driving through Chicago has provided empirical data to support my contention and that of the Scriptures that man is fallen indeed! It never fails to amaze me how self-interest and anonymity can combine to make even decent people into rude and thoughtless barbarians. Lord have mercy on us all!
4. Ashley has introduced me to a wonderful website www.grooveshark.com, which allows the user to develop a playlist of music in an absolutely legal manner for home listening. It is like having my own radio station without commercials or morning hosts! Matthew learned about this wonderful place in Hebrew class, another reason for studying foreign languages.
There are, I'm sure, other reasons to be thankful, but this is enough for now.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Rector's Rambling: December 2009
Christmas joy is a wonderful thing. Several years ago, when Ashley graduated from high school, many of our friends at St. John’s took up a collection and bought her a Crosby bridle. She used it almost every day while she was in the equine program at Ohio State Wooster, and has treasured it ever since. This week, she called home and asked Rebecca to look at a saddle on e-bay. It was a beautiful Crosby with wool padding and dark German leather. She excitedly told about how it was out of production, and that it was a perfect match for the rest of her Crosby leather. As she spilled out her plans to pay for it, it became rather obvious that the timing of the sale was likely to be a problem. There were only 18 hours left until the auction was over. Rebecca asked me in hushed tones what I thought, and we did what most parents do, we agreed to enable a temporary asset transfer through a sale listing. As Rebecca said “Merry Christmas” to Ashley, I could hear my daughter on the other end of the line absolutely giddy with joy. She was as a little girl again.
As I reflected on the wonder of the joy a saddle could bring, I thought of other Christmases, when Tristan was in theatre, and Brad, and Matthew, and Chris, and now Stuart. My mind often wanders to them. Generally I cry and I breathe a simple prayer,” O God, give them strength and courage, watch over them and help them to do their duty.” I remembered my dad and how happy he always was to give to others, and I thought of one Christmas in particular when he bought toys and clothes for a poor family in our neighborhood. He crept onto their porch in the dead of night on Christmas Eve and left the wrapped boxes to be found the next morning. I don’t think he ever told anyone what he did, and I don’t know if he even knew that I had seen him that night. One year when I was in College, I took a job ringing bells with the Salvation Army in Chicago. We had initially been told that we would not be released in time to get home for Christmas day, but when that news changed, I grabbed my kit, jumped on the first train I could get for Muncie, and headed home. I called my cousin Carroll from the station, and he drove from Parker to pick me up. When I arrived home just before midnight on Christmas eve, I walked in and found my folks sitting at the table drinking coffee, looking like they had lost their last friend. It was a wonderful and unexpected reunion, and our joy was genuine that night.
There is something about the celebration of the birth of our Saviour that seems to deepen every emotion and to heighten every perception. Our depressions are more sinister, and our joys are more absolute. As our appreciation deepens for those we love, our longing for those from whom we are separated grows ever more painful. Perhaps it is fitting that in this time of our deepest and most passionate outpourings, when we are the most vulnerable in so many ways, that Jesus should come into our lives. “So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…,” and he is still giving him to us today. As the light of Christ comes into the world, might we all welcome him with joy beyond knowing, and might we receive this gift of God who loves us, and calls us all to himself.
Merry Christmas!
Bill+
As I reflected on the wonder of the joy a saddle could bring, I thought of other Christmases, when Tristan was in theatre, and Brad, and Matthew, and Chris, and now Stuart. My mind often wanders to them. Generally I cry and I breathe a simple prayer,” O God, give them strength and courage, watch over them and help them to do their duty.” I remembered my dad and how happy he always was to give to others, and I thought of one Christmas in particular when he bought toys and clothes for a poor family in our neighborhood. He crept onto their porch in the dead of night on Christmas Eve and left the wrapped boxes to be found the next morning. I don’t think he ever told anyone what he did, and I don’t know if he even knew that I had seen him that night. One year when I was in College, I took a job ringing bells with the Salvation Army in Chicago. We had initially been told that we would not be released in time to get home for Christmas day, but when that news changed, I grabbed my kit, jumped on the first train I could get for Muncie, and headed home. I called my cousin Carroll from the station, and he drove from Parker to pick me up. When I arrived home just before midnight on Christmas eve, I walked in and found my folks sitting at the table drinking coffee, looking like they had lost their last friend. It was a wonderful and unexpected reunion, and our joy was genuine that night.
There is something about the celebration of the birth of our Saviour that seems to deepen every emotion and to heighten every perception. Our depressions are more sinister, and our joys are more absolute. As our appreciation deepens for those we love, our longing for those from whom we are separated grows ever more painful. Perhaps it is fitting that in this time of our deepest and most passionate outpourings, when we are the most vulnerable in so many ways, that Jesus should come into our lives. “So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten son…,” and he is still giving him to us today. As the light of Christ comes into the world, might we all welcome him with joy beyond knowing, and might we receive this gift of God who loves us, and calls us all to himself.
Merry Christmas!
Bill+
Friday, November 20, 2009
Address at My Lodge Installation
I would like to thank my installing officers, Worshipful Brothers Wil Browning, Henry Hunt, Paul Scholl, and Frank Stuck, for agreeing to preside over our ceremonial this evening; Worshipful Brother Clark Brown for serving as our photographer, and Worshipful Brother Ed Jackson for delivering the introduction to Masonry oration to our guests. And my thanks to the Color Guard from Lancaster Commandery #2 Knight’s Templar for presenting the colors. To Kathy Heim for singing our National Anthem. To Julie Meenach, Alma Priddy, and Roseanna Bush for preparing and serving our reception. To my wife Rebecca for allowing me the time to be a Mason. To my parents, who taught me the value of our Fraternity from as far back as I can remember. And to all of you for coming to share this night with us, the officers and brethren of Lancaster Lodge #57 Free and Accepted Masons of the Grand Lodge of Ohio.
And I would like to thank the brothers of this lodge for the confidence you have placed in me by electing me to be the master of this lodge for the ensuing year. I pledge to all of you that I will do my very best to bear the responsibility of governance of this Lodge with a spirit of humility, and that I will strive to create an atmosphere wherein brotherly love, relief, and truth prevail. I shall do my very best to avoid any temptations to coercion, anger, strife, or any other vice which could become a threat to liberty, equality, or fraternity among us. It is said that we as Masons meet upon the level of equality, act by the plumb of uprightness, and part upon the square of virtue. I pledge to you my best efforts to accomplish these lofty goals together, as brothers and as equals.
Freemasonry originally attracted me because of its clear and unyielding commitment to the values which have built and maintained our culture: personal responsibility, personal liberty, and the worth of every man; judgement and value based on a man’s character and actions, and not on his birth, wealth, or worldly position; a willingness to respect the religion and political sentiments of others even when we disagree with them, and to work with them to build a better society; respect for Diety and a commitment to the belief that there is a common set of values enshrined in Natural Law which is self-evident to all good men; an understanding that we are responsible not only to God, but to each other; and finally, a deeply held conviction that The Great Architect of the Universe has created a world characterized by harmony and order and reason, which leads us to the inescapable conclusion that reasonable discourse and harmonious behaviour are always preferable to fanaticism and strife.
There are those who say that these principles, principles on which our western culture is built, are outdated and that the time has come for them to be radically reinterpreted, or even jettisoned and remembered only as relics of some idealized and misguided past. Men of the West, I would submit to you that this is neither the time nor the place for such foolish notions. More than ever, the world stands in need of the virtues taught and upheld by our ancient fraternity, and I thank you for the opportunity to lead in this holy work.
And I would like to thank the brothers of this lodge for the confidence you have placed in me by electing me to be the master of this lodge for the ensuing year. I pledge to all of you that I will do my very best to bear the responsibility of governance of this Lodge with a spirit of humility, and that I will strive to create an atmosphere wherein brotherly love, relief, and truth prevail. I shall do my very best to avoid any temptations to coercion, anger, strife, or any other vice which could become a threat to liberty, equality, or fraternity among us. It is said that we as Masons meet upon the level of equality, act by the plumb of uprightness, and part upon the square of virtue. I pledge to you my best efforts to accomplish these lofty goals together, as brothers and as equals.
Freemasonry originally attracted me because of its clear and unyielding commitment to the values which have built and maintained our culture: personal responsibility, personal liberty, and the worth of every man; judgement and value based on a man’s character and actions, and not on his birth, wealth, or worldly position; a willingness to respect the religion and political sentiments of others even when we disagree with them, and to work with them to build a better society; respect for Diety and a commitment to the belief that there is a common set of values enshrined in Natural Law which is self-evident to all good men; an understanding that we are responsible not only to God, but to each other; and finally, a deeply held conviction that The Great Architect of the Universe has created a world characterized by harmony and order and reason, which leads us to the inescapable conclusion that reasonable discourse and harmonious behaviour are always preferable to fanaticism and strife.
