The Craw

So What?

There are a number of things that we Reformed folk (a tiny speck in the universe of Christendom) spend our time reacting against:

1. The "Da Vinci Code." As William Shatner said to the freaks at the Trekkie Convention in a SNL skit, "What's the matter with you people? Its just a show!" Its just a novel and though Dan Brown believes its true we should bear in mind that 15% of the population thinks Elvis is still alive.

2. The Documentary Hypothesis. Our German freunds from the 19th Century figured everything out for us. Yes the Pentateuch is written by numerous contradictory factions. And these Teutonic geniuses were able discern exactly who and where they did their thing in the Torah. We should remember that these are also the folks who like to go on a hunt, shoot everything in sight, and then arrange these unfortunate creatures out by species and size to be gawked at.

3. The Roman Catholic Church. These days the Pope is lurking in the bushes outside every presbytery meeting. The way we label everything "Catholic" you would think Tetzel is hawking indulgences on the Home Shopping Network. The New Perspectives and the Federal Vision are somehow connected to Roman Catholicism...duh! So is the entire Western tradition since Constantine. We are so busy reacting to a 16th Century Roman Catholic Church that we can't even rejoice when progress on reformation like this occurs within her boundaries.

So to these things and others like them I say, "So what?" I would hope we had better things to do with our time then constantly telling the world what we are not. If we were doing what God called us to do, what we are would be readily apparent.

What the Gospel is

The Gospel. Boy, that is a loaded term today. I am told the Gospel is "how we get saved", or "about the work of Christ" or "about justification by faith." I affirm all of these concepts but is that how the Bible presents the Gospel?

The most pristine and dense explanation of the Gospel is given by Paul in Romans 1:1-6:

"Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,  ² which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, ³ concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh ⁴ and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, ⁵ through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, ⁶ including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ."

Notice that this  is clearly a proclamation of a king's reign and rule (ala Wright). It is also focused on the resurrection and the gracious subjugation of the nations. How we get saved is in there but frankly, it is almost tertiary to the greater subject, "The King is on His Throne...Now!"

What a strange time we live in when we feel the neccessity to obscure the glory of our king with endless clarifications emphasizing what we get out of the Gospel rather than rejoicing in how it is going forth in triumph.

Will it Snow?

The temperature has been dropping since noon and its clouding over. Today may offer us the first snowfall of the season.

The Heartland

For the last year I have been traveling back roads and interstates preaching at small churches in Illinois and Missouri. The churches have been in municipalities that ranged in size from Springfield, MO (150,000) to Okete, MO (under 100). This has been an enriching experience for a city boy like me. I have spent most of my life living in two of the largest cities in the history of the world (Tokyo and Los Angeles) so working in rural parishes has given me a different persepctive on the body of Christ.

Most of my time has been spent at Christ the King Church (CREC) in Springfield, MO. At left is a picture of Elder Rob Davis and I.

One of the most valuable parts of this experience has been the opportunity to preach regularly in a real church. This is something that is lacking in most seminary programs. Preaching to a real live congregation filled with normal saints who arrive ready to be fed the Word is totally different from an audience of inexperienced seminary students eager to critique on whatever they learned in their most recemt homiletics book. The Reformed church needs to develop a vicarage system along the lines of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod (LCMS) which allows students to serve an actual congregation for a year. This is a win-win for the fresh and inexperienced seminary student and the congregation (which is often small and between pastors).

El Jeffe

I just got back from a quick hunting/fishing/relaxing excursion up in the metropolis of Mt. Sterling, MO. An elder in our church kindly allowed Pastor Meyers and three of us seminary students to utilize his 200+ acre private reserve. It was a good time of re-charging and engaging in primitive pastimes.

Possession

Finally, in my eager hands sits DG Hart's biography of John Williamson Nevin "High Church Calvinist" (it has been on back-order). I could not help myself and cracked it open for a peaky during class today and it looks like a tome to relish with a nice brandy and a warm fire.

My pastor, Jeff Meyers, has just blogged on the book and the effect that the Mercersburg Theology has had in the opening years of the 21st Century in the Reformed church. I, for one, was blown over when I first read Nevin' s "Mystical Presence." I had slowly been moving toward a higher sacramental position but Nevin punted me 20 feet over the fence! I was actually a little annoyed that these views (just straight John Calvin) were not taught but were actually attacked in modern Presbyterian circles. The ignorance of our rich sacramental heritage inexcusable.

Strangely enough, it may be the non-reformed emerging church movement that will be the catalyst for rediscovering our sacramental heritage. The vapid theology of rationalism and its vacant mysterion will be left behind as a relic of a presumptuous age.

The Church That Will Be

Here is a link to the website of the future church we will be planting in Santa Clarita, California.

The Big OC

I'm just wrapping up my trip out here to Calfornia. We drafted our By-Laws in preparation for planting a church with the CRE and then some of us attended church at Ancient Hope church (CRE) in Mission Viejo in the big OC. I had the privilege of preaching the sermon.

This photo is of the Pastor Brett Bonecutter and I.

This pic is of part of the church plant core group and myself.

The Journey Begins

Well, I'm off to Calfornia to meet with my church-plant core group. We will be drafting our by-laws and establishing a business structure for the church so that we can begin raising support. A great journey begins today and who knows where God will take us.

Happy Birthday

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day but today, November 10 is also a special day. A special day to a peculiar fraternity, the United States Marine Corps. Here is a link on this subject.