A Creed

 

Art in the Christian Tradition *used by permission

• I believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, a God of grace, mercy and love.  By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Divine Creator made the universe, and the earth teeming with life and beauty as a sign of grace to all.  God created humanity to delight in God's glory, to live in harmony with the natural world and with each other in community.  Yet humanity fell into sin, setting up systems of oppression, enslavement and bondage.  Taking God's gracious gifts, we selfishly destroy God's good creation and ourselves with it.  Allowing sin to reign, we became separated from our Divine Source of Life. 

  So God demonstrated the ultimate act of love and friendship coming into our world in the person of Jesus Christ, as promised in the covenants. Baptized into our humanity, Jesus came in the power of the Holy Spirit, healing the sick, preaching the good news to the poor, proclaiming Jubilee, lifting the powerless and the downtrodden, and setting the prisoner free. Jesus came with the liberating power of God's love. Yet, Rejecting God's sovereign love, humanity crucified Jesus, showing its own corruption, cruelty, and inhumanity. Jesus was buried, but on the third day, he was vindicated by God and rose bodily, triumphing over sin, death, and evil. Jesus' resurrection brought about a new humanity and a new creation. Christ opened up the path back to the Divine Source of all Life. 

  This covenant community declares the good news of Jesus Christ that once again reconciles God, humanity and the world.  United by grace through faith, we are united again with the Divine Source of Life.  Defined by a radical welcome, the church is called to be a house of prayer for all people, breaking down every barrier that divides humanity and uniting us regardless of race, culture, human distinction, gender identity or sexual orientation. The church as the community of the faithful, continues Christ's work in the power of the Holy Spirit. Baptizing into God's new covenant, through the waters of baptism, and nourished by the Eucharist, the Spirit lifts our hearts to feast with the risen Christ, empowering us to live into the new creation, bearing spiritual fruit both today and in the world to come. 

  By Rev Omar R Gonzalez

Benjamin Zander and the Art of Possibility

Choosing Your World

Benjamin Zander is the director of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, he is also known for his charisma, his energy, and his interpretation of music and musicians.  He also has spoken on finding possibility in hopeless situations, or how by seeing something in a different light can yeild exciting possibilities.  This video clip is a bit long at about 26 min, however, it will give a good introduction to the basic premise of his ideas.  In order to get the full understanding of what he is saying it is important to watch to the very end, paying specially attention to the two variations of the Moonlight Sonata.

The point of connection with a blog like this one on catechism may not be immediately obvious.  It is not unusual when working with churches to find a kind of downward spiral thinking that comes from years and years of baggage as a congregation has aged or moved through different stages in life.  This offers some insights into new ways of thinking.

Ben Zander on Ted Talks

Boston Philharmonic web page

Imani Milele Children's choir and home

Imani Milele is an organization taking care of orphaned children in Uganda, over 3000 children have been helped through the organization that provides education and opportunities.  This includes healthcare, hygiene, education, school supplies, and meals.  Check them out below, their U.S. office is located in Sebastian Florida.   "Imani Milele" means "always believe" and the song below is a song of thanksgiving. 

Imani Milele link

Reformation Anniversary 500

On Oct 31, 2017, we will be coming to the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.  This is one of those events in history that began in the church and continues to have a profound impact on the history of the world.  To understand our own religious and political landscape today it is essential to understand the Protestant Reformation.  What began with one monk, Martin Luther, would give way to a revolution that shook the foundation of Europe.  The Reformation has both its positive and negative aspects, creating a period of new theological activity, translating and making the Bible available in a common spoken language, bringing needed reform to the church, but also fueling wars, revolution, and a permanent division in the church that has spawned thousands of Christian denominations.  

Since then, much has changed and is changing.  On Oct 13th, Pope Francis speaking to a group of Lutheran pilgrims acknowledged that while there are still some theological differences, both Lutherans and Catholics can "walk together" working on social issues like helping the poor, migrants and refugees and assisting persecuted Christians around the world.  The Pope has called Martin Luther, a "great reformer."  Issues still remain, including the ordination of women which is allowed in the Protestant church but not the Catholic church, and the question of papal primacy.  In other Protestant circles, a movement towards unity is also happening.  For the first time the Scottish Presbyterian Church founded by John Knox, and the Anglican church have moved closer to full communion.  While examples of unity abound, the essential problem of the reformation, that we exchanged one pope in Rome for a million pope's in the pew, remains unsolved.  Yet, this is a significant event, and so it is essential that Christians take time during this year to learn, engage, and reflect on this event, both how it changed the landscape of Christianity, the challenges it presents, and how the church should move forward today.  So, lets get started with a basic primer on the Reformation.  The video below provided by a "crash course"is a great introduction. 

Link to Pope Homily on 500 anniversary of Reformation

Joint Declaration signed at Lund

“Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me” (John 15:4).

With thankful hearts

With this Joint Statement, we express joyful gratitude to God for this moment of common prayer in the Cathedral of Lund, as we begin the year commemorating the five hundredth anniversary of the Reformation. Fifty years of sustained and fruitful ecumenical dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans have helped us to overcome many differences, and have deepened our mutual understanding  and trust. At the same time, we have drawn closer to one another through joint service to our neighbours – often in circumstances of suffering and persecution. Through dialogue and shared witness we are no longer strangers. Rather, we have learned that what unites us is greater than what divides us.

Moving from conflict to communion

While we are profoundly thankful for the spiritual and theological gifts received through the Reformation, we also confess and lament before Christ that Lutherans and Catholics have wounded the visible unity of the Church. Theological differences were accompanied by prejudice and conflicts, and religion