There are those who say that these principles, principles on which our western culture is built, are outdated and that the time has come for them to be radically reinterpreted, or even jettisoned and remembered only as relics of some idealized and misguided past. Men of the West, I would submit to you that this is neither the time nor the place for such foolish notions. More than ever, the world stands in need of the virtues taught and upheld by our ancient fraternity, and I thank you for the opportunity to lead in this holy work.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
A Time for Remembering
Rector’s Rambling: November 2009
November is a month for family remembrances. All Saint’s and All Soul’s call me to remember those who have gone before. They will be especially introspective days for me this year. Veteran’s day always calls me to remember the heritage I have received and sought to pass on to my children. Thanksgiving, while a civil holiday and not on the church kalendar, arouses in me some of the most godly thoughts I am likely to experience in the course of a year. The approach of Advent calls me to consider again what the coming of Jesus into the world means to me and mine. The celebrations are not as large or as commercial as those surrounding Christmas and Easter, but perhaps they are in a way more introspective and in some ways more painful, and more blessed than those great public feast days of our faith.
“Anticipating that the normal course of events will take place in Lancaster,” I will experience another important family day this November. I wish with all my heart that my dad could have been here for it, but God had another posting for him, and so I shall reluctantly content myself with the knowledge that one day we will perhaps be able to talk about it in heaven. On the 20th at 7 PM, given the above caveat, I will be installed as the worshipful master of Lancaster Lodge # 57, Free and Accepted Masons. Like my father before me, I am blessed to be a part of this ancient fraternity whose members are dedicated to the promulgation of brotherly love, relief, and truth to all people of good will, without regard to their political party or religious creed. If you are free that evening, I would invite you to come to the Temple at 224 South High Street for the ceremony and reception to follow. I have often said that as the Church brings me Jesus Christ in the sacraments, and the Regiment taught me the true meaning of virtue, so the Lodge schools me in that morality which has built and maintained our culture. I hope you will be able to share the evening with me.
May November be for you a time of holy thoughtfulness. May you take the time to remember those with whom God has blessed your life. May you shed a blessed tear, and go forth to walk in the way of God, and to do the work He has given you to do.
Sincerely,
Bill+
November is a month for family remembrances. All Saint’s and All Soul’s call me to remember those who have gone before. They will be especially introspective days for me this year. Veteran’s day always calls me to remember the heritage I have received and sought to pass on to my children. Thanksgiving, while a civil holiday and not on the church kalendar, arouses in me some of the most godly thoughts I am likely to experience in the course of a year. The approach of Advent calls me to consider again what the coming of Jesus into the world means to me and mine. The celebrations are not as large or as commercial as those surrounding Christmas and Easter, but perhaps they are in a way more introspective and in some ways more painful, and more blessed than those great public feast days of our faith.
“Anticipating that the normal course of events will take place in Lancaster,” I will experience another important family day this November. I wish with all my heart that my dad could have been here for it, but God had another posting for him, and so I shall reluctantly content myself with the knowledge that one day we will perhaps be able to talk about it in heaven. On the 20th at 7 PM, given the above caveat, I will be installed as the worshipful master of Lancaster Lodge # 57, Free and Accepted Masons. Like my father before me, I am blessed to be a part of this ancient fraternity whose members are dedicated to the promulgation of brotherly love, relief, and truth to all people of good will, without regard to their political party or religious creed. If you are free that evening, I would invite you to come to the Temple at 224 South High Street for the ceremony and reception to follow. I have often said that as the Church brings me Jesus Christ in the sacraments, and the Regiment taught me the true meaning of virtue, so the Lodge schools me in that morality which has built and maintained our culture. I hope you will be able to share the evening with me.
May November be for you a time of holy thoughtfulness. May you take the time to remember those with whom God has blessed your life. May you shed a blessed tear, and go forth to walk in the way of God, and to do the work He has given you to do.
Sincerely,
Bill+
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Focusing on What is Important
Last night, I attended a meeting of the William Reece Chapter of the Allied Masonic Degrees, a research society and convivial fellowship group. Much of the discussion centered around some wonderful artifacts owned by a member of the group, which he brought for show and tell, and the propensity of many in our fraternity to engage in wild and unsubstantiated rumors, not to mention the occasional "conspiracy theories" and even the occasional goofy religious concoction (my choice of words.) It was an enjoyable evening, and was over before we seemed to get started. As I drove home, I began to generalize the discussions and lessons of the evening to my faith, and to my citizenship, and to life in general. Distraction seems so often to be the normal state of human affairs. My wife once threated to get me a sweatshirt which on the front said "I have ADHD" and on the back "Oh look! A chicken!" I sometimes think there are many folks who could honestly wear such a shirt. It all seems rather humorous and harmless enough, but is it? What of that one who takes aside a young Mason, or a young Christian, or a recent graduate from basic training or boot camp, who has just completed a life altering experience in degree or baptism or training, and leads them to believe that which is marginal at best and distracting at the worst. The elder Mason who leads a young man to believe that the true secret of Freemasonry is the identity of the Merovingian line of Kings or the location of some archaeological artifact, or the Bishop who counsels a new Christian that their persuit of a deepening personal relationship with Jesus Christ is "the western heresy," or the NCO who plys a young boot with alcohol and the club scene to the degree that he or she forgets his responsibility to serve the common good of humanity as a soldier, sailor, airman, marine, coastie, or agency rat of what President and Brother Theodore Roosevelt called "The Greatest Republic Upon Which The Sun Ever Shone"; I would argue that that person falls within the paramaters of that group which our Lord said would be better off drowned in the depths of the sea. To cause one who is full of idealism and passion for good to be distracted and to turn from that motivation and dedication is indeed a sin against God and against man. I pray that I will always be on guard not to be among that number. Rather let me concentrate on the basics of my beliefs. With a firm reliance upon Almighty God, with a clear and reasonable mind, and with a genuine concern for truth and for all whom God has made, I pray that my love of liberty, of personal responsibility, and godly charity might be an encouragement and a model for many. So Mote it Be.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Winter Squash, Vergil, and Grey Skies
At six this morning, I woke up and made myself a pot of tea. After letting the dogs out, feeding, and cleaning up, I read Vergil. I never fail to be amazed at how the basic human virtues seem to manifest themselves in every age. What a testament it is to God that in this fallen world, He always manages to lead us to the Christ through either the Natural Law or the Revealed Law of the Scriptures. Given, the Natural Law can never get us there entirely, for "how shall they hear without a preacher?" But certainly the sense of brotherhood I sense with the ancient heroes of Troy, or Rome, or a dozen other places, exceeds that which I sense with some of my neighbors with whom I share baptism. I surmize that God has written into the human heart a basic nobility which reflects his own image. It may be covered, and even damaged by sin, but so often it has blazed forth in the most unlikely places. It assures us that while we may be barbarians, we are still loved of God, and in His grace and mercy, he calls us all to a higher way through every culture that he has allowed to exist and develop in all of history. It only remains to us to see our finest yearnings brought to fullness as they are completed in Jesus Christ, who is the original virtue, and is indeed the "Author and Finisher of our faith."
After returning home from work today, I gathered the winter squash and put them in the cellar. It seems like they have been growing and twining for so long. A couple of unseasonable weeks early in the spring caused me to wonder whether they would grow to maturity. Today's harvest proved the foolishness of that fear. I suppose it is the same with us. Like Harry the King, it is a good thing that God does not judge us by the promise of our younger days. His grace is so benificent, His prophetic ability so absolute, that He allows us to seemingly perish in the unseasonable times of our rebellion. And then He comes in splendor to transform us into the image of His Son. We are truly blessed.
For several days now, the rain has been intermittent in our part of the world. Earlier in the week, I planted around twenty five or thirty various pine and spruce trees. Hopefully all of them are stiff enough and pungent enough to dissuade the deer and my beloved pony from seeing them as dessert. One day, they will shield our home from any trace of human habitation apart from our family, and they should provide a wonderful cover for the deer, bird, and rabbit population hereabouts. But they cannot grow without rain. And so even if I cannot till the garden today, I rest in the knowledge that my trees will grow with the rain that God has provided.
