Psalm 88 1 O LORD, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You. 2 Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my cry. 3 For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to the grave. 4 I am counted with those who go down to the pit; I am like a man who has no . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus was killed because He forgave, not to gain our forgiveness, says Gerhard Forde. I don’t agree with the second part of that, but the first part intrigues. It sounds like the typical liberal nostrum that Jesus was put to death for being too nice, and we don’t like niceness. Is a . . . . Continue Reading »
The late Colin Gunton argued that Augustine’s refusal to follow the earlier tradition of interpreting Old Testament theophanies as a revelation of the Son was a move away from a fully Trinitarian theology toward a semi-modalist Unitarianism. In her article in Augustine and History (Augustine in . . . . Continue Reading »
Christmas is unique. Ancient gods appeared in human form, but no other religion, ancient or modern, teaches that the Creator of heaven and earth was born of a woman, grew as an infant and toddler, and reached manhood. No other religion teaches that because no other religion wants the eternal God of . . . . Continue Reading »
On this last Sunday of Epiphany, the Collect and the Gospel reading focus on the Transfiguration. Long before Jesus, Yahweh appeared in glory on a mountain and Moses entered that glory. When Jesus is glorified on the Holy Mountain, Moses is there again, along with Elijah. Christians frequently . . . . Continue Reading »
Christ’s sacrifice was a sacrifice of flesh, Thomas admits, but he goes on to say that it was a suitable sacrifice because it was God’s own sacrifice. The thought appears to be this: The Son takes our flesh, and by His sacrifice (which includes death and resurrection for Thomas) He . . . . Continue Reading »
This is the first Sunday after Epiphany, when we commemorate the appearance of God in His Son. It is a strange appearance. The Son appears in the flesh, lives, dies, rises, and then quickly disappears. Light flickers in darkness, but then the light goes out, goes elsewhere, and when then? Does . . . . Continue Reading »
Seed of the woman, son of Sarah, true Israel, we greet You at Your coming. Branch of David, King greater than Solomon, we greet You at Your coming. Immanuel, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, we greet You at Your coming. Anointed One, Son of God, Son of Man, Word made flesh, we . . . . Continue Reading »
Father, You are light, and You dwell in the unapproachable, eternal light of Your Son and Spirit. In You is no darkness or shifting shadow. On the first day, You made light shine in the midst of darkness, and at the last Day You will dispel all darkness and shine as the light of Your people unto . . . . Continue Reading »
A wonderful passage from Chesterton, quoted with approval (for obvious enough reasons) by Slavoj Zizek: “When the world shook and the sun was wiped out of heaven, it was not at the crucifixion but at the cry from the cross (‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?’), the cry . . . . Continue Reading »
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