And so once again God has provided for all my needs. He has led me to Christ. He has allowed and enabled me to grow beyond the rashness of my youth. He has watered the trees and caused the desert to flourish like a garden. Surely he is good to me, and to all those whom he has called to be His own. And truly his rain, and all of His blessings, fall on the just and on the unjust alike. Oh, that we might have eyes to see, and hearts to appreciate His love and provision for us.
After returning home from work today, I gathered the winter squash and put them in the cellar. It seems like they have been growing and twining for so long. A couple of unseasonable weeks early in the spring caused me to wonder whether they would grow to maturity. Today's harvest proved the foolishness of that fear. I suppose it is the same with us. Like Harry the King, it is a good thing that God does not judge us by the promise of our younger days. His grace is so benificent, His prophetic ability so absolute, that He allows us to seemingly perish in the unseasonable times of our rebellion. And then He comes in splendor to transform us into the image of His Son. We are truly blessed.
For several days now, the rain has been intermittent in our part of the world. Earlier in the week, I planted around twenty five or thirty various pine and spruce trees. Hopefully all of them are stiff enough and pungent enough to dissuade the deer and my beloved pony from seeing them as dessert. One day, they will shield our home from any trace of human habitation apart from our family, and they should provide a wonderful cover for the deer, bird, and rabbit population hereabouts. But they cannot grow without rain. And so even if I cannot till the garden today, I rest in the knowledge that my trees will grow with the rain that God has provided.
And so once again God has provided for all my needs. He has led me to Christ. He has allowed and enabled me to grow beyond the rashness of my youth. He has watered the trees and caused the desert to flourish like a garden. Surely he is good to me, and to all those whom he has called to be His own. And truly his rain, and all of His blessings, fall on the just and on the unjust alike. Oh, that we might have eyes to see, and hearts to appreciate His love and provision for us.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Rector's Rambling: September '09
Rector’s Rambling- September 2009
Hope springs eternal, and with the start of a new school year, opportunities will abound at St. John’s for us to worship together, know God together, fellowship together, and proclaim in our words and by our actions the Good News that Jesus Saves! I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to receive the body and blood of our Saviour at least once each week. The Faith teaches us that to receive the Holy Mysteries imputes to us an infusion of grace that is healing, and strengthening, and which unites us to God and each other. I would also invite you to attend one of our Bible studies regularly. The Bible is God’s roadmap for our lives, and as we prayerfully and humbly read, mark, and inwardly digest it, our lives are transformed more perfectly into the image of Christ. Plan on dining with friends this year as often as you can. Our Lord gave us an example of fellowship over food on many occasions, and we hope to serve breakfasts every month in order to know each other better, and to provide a friendly venue where acquaintances from outside our parish family might be welcomed into the fold. I’m told that plans are also afoot to add cappuccinos and lattes to our coffee bar this year during the Christian Education hour!
If you are blessed to have children in your life, I pray that you will bring them regularly to St. John’s for worship. Whether they are grandchildren, your own little ones, or friends from your neighborhood, bring them often and teach them by your example and by gentle direction how to worship God according to the received customs of Christ’s ancient, one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. Attend their games and programs at school and their clubs, but teach them that there is a way of Christian worship which is dignified, communal, and intensely personal. It is a lesson which will transform their lives. It is true that the very young might not be able to sit through an entire service, and for them and their loved ones we are providing a cry room with closed circuit TV this year, but often we underestimate the ability of our children to pray, sing, listen, and give God the respect he is due from all of His creation. Jesus said, “suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Might we heed His call and introduce our children to the one who will keep them throughout this life and into eternity. It is the greatest gift we can give them. And as I ponder this truth, a serious aside occurs to me. Some people say that we must radically change the worship we have received from the Apostles and Martyrs in order to make it relevant to young people. I’ve never believed that, and have not found it to be true in my own life or those of my children. There is a comfort in the tremendous mystery of Divine Worship as we learn that we are not the center of the universe, and that we are called to participate in something that is older, and greater than ourselves. It remains to us to teach our Children why our worship transcends time and space, and to model for them how we as Reformed and Catholic Christians historically meet our God in Word and Sacrament.
May God bless you as this strangely cool and wet summer comes to a close. May He bless you with an abiding sense of the presence of the Holy Ghost in your life, with a clearer understanding of your own motives and needs, and with a sense of forgiveness and purpose that comes only from above. And may he fill your heart with that hope which springs eternal.. AMEN.
Pax Vobiscum,
Bill+
Hope springs eternal, and with the start of a new school year, opportunities will abound at St. John’s for us to worship together, know God together, fellowship together, and proclaim in our words and by our actions the Good News that Jesus Saves! I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to receive the body and blood of our Saviour at least once each week. The Faith teaches us that to receive the Holy Mysteries imputes to us an infusion of grace that is healing, and strengthening, and which unites us to God and each other. I would also invite you to attend one of our Bible studies regularly. The Bible is God’s roadmap for our lives, and as we prayerfully and humbly read, mark, and inwardly digest it, our lives are transformed more perfectly into the image of Christ. Plan on dining with friends this year as often as you can. Our Lord gave us an example of fellowship over food on many occasions, and we hope to serve breakfasts every month in order to know each other better, and to provide a friendly venue where acquaintances from outside our parish family might be welcomed into the fold. I’m told that plans are also afoot to add cappuccinos and lattes to our coffee bar this year during the Christian Education hour!
If you are blessed to have children in your life, I pray that you will bring them regularly to St. John’s for worship. Whether they are grandchildren, your own little ones, or friends from your neighborhood, bring them often and teach them by your example and by gentle direction how to worship God according to the received customs of Christ’s ancient, one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church. Attend their games and programs at school and their clubs, but teach them that there is a way of Christian worship which is dignified, communal, and intensely personal. It is a lesson which will transform their lives. It is true that the very young might not be able to sit through an entire service, and for them and their loved ones we are providing a cry room with closed circuit TV this year, but often we underestimate the ability of our children to pray, sing, listen, and give God the respect he is due from all of His creation. Jesus said, “suffer the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Might we heed His call and introduce our children to the one who will keep them throughout this life and into eternity. It is the greatest gift we can give them. And as I ponder this truth, a serious aside occurs to me. Some people say that we must radically change the worship we have received from the Apostles and Martyrs in order to make it relevant to young people. I’ve never believed that, and have not found it to be true in my own life or those of my children. There is a comfort in the tremendous mystery of Divine Worship as we learn that we are not the center of the universe, and that we are called to participate in something that is older, and greater than ourselves. It remains to us to teach our Children why our worship transcends time and space, and to model for them how we as Reformed and Catholic Christians historically meet our God in Word and Sacrament.
May God bless you as this strangely cool and wet summer comes to a close. May He bless you with an abiding sense of the presence of the Holy Ghost in your life, with a clearer understanding of your own motives and needs, and with a sense of forgiveness and purpose that comes only from above. And may he fill your heart with that hope which springs eternal.. AMEN.
Pax Vobiscum,
Bill+
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Thoughts on General Convention
In case anyone wonders, I thought it good to publish some musings on General Convention, recently completed in Anaheim.
1. While it is important to welcome all people, sinners and saints alike, to God's Church to hear the good news and find salvation and strength, the so called "inclusion resolutions" seem to represent a departure from the traditional Christian understandings of Scriptural authority, Holy Matrimony, and holiness of life. They also would seem to be a clear repudiation of the repeated call of the Anglican primates for individual provinces to not break the bonds of affection between us by unilateral actions.
2. I agree with Bishop Jefferts-Schori that God has given His Church guardianship of Word and Sacraments, and would add that He has entrusted to her the work of bringing the nations to Christ. I would agree with the traditional understanding expressed by Cyprian (I think), who said that there is no salvation outside the church. I would also agree that many people have undervalued the role of the Church in our salvation. But I found the Presiding Bishop's remarks about personal relationships with Jesus to be very troubling, and contrary to all that I have experienced and known in the Bible; especially when taken in the context of some of her earlier statements about the unique mission of our Lord.
3. For some time, I have struggled with the tendency of many in the Episcopal Church, and in Western Christianity in general, to redefine the traditional understanding of Scripture. The resolution stating that certain parts of the Christian Scriptures are anti-Semitic seems to represent a flowering of this undervaluing of the Bible as the revealed Word of God and the rule of our life.
4. I deeply appreciate the example of the traditionalist bishops at General Convention, who have consistently acknowledged the need for traditionalists to stay within the Episcopal Church not only as missionaries, but because a strong Catholic ecclesiology demands it. In their positions I find strength in some very difficult and trying times. I also appreciate the respect that many of the non-traditionalist bishops offered to the theological minority.
5. I come away from all I have read about the Convention with an increased resolve to live within the spirit of the Windsor Report and the Anglican Covenant as promulgated by the Archbishops of the communion. I commit myself to attempt to lead a godly, righteous, and sober life in keeping with the clear teachings of Scripture. And I pray that God will give me strength, wisdom, and humility, to speak and write clearly and plainly as I seek to be the watchman at St. John's Lancaster.
1. While it is important to welcome all people, sinners and saints alike, to God's Church to hear the good news and find salvation and strength, the so called "inclusion resolutions" seem to represent a departure from the traditional Christian understandings of Scriptural authority, Holy Matrimony, and holiness of life. They also would seem to be a clear repudiation of the repeated call of the Anglican primates for individual provinces to not break the bonds of affection between us by unilateral actions.
2. I agree with Bishop Jefferts-Schori that God has given His Church guardianship of Word and Sacraments, and would add that He has entrusted to her the work of bringing the nations to Christ. I would agree with the traditional understanding expressed by Cyprian (I think), who said that there is no salvation outside the church. I would also agree that many people have undervalued the role of the Church in our salvation. But I found the Presiding Bishop's remarks about personal relationships with Jesus to be very troubling, and contrary to all that I have experienced and known in the Bible; especially when taken in the context of some of her earlier statements about the unique mission of our Lord.
3. For some time, I have struggled with the tendency of many in the Episcopal Church, and in Western Christianity in general, to redefine the traditional understanding of Scripture. The resolution stating that certain parts of the Christian Scriptures are anti-Semitic seems to represent a flowering of this undervaluing of the Bible as the revealed Word of God and the rule of our life.
4. I deeply appreciate the example of the traditionalist bishops at General Convention, who have consistently acknowledged the need for traditionalists to stay within the Episcopal Church not only as missionaries, but because a strong Catholic ecclesiology demands it. In their positions I find strength in some very difficult and trying times. I also appreciate the respect that many of the non-traditionalist bishops offered to the theological minority.
5. I come away from all I have read about the Convention with an increased resolve to live within the spirit of the Windsor Report and the Anglican Covenant as promulgated by the Archbishops of the communion. I commit myself to attempt to lead a godly, righteous, and sober life in keeping with the clear teachings of Scripture. And I pray that God will give me strength, wisdom, and humility, to speak and write clearly and plainly as I seek to be the watchman at St. John's Lancaster.
A Tough Month
This 
has been a difficult month, but it has had its blessings as well. On the twenty-eighth of June, my father died. He was a good man, and he set the standard for who I ought to be. Christ was in his heart, and it was a place of love and forgiveness. He served God and the Republic well, he cared deeply and had a great sense of humor, and I miss him terribly. Then came General Convention in Anaheim. The Church that I love so well, or at least the largest part of her North American branch, voted to normalize monogamous sodomy, declared the New Testament to be anti-Semitic, and repeated several chronic socialist agenda items that have been banging about mainline protestantism for several decades . There were no real surprizes, but my heart is still heavy, and I ask God's forgiveness for my own shortcomings this side of glory. This week, a dear friend and brother of m
ine has been in the hospital and the Docs can't figure out what ails him, another dear friend has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and this afternoon, Rebecca and I found out that our beloved West Highland White Terrier Quincy just might have cancer. It has been a difficult month indeed.
But on the other side of the ledger, my folks were able to move in with us before Dad died, and that is a good thing. Friends from our past and present poured out more love on us than anyone deserves during Dad's illness and burial and beyond. God met us in the Burial Service (1662 BCP Daily Office with Commendation and Committal.) I shall never hear the Navy Hymn again without fond memories of my father. And for it all, Tristan and Ashley and Margaret were here with Dad and with us. Matthew was able to join us for the services (both Masonic and Christian), and served with distinction, along with Dave Halt and Mel Truex, comrades from adventures long past.
has been a difficult month, but it has had its blessings as well. On the twenty-eighth of June, my father died. He was a good man, and he set the standard for who I ought to be. Christ was in his heart, and it was a place of love and forgiveness. He served God and the Republic well, he cared deeply and had a great sense of humor, and I miss him terribly. Then came General Convention in Anaheim. The Church that I love so well, or at least the largest part of her North American branch, voted to normalize monogamous sodomy, declared the New Testament to be anti-Semitic, and repeated several chronic socialist agenda items that have been banging about mainline protestantism for several decades . There were no real surprizes, but my heart is still heavy, and I ask God's forgiveness for my own shortcomings this side of glory. This week, a dear friend and brother of m
ine has been in the hospital and the Docs can't figure out what ails him, another dear friend has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and this afternoon, Rebecca and I found out that our beloved West Highland White Terrier Quincy just might have cancer. It has been a difficult month indeed.But on the other side of the ledger, my folks were able to move in with us before Dad died, and that is a good thing. Friends from our past and present poured out more love on us than anyone deserves during Dad's illness and burial and beyond. God met us in the Burial Service (1662 BCP Daily Office with Commendation and Committal.) I shall never hear the Navy Hymn again without fond memories of my father. And for it all, Tristan and Ashley and Margaret were here with Dad and with us. Matthew was able to join us for the services (both Masonic and Christian), and served with distinction, along with Dave Halt and Mel Truex, comrades from adventures long past.
Three of our greatest blessings revolve around our children. First, Tristan is home safe from Afghanistan. I praise God for his mercies usward, and pray his consolation on those seven families in Lima Company 3/8 who grieve the loss of their sons.
Second, Matthew and Ashley have traveled to the Diocese of South Carolina for a summer internship there. God willing and Bishop Lawrence consenting, he will soon begin the discernment process for Priestly ordination in that beautiful and most orthodox part of the world. May God shower his blessings on Bishop Salmon for his vision and discernment in the lives of my children. Finally, Margaret's first birthday party was celebrated in true southern form (for details see Ashley's excellent blog http://horatiusatthebridge.blogspot.com/), and we, like her paternal grandparents, were blessed to be present.
Life is truly a mixed bag, but through it all, I have found God's sweet presence to be a constant and abiding comfort. From the bottom of my heart, I pray that all who read this might know Him as Saviour and Lord, and that they might find that same peace that I have known.
Life is truly a mixed bag, but through it all, I have found God's sweet presence to be a constant and abiding comfort. From the bottom of my heart, I pray that all who read this might know Him as Saviour and Lord, and that they might find that same peace that I have known.
Friday, June 19, 2009
The Excellence of Brotherly Love
Psalm 133: An Exhortation to Brotherhood, by Bill Pursley
Delivered before William J. Reese Chapter 148, Allied Masonic Degrees April 29, 2009, and preached with some modifications at St. John's Episcopal Church on June 21st of that same year.
The excellence of brotherly love is one of the first lessons exemplified in Freemasonry. Psalm 133 is brief and direct:
A Song of degrees of David
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.
The lessons taught in this Psalm are obvious, but a deeper examination of the history and use of this Psalm in Hebrew devotion provides a rich insight which often eludes the casual reader.
The heading to Psalm 133 tells us that this is a Psalm of David, the King of the unified Jewish Kingdom from 1011 to 971 B.C.[1] It was a turbulent time, chronicled in the Books of First and Second Samuel. David had been anointed the nation’s future king by the prophet Samuel quite unexpectedly when he was still a young man, if not an adolescent boy. During Israel’s wars against the Philistines, he had come to the attention of King Saul when he fought and defeated the Philistine champion Goliath in single combat. As David’s popularity grew with the people, Saul sank deeper and deeper into paranoia that sometimes led to instability and violence. David was driven from the royal court and lived in the wilderness with followers until the death of Saul. After a brief and bitter civil war, he returned to the capital and “all Israel rallied to him” (2 Samuel 5:1-19). He reigned from Jerusalem, or Mount Zion, until he was expelled from the city when his son Absalom rebelled against his authority and attempted to seize the throne. The king’s restoration was accomplished at the cost of his son’s life. In contrast to the joy and apparent unity of that day when he entered the Holy City as Israel’s king, much of his reign was characterized by war, palace intrigue, and family discord.
Some scholars maintain that Psalm 133 was written by King David during the celebrations of his enthronement after Saul’s death. The theme of fraternal love and God’s blessing would certainly fit this contention. Others argue that the Psalm is written later in David’s reign, when an older and wiser man, who has lived through so much heartache and difficulty, yearns for that brotherly affection and peace which could have, and should have characterized the city during his kingship; “for there the Lord commanded the blessing…” Derek Kidner, in his commentary on the Psalms, notes the irony of such a situation. David, who began his reign with the support of Israel’s tribes and with God’s blessing, found his capital to be a place of discord and family rebellion (2 Samuel 11:1).[2] Perhaps the contrast between the ideal of a kingdom of brotherhood and blessing, and the reality of how human beings so often fail to get along, contributed to the regular use of this Psalm (a Psalm of Degrees, or Song of Ascents) by Jewish pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem.
Throughout Jewish history, and especially after the Babylonian captivity, which lasted from 605 B.C. to 538 B.C.[3], Jerusalem was viewed as not only a political capital, but as the place on earth where God chose to dwell among his people. It was seen as a holy place, blessed as the chosen site for the great temple which had been built by King Solomon between 966 and 959 B.C.[4] and rebuilt after the Persian king Cyrus had allowed Zerubbabel to lead the people back to their promised land in 538 B.C.[5] It became customary for the Jews to travel back to Jerusalem for the great feasts of the religious year. All roads literally led “up” to the city of Jerusalem, which was built on Mount Zion. Hence the songs that pilgrims sang along the way were known as “Songs of Ascents”, or “Psalms of Degrees”. These 15 songs are found in Israel’s hymnbook, the Book of Psalms, and are Psalms 120 through 134. The arrangement of these Psalms of Ascent seems to be very intentional, and nowhere is this sense of purpose more evident than in Psalms 132, 133, and 134.[6] In all probability, these were the last three Psalms sung upon the approach to the Temple mount. Psalm 132 recounts King David’s burning desire to build a temple where the Ark of the Covenant might rest in fitting splendor. Psalm 133 proclaims the earthly reign of peace and brotherhood which ought to accompany the enthronement of God himself in his chosen city. Psalm 134 describes the worship of God, led by the priests he has anointed, in the Temple that was built at his command. Thus the pilgrims, whose lives, like David’s and like our own, so often fall far short of the ideal, proclaim what ought to be. In the traditions of their ascent to the Temple they acknowledge what by God’s blessing can be, as they approach the very mercy seat of God for the great festival.
The details of Psalm 133 develop and enrich this picture of ‘brethren dwelling together in unity.’ The blessings of brotherhood are first compared to the holy anointing of the high priest Aaron, recorded in Exodus 29. The elaborate ceremony of installation underlined the sacred and important nature of the priest being set apart for God’s use. The anointing oil is particularly vivid in this context. The oil described in Exodus 30:23-24, was made of myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia lignea, and olive oil. “The odor of this must have been very agreeable, and serves here as a metaphor to point out the exquisite excellence of brotherly love.”[7] As the beautiful aroma of the oil washes over the priests head and limbs in profusion, filling the air with beauty, so fraternal love and harmony demonstrate God’s blessing among his people.
The second image of blessing is that of the life giving “dew of Hermon.” The heavy dews of the area of Hermon were proverbial well into modern times. In his notes upon Calvin’s commentary on the Psalms, the Rev’d James Anderson quotes Maundrell’s “Journey”. “We were sufficiently instructed by experience what the Psalmist means by the dew of Hermon, our tents being as wet with it as if it had rained all night.”[8] The image is clearly one of brotherhood, which gives life every bit as real as that given by regular and heavy watering in an arid and stony locale.
The final, and perhaps most significant image to be examined in this paper, is stated directly in the Psalm, and underlined by the grammatical structure and vocabulary of the passage. It is the Lord who commands the blessing of fraternal cooperation and bliss, and it is the Lord who grants it. In the examples of the anointing of Aaron, and of the falling dew, the word translated “ran down”, “went down”, or “descended”, occurs three times. Each time the initiator of the action, or blessing, is not the recipient, but one who is beyond and above the recipient.[9] In short, it is God who gives the anointing, it is God who sends the dew, and it is God who imputes brotherhood, with all of its blessings, into our common life. Fraternity, like all true blessings, comes ultimately not from our efforts, flawed and imperfect as they are, but from the Great Architect of the Universe.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
The Lord bless thee and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.
Numbers 6:22-27
May we, and all regular masons be so blessed. AMEN.
[1] R.K. Harrison, Old Testament Times, 191.
[2] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150, in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, D.J. Wiseman ed., 453.
[3] Nelson’s Bible Dictionary, 275.
[4] Nelson, 1231.
[5] Nelson, 653.
[6] Adam Clark, Commentary on Ps 134. 530.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Calvin 163
[9] Kidner 453
Delivered before William J. Reese Chapter 148, Allied Masonic Degrees April 29, 2009, and preached with some modifications at St. John's Episcopal Church on June 21st of that same year.
The excellence of brotherly love is one of the first lessons exemplified in Freemasonry. Psalm 133 is brief and direct:
A Song of degrees of David
Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forevermore.
The lessons taught in this Psalm are obvious, but a deeper examination of the history and use of this Psalm in Hebrew devotion provides a rich insight which often eludes the casual reader.
The heading to Psalm 133 tells us that this is a Psalm of David, the King of the unified Jewish Kingdom from 1011 to 971 B.C.[1] It was a turbulent time, chronicled in the Books of First and Second Samuel. David had been anointed the nation’s future king by the prophet Samuel quite unexpectedly when he was still a young man, if not an adolescent boy. During Israel’s wars against the Philistines, he had come to the attention of King Saul when he fought and defeated the Philistine champion Goliath in single combat. As David’s popularity grew with the people, Saul sank deeper and deeper into paranoia that sometimes led to instability and violence. David was driven from the royal court and lived in the wilderness with followers until the death of Saul. After a brief and bitter civil war, he returned to the capital and “all Israel rallied to him” (2 Samuel 5:1-19). He reigned from Jerusalem, or Mount Zion, until he was expelled from the city when his son Absalom rebelled against his authority and attempted to seize the throne. The king’s restoration was accomplished at the cost of his son’s life. In contrast to the joy and apparent unity of that day when he entered the Holy City as Israel’s king, much of his reign was characterized by war, palace intrigue, and family discord.
Some scholars maintain that Psalm 133 was written by King David during the celebrations of his enthronement after Saul’s death. The theme of fraternal love and God’s blessing would certainly fit this contention. Others argue that the Psalm is written later in David’s reign, when an older and wiser man, who has lived through so much heartache and difficulty, yearns for that brotherly affection and peace which could have, and should have characterized the city during his kingship; “for there the Lord commanded the blessing…” Derek Kidner, in his commentary on the Psalms, notes the irony of such a situation. David, who began his reign with the support of Israel’s tribes and with God’s blessing, found his capital to be a place of discord and family rebellion (2 Samuel 11:1).[2] Perhaps the contrast between the ideal of a kingdom of brotherhood and blessing, and the reality of how human beings so often fail to get along, contributed to the regular use of this Psalm (a Psalm of Degrees, or Song of Ascents) by Jewish pilgrims on the way to Jerusalem.
Throughout Jewish history, and especially after the Babylonian captivity, which lasted from 605 B.C. to 538 B.C.[3], Jerusalem was viewed as not only a political capital, but as the place on earth where God chose to dwell among his people. It was seen as a holy place, blessed as the chosen site for the great temple which had been built by King Solomon between 966 and 959 B.C.[4] and rebuilt after the Persian king Cyrus had allowed Zerubbabel to lead the people back to their promised land in 538 B.C.[5] It became customary for the Jews to travel back to Jerusalem for the great feasts of the religious year. All roads literally led “up” to the city of Jerusalem, which was built on Mount Zion. Hence the songs that pilgrims sang along the way were known as “Songs of Ascents”, or “Psalms of Degrees”. These 15 songs are found in Israel’s hymnbook, the Book of Psalms, and are Psalms 120 through 134. The arrangement of these Psalms of Ascent seems to be very intentional, and nowhere is this sense of purpose more evident than in Psalms 132, 133, and 134.[6] In all probability, these were the last three Psalms sung upon the approach to the Temple mount. Psalm 132 recounts King David’s burning desire to build a temple where the Ark of the Covenant might rest in fitting splendor. Psalm 133 proclaims the earthly reign of peace and brotherhood which ought to accompany the enthronement of God himself in his chosen city. Psalm 134 describes the worship of God, led by the priests he has anointed, in the Temple that was built at his command. Thus the pilgrims, whose lives, like David’s and like our own, so often fall far short of the ideal, proclaim what ought to be. In the traditions of their ascent to the Temple they acknowledge what by God’s blessing can be, as they approach the very mercy seat of God for the great festival.
The details of Psalm 133 develop and enrich this picture of ‘brethren dwelling together in unity.’ The blessings of brotherhood are first compared to the holy anointing of the high priest Aaron, recorded in Exodus 29. The elaborate ceremony of installation underlined the sacred and important nature of the priest being set apart for God’s use. The anointing oil is particularly vivid in this context. The oil described in Exodus 30:23-24, was made of myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, cassia lignea, and olive oil. “The odor of this must have been very agreeable, and serves here as a metaphor to point out the exquisite excellence of brotherly love.”[7] As the beautiful aroma of the oil washes over the priests head and limbs in profusion, filling the air with beauty, so fraternal love and harmony demonstrate God’s blessing among his people.
The second image of blessing is that of the life giving “dew of Hermon.” The heavy dews of the area of Hermon were proverbial well into modern times. In his notes upon Calvin’s commentary on the Psalms, the Rev’d James Anderson quotes Maundrell’s “Journey”. “We were sufficiently instructed by experience what the Psalmist means by the dew of Hermon, our tents being as wet with it as if it had rained all night.”[8] The image is clearly one of brotherhood, which gives life every bit as real as that given by regular and heavy watering in an arid and stony locale.
The final, and perhaps most significant image to be examined in this paper, is stated directly in the Psalm, and underlined by the grammatical structure and vocabulary of the passage. It is the Lord who commands the blessing of fraternal cooperation and bliss, and it is the Lord who grants it. In the examples of the anointing of Aaron, and of the falling dew, the word translated “ran down”, “went down”, or “descended”, occurs three times. Each time the initiator of the action, or blessing, is not the recipient, but one who is beyond and above the recipient.[9] In short, it is God who gives the anointing, it is God who sends the dew, and it is God who imputes brotherhood, with all of its blessings, into our common life. Fraternity, like all true blessings, comes ultimately not from our efforts, flawed and imperfect as they are, but from the Great Architect of the Universe.
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,
The Lord bless thee and keep thee:
The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.
And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.
Numbers 6:22-27
May we, and all regular masons be so blessed. AMEN.
[1] R.K. Harrison, Old Testament Times, 191.
[2] Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150, in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries, D.J. Wiseman ed., 453.
[3] Nelson’s Bible Dictionary, 275.
[4] Nelson, 1231.
[5] Nelson, 653.
[6] Adam Clark, Commentary on Ps 134. 530.
[7] Ibid.
[8] Calvin 163
[9] Kidner 453
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Belief and Behavior
Rector's Rambling: July 2009
I’ve been reading John and Paul over the last few weeks, and have noticed an entirely predictable pattern. Both of them consider belief and behavior to be very important. What we believe, especially what we believe about Jesus, defines whether or not we are Christians. How we behave is the proof of what we believe.
The Christian believes that Jesus is the only begotten Son of the living God, who lived among us, died for our sins, and was resurrected on Easter to prove forever that God’s power and love are greater than sin and death. Since his glorious ascension into heaven, he is seated in heavenly session, interceding for us and awaiting that day when he shall return to meet us as his own and to vindicate the claims of God forever and ever. There may be some wiggle room about how we interpret and apply these doctrines of the Christ, but they are mandatory components of the faith of the people called Christians. To believe otherwise and yet call oneself “Christian” is somewhat akin to calling a dog a horse, or a chicken a boy. They may have the same number of legs, and may resemble each other in several important ways, but they remain nevertheless separate species. Definitions do matter, and we as individuals are only kidding ourselves if we reject commonly agreed upon definitions in favor of our own wants and desires. To do so is to install ourselves as the arbiters of truth, and such an installation is fraught with dangerous results, including arrogance and exaltation of ourselves to the place of God.
Behavior, the second teaching of the Apostles, has an equally important role in the life of the Christian. Both John and Paul preach that if God has truly transformed our lives, if he has truly brought us from death to life, it should show in the way we interact with each other. While none of us are perfect in this world, we should be drawing closer to the ethical example of Jesus every day. Right belief which is true must inevitably lead to right behavior in ever increasing amounts. Our attitudes should be characterized by love for each other, by humility, by a sincere appreciation of our strengths and our weaknesses, by a willingness to prefer others before ourselves, by a desire to serve God by serving others, and by genuine joy. Such attitudes mean that I will respect the property and opinions of others, even when I believe they are wrong. They necessarily instill in me a strong work ethic and a desire to provide for my own needs and contribute to the relief of suffering in the lives of others. They certainly lead me to exercise restraint and self-control over all of my passions, whether they impact my finances, my relationships, my sexuality, or any other appetite that I may have.
To believe aright and to live in accordance with God’s will are twin indicators of how deep our Christianity really goes. During these dog days of summer, I hope we all might find some time to honestly evaluate how we are doing with our faith, that we might offer ourselves more perfectly to the Father, and become more like Jesus, in the power of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.
Bill+
I’ve been reading John and Paul over the last few weeks, and have noticed an entirely predictable pattern. Both of them consider belief and behavior to be very important. What we believe, especially what we believe about Jesus, defines whether or not we are Christians. How we behave is the proof of what we believe.
The Christian believes that Jesus is the only begotten Son of the living God, who lived among us, died for our sins, and was resurrected on Easter to prove forever that God’s power and love are greater than sin and death. Since his glorious ascension into heaven, he is seated in heavenly session, interceding for us and awaiting that day when he shall return to meet us as his own and to vindicate the claims of God forever and ever. There may be some wiggle room about how we interpret and apply these doctrines of the Christ, but they are mandatory components of the faith of the people called Christians. To believe otherwise and yet call oneself “Christian” is somewhat akin to calling a dog a horse, or a chicken a boy. They may have the same number of legs, and may resemble each other in several important ways, but they remain nevertheless separate species. Definitions do matter, and we as individuals are only kidding ourselves if we reject commonly agreed upon definitions in favor of our own wants and desires. To do so is to install ourselves as the arbiters of truth, and such an installation is fraught with dangerous results, including arrogance and exaltation of ourselves to the place of God.
Behavior, the second teaching of the Apostles, has an equally important role in the life of the Christian. Both John and Paul preach that if God has truly transformed our lives, if he has truly brought us from death to life, it should show in the way we interact with each other. While none of us are perfect in this world, we should be drawing closer to the ethical example of Jesus every day. Right belief which is true must inevitably lead to right behavior in ever increasing amounts. Our attitudes should be characterized by love for each other, by humility, by a sincere appreciation of our strengths and our weaknesses, by a willingness to prefer others before ourselves, by a desire to serve God by serving others, and by genuine joy. Such attitudes mean that I will respect the property and opinions of others, even when I believe they are wrong. They necessarily instill in me a strong work ethic and a desire to provide for my own needs and contribute to the relief of suffering in the lives of others. They certainly lead me to exercise restraint and self-control over all of my passions, whether they impact my finances, my relationships, my sexuality, or any other appetite that I may have.
To believe aright and to live in accordance with God’s will are twin indicators of how deep our Christianity really goes. During these dog days of summer, I hope we all might find some time to honestly evaluate how we are doing with our faith, that we might offer ourselves more perfectly to the Father, and become more like Jesus, in the power of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.
Bill+
Friday, June 12, 2009
Morning Resolve
Rawley is at my feet, and just outside my window, chickens and horses range on a luxuriant green pasture filled with white dutch clover. The sky is slate grey and the birds sing. The scene is idyllic, and a heady tonic with which to start the day. Tristan called early this morning to confirm his flight number for some Marine paperwork having to do with his upcoming leave. I’ve made coffee, visited with my dad, pulled weeds in the garden, and taken care of chores around the barn and house, and cleaned up my e-mail. Shortly, I will begin my daily rounds. Most of today will be taken up with visitation, but I will find time to take dad to the pharmacy, and to work on a pre-baptismal curriculum for adults. Along the way, I also need to spend some time in the Psalms and with a couple of Paul’s Lesser Epistles. I’ve just finished a week in the Pastorals to significant profit. How sad it is to realize how I fall short, but how refreshing to experience God's forgiveness and strength for the next round. When Saint Paul used his boxing and track & field images, perhaps this is a bit of what he had in mind.
A report in the Washington Times today alleges that the last administration instructed the Federal Reserve to threaten and bully Bank of America into buying Merrill Lynch, or some other troubled financial concern. A sidebar directed my attention to an earlier story about how the current administration allegedly applied undue pressure in the General Motors bailout and bankruptcy proceedings. If the allegations are true, it occurs to me that we live in a world characterized by coercion. Most of us are very willing to make other people do what we want most of the time. What a sad sate of affairs when men and women employ force to get their way from their fellows. It always leads to hard feelings and violence of one sort or another.
A few days ago, I received a well intentioned, good natured invitation for St. John’s to become involved in the distribution of government faith based programs. I respectfully declined, not because the programs would not help people (they probably will) but because where money flows, regulation and ultimately control follow. I firmly believe that the Church must maintain her independence if she is to function prophetically in society. So often we might temper our words or our actions to protect our capital investments, our clergy remuneration plans, and our structures. I’m not sure it is wise to complicate the matter further and buffer our witness to the Gospel of Christ by tying our programs and budgets to public monies.
It is 7:30, and time to move on to the next item on my list. Today, I will do my best to appreciate the blessings of God all around me, and to do no act or utter any word which might serve to coerce or control any person whom God has made. I shall attempt to model the love of God to all I meet by remembering my own shortcomings, studying to be quiet, and working with my own hands to accomplish the mission God has given me.
Bill+
A report in the Washington Times today alleges that the last administration instructed the Federal Reserve to threaten and bully Bank of America into buying Merrill Lynch, or some other troubled financial concern. A sidebar directed my attention to an earlier story about how the current administration allegedly applied undue pressure in the General Motors bailout and bankruptcy proceedings. If the allegations are true, it occurs to me that we live in a world characterized by coercion. Most of us are very willing to make other people do what we want most of the time. What a sad sate of affairs when men and women employ force to get their way from their fellows. It always leads to hard feelings and violence of one sort or another.
A few days ago, I received a well intentioned, good natured invitation for St. John’s to become involved in the distribution of government faith based programs. I respectfully declined, not because the programs would not help people (they probably will) but because where money flows, regulation and ultimately control follow. I firmly believe that the Church must maintain her independence if she is to function prophetically in society. So often we might temper our words or our actions to protect our capital investments, our clergy remuneration plans, and our structures. I’m not sure it is wise to complicate the matter further and buffer our witness to the Gospel of Christ by tying our programs and budgets to public monies.
It is 7:30, and time to move on to the next item on my list. Today, I will do my best to appreciate the blessings of God all around me, and to do no act or utter any word which might serve to coerce or control any person whom God has made. I shall attempt to model the love of God to all I meet by remembering my own shortcomings, studying to be quiet, and working with my own hands to accomplish the mission God has given me.
Bill+
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
This Sunday's Sermon: Pentecost II, AD MMIX
With Thanks to Christy for her encouragement to post this lesson, here it is!
Pentecost II Proper 6 14 June 2009
I Samuel 15:34-16:13
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be alway acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. AMEN.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PLANS GO ARWY?
Samuel the prophet had a problem. When he was a young man, the people of Israel had come to him and asked him to anoint a king over Israel, one like the other nations had. He had warned them that a king would draft their children and raise their taxes. When God told him to give the people what they wanted, his heart was broken because of the people’s rebellious attitudes towards the Lord.
In keeping with the faith and practice of the Hebrews, a king was chosen by drawing lots. Saul was strong, tall, handsome and athletic; and seemed to be a humble and devout man. But as time went on, this king whom Samuel had anointed grew prideful and dictatorial. He finally shook his fist at God by arrogating to himself the office of the Priesthood. The king begged for forgiveness, but he had gone too far. God rejected him as unfit for kingship “and Samuel never saw Saul again to his dying day, but he grieved for him, because the Lord had repented of having made him King over Israel.”
Have you ever had such a loss? I daresay most of us have. After so much hard work and happy dreaming, our plans are dashed on the rocks of unforseen occurrences. Today’s Old Testament lesson is an historic account of how the Lord called Samuel to proceed with the business of the Kingdom after the devastating rejection of King Saul. I believe that in it, God gives us a model for dealing with the disappointments in our own lives.
God said to the Prophet Samuel, “I am sending you” to:
1. overcome your inaction, to get up and move!
2. overcome your fear, to develop a plan!
3. overcome your prejudice, see it God’s way!
4. overcome your impatience, and persevere!
It is foundational that Samuel starts with a faith that God is acting in his life; that God is ultimately calling the shots. Whether we recognize it or not, that is as true in all of our lives as it was in Samuel’s. God is even working through the bad things in our lives to accomplish his purpose for mankind and to prepare us for heaven.
And so we start with faith, the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. With that faith we approach the numbing and debilitating inactivity that so often accompanies grief and disappointment. The Lord tells Samuel “fill your horn of oil and take it with you, because I am sending you out to do my work!” All of the work we do is God’s work; from the honest godly toil of the laborer to the ministrations of the priest at the altar, from the classroom to household chores, it is all God’s work, and you and I are called to get up and do it to God’s glory.
Samuel points out that there is significant risk involved. “If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” God then dictates the outline of a plan, which if properly executed, will minimize the risk and ensure the success of the mission. A good plan takes every contingency into consideration. It exercises our minds and calls for bold and flexible execution, and like the action called for in step one, it helps to keep our minds off of a past we would prefer to forget.
Saul had been a mighty king and a giant of a man. Samuel could hardly be expected to anticipate any other type of candidate for the office. But God called him beyond his expectations and his prejudices and his experiences. “Pay no attention to his outward appearance and stature…the Lord does not see as a mortal sees; mortals see only appearances, but the Lord sees into the heart.” Are you willing to see beyond the ghosts of the past in order to find deliverance and knowledge of the blessings of God? Along with faithful action and a good plan that addresses our fears, it is the third step of God’s way to see beyond our own expectations.
Finally, after Jesse had brought all of his boys for the prophet to see, Samuel asked, ”are these all the sons you have?” Had the prophet taken a shortcut in his impatience, David would not have been anointed King of Israel that day. Sometimes we are tempted to take a shorter path, but in God’s economy, we are called to perseverance as we wait for the blessing.
In the life of Samuel the Prophet, God gives us a way to approach the very real disappointments in our own lives:
1. He calls us to have faith that he has a plan for each of us, and he expects us to put some muscle into the accomplishment of that plan.
2. He calls us to think through the implications of our actions or lack thereof, and to develop a good plan for pushing through our fears.
3. He calls us to broaden our vision to see the possibilities of his grace, and never to be held back by the terrifying, or the comforting ghosts and memories of the past.
4. He calls us to persevere in the face of every difficulty, in the sure knowledge that whoever endures to the end shall be saved.
So may it be among all the people of God. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.
Pentecost II Proper 6 14 June 2009
I Samuel 15:34-16:13
May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be alway acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our Strength and our Redeemer. AMEN.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN PLANS GO ARWY?
Samuel the prophet had a problem. When he was a young man, the people of Israel had come to him and asked him to anoint a king over Israel, one like the other nations had. He had warned them that a king would draft their children and raise their taxes. When God told him to give the people what they wanted, his heart was broken because of the people’s rebellious attitudes towards the Lord.
In keeping with the faith and practice of the Hebrews, a king was chosen by drawing lots. Saul was strong, tall, handsome and athletic; and seemed to be a humble and devout man. But as time went on, this king whom Samuel had anointed grew prideful and dictatorial. He finally shook his fist at God by arrogating to himself the office of the Priesthood. The king begged for forgiveness, but he had gone too far. God rejected him as unfit for kingship “and Samuel never saw Saul again to his dying day, but he grieved for him, because the Lord had repented of having made him King over Israel.”
Have you ever had such a loss? I daresay most of us have. After so much hard work and happy dreaming, our plans are dashed on the rocks of unforseen occurrences. Today’s Old Testament lesson is an historic account of how the Lord called Samuel to proceed with the business of the Kingdom after the devastating rejection of King Saul. I believe that in it, God gives us a model for dealing with the disappointments in our own lives.
God said to the Prophet Samuel, “I am sending you” to:
1. overcome your inaction, to get up and move!
2. overcome your fear, to develop a plan!
3. overcome your prejudice, see it God’s way!
4. overcome your impatience, and persevere!
It is foundational that Samuel starts with a faith that God is acting in his life; that God is ultimately calling the shots. Whether we recognize it or not, that is as true in all of our lives as it was in Samuel’s. God is even working through the bad things in our lives to accomplish his purpose for mankind and to prepare us for heaven.
And so we start with faith, the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. With that faith we approach the numbing and debilitating inactivity that so often accompanies grief and disappointment. The Lord tells Samuel “fill your horn of oil and take it with you, because I am sending you out to do my work!” All of the work we do is God’s work; from the honest godly toil of the laborer to the ministrations of the priest at the altar, from the classroom to household chores, it is all God’s work, and you and I are called to get up and do it to God’s glory.
Samuel points out that there is significant risk involved. “If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.” God then dictates the outline of a plan, which if properly executed, will minimize the risk and ensure the success of the mission. A good plan takes every contingency into consideration. It exercises our minds and calls for bold and flexible execution, and like the action called for in step one, it helps to keep our minds off of a past we would prefer to forget.
Saul had been a mighty king and a giant of a man. Samuel could hardly be expected to anticipate any other type of candidate for the office. But God called him beyond his expectations and his prejudices and his experiences. “Pay no attention to his outward appearance and stature…the Lord does not see as a mortal sees; mortals see only appearances, but the Lord sees into the heart.” Are you willing to see beyond the ghosts of the past in order to find deliverance and knowledge of the blessings of God? Along with faithful action and a good plan that addresses our fears, it is the third step of God’s way to see beyond our own expectations.
Finally, after Jesse had brought all of his boys for the prophet to see, Samuel asked, ”are these all the sons you have?” Had the prophet taken a shortcut in his impatience, David would not have been anointed King of Israel that day. Sometimes we are tempted to take a shorter path, but in God’s economy, we are called to perseverance as we wait for the blessing.
In the life of Samuel the Prophet, God gives us a way to approach the very real disappointments in our own lives:
1. He calls us to have faith that he has a plan for each of us, and he expects us to put some muscle into the accomplishment of that plan.
2. He calls us to think through the implications of our actions or lack thereof, and to develop a good plan for pushing through our fears.
3. He calls us to broaden our vision to see the possibilities of his grace, and never to be held back by the terrifying, or the comforting ghosts and memories of the past.
4. He calls us to persevere in the face of every difficulty, in the sure knowledge that whoever endures to the end shall be saved.
So may it be among all the people of God. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. AMEN.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Praised Be Our God!
Our prayers were answered when Tristan marched into the Regimental Area at Camp Lejeune this last Monday. Many thanks to all of you who prayed for him and his fellows. And Rebecca and I send out our deepest condolences to the families of the seven Marines from Lima Company who lost their lives on this deployment. May their souls, and the souls of all the blessed departed rest in peace.
We were gone for a few days over a week, and in that short time so much changed at Briarwood. Chuck, our good neighbor, got the back pasture fenced, which should save me a lot of money on chows over the years to come and make the eggs my girls produce even more packed with healthy things. The weeds have almost taken over the garden, in spite of my best efforts. A long and hot day's work tomorrow should take care of that little inconvenience. The peas and turnips and chard are ready for harvesting, and the lettuce and spinach bolted in my absence. It is wonderful to live in a place where so many things are alive.
Last Tuesday, Tristan and I were able to go to lodge together in Jacksonville. Here in Ohio, we are "moderns" in Masonic parlance. In North Carolina, the brothers are "antients." So many things were so very different, but all of the essentials were the same. The mystic tie is truly never broken, and it was good to sit with my son as the men of Lafayette lodge took care of the business at hand.
Over the last few weeks, I've been thinking about what my professors used to call "the art and craft of sermon construction." With my advancing years, I've noticed that my organizational skills are not what they once were when it comes to public address. My visits in other faith traditions have led me to the conclusion that I am very glad we have a prayer book, even if it is not the one I would have chosen. And so it occurs to me that perhaps the meanderings of an old man might be better managed by a manuscript, or at least by extensive notes on Sunday Morning. I've just finished my first sermon, or rather homily, since taking this line of meditation to heart. It is a reflection on Samuel's grief and recovery over the rejection of Saul in the 15th and 16th chapters of I Samuel. I believe God was in the preparation, but it remains to see how the good folks of St. John's will respond. I suppose Sunday will tell.
With that said, I'll close for now. I hope to be a bit more regular with postings in the days to come. And I pray to God that this small discipline of mine will be of godly assistance to some fellow traveler on the way to heaven.
Bill+
We were gone for a few days over a week, and in that short time so much changed at Briarwood. Chuck, our good neighbor, got the back pasture fenced, which should save me a lot of money on chows over the years to come and make the eggs my girls produce even more packed with healthy things. The weeds have almost taken over the garden, in spite of my best efforts. A long and hot day's work tomorrow should take care of that little inconvenience. The peas and turnips and chard are ready for harvesting, and the lettuce and spinach bolted in my absence. It is wonderful to live in a place where so many things are alive.
Last Tuesday, Tristan and I were able to go to lodge together in Jacksonville. Here in Ohio, we are "moderns" in Masonic parlance. In North Carolina, the brothers are "antients." So many things were so very different, but all of the essentials were the same. The mystic tie is truly never broken, and it was good to sit with my son as the men of Lafayette lodge took care of the business at hand.
Over the last few weeks, I've been thinking about what my professors used to call "the art and craft of sermon construction." With my advancing years, I've noticed that my organizational skills are not what they once were when it comes to public address. My visits in other faith traditions have led me to the conclusion that I am very glad we have a prayer book, even if it is not the one I would have chosen. And so it occurs to me that perhaps the meanderings of an old man might be better managed by a manuscript, or at least by extensive notes on Sunday Morning. I've just finished my first sermon, or rather homily, since taking this line of meditation to heart. It is a reflection on Samuel's grief and recovery over the rejection of Saul in the 15th and 16th chapters of I Samuel. I believe God was in the preparation, but it remains to see how the good folks of St. John's will respond. I suppose Sunday will tell.
With that said, I'll close for now. I hope to be a bit more regular with postings in the days to come. And I pray to God that this small discipline of mine will be of godly assistance to some fellow traveler on the way to heaven.
Bill+
Friday, January 9, 2009
Birthday Reverie
Today is my birthday. I am a year older, and I feel every day of it. But my duties and pleasures today have led me through a range of experiences and emotions which always seem to come back to dealing with my fears. The un-pleasantness of unsought conflict, the reality of serious debilitating illness, and that wrenching ache that accompanies loved ones deployed have been with me today. I have faced them and overcome them for the time being. But the movie selections this night at Briarwood have led me to consider deeper realities from which there seems to be no escape. Rebecca surprized me with a blue ray edition of Casablanca for my birthday. With an attention to detail I had not seen before, I witnessed the heroic act of Victor Laslow as he ordered the playing of the Marseillse to drown out the Nazi militarism of Major Strasser and his fellows. Later, we watched The Fellowship of the Ring, and saw such an unlikely company embark on a seemingly impossible mission against apparently insurmountable odds. Then I thought of the realities of my world. First, of a child protection policy which I am expected to implement even though it calls for me to collect the social security numbers of my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ. Perhaps the plan is well intended, and perhaps it could bring some degree of security, but I do not believe it is right for free men in voluntary religious societies to keep records on one another and compile lists of sensitive information. Surely there is a better way. Then I considered the willingness of my countrymen in the wake of the attacks of 9-11 to submit to outrageous infringements on personal liberties in the name of security. Certainly we are at war, and the enemies of liberty must be opposed stridently and courageously, but at what point does our voluntary surrender of the presumption of innocence, our willingness to spend billions of dollars without serious question, and our rush to embrace an all knowing and all powerful government, all in the name of security, overthrow the very nature of our Republic? Some of these questions seem so very gray, but at the end, they must prove to be black and white. Liberty is a fragile thing, and an anomaly in human history. It must be carefully cultivated, and our desire for a world of absolute security and little or no risk seems to be a much greater threat to it than all the forces of Islamist fanaticism and financial crisis. Our greatest enemy seems to be ourselves, and particularly our fears of uncertainty and our insatable desire for security at any cost. In this new year, I commit to champion liberty, even when to do so is dangerous and unpopular, and even when it may cost me dearly. I am called by my profession to meet all men upon the level of equality, to measure my actions towards them by the plumb of righteousness, and to part from them upon the square of virtue; and to so circumscribe my desires that my passions may be kept in due bounds with all mankind. Those are responsibilities that I cannot delegate to any government, any organization, any church, or any other person. They are mine alone, given by God, and I must answer for my stewardship of them at the end of my days. To treat others with equity, justice, and decency, to order my own life, and to patiently and quietly (albeit actively) resist encroaching wrong is at the very heart of Liberty, and as I enter my fifty-fifth year, I commit myself to these things anew.
Pro Republica+
Bill+
Pro Republica+
Bill+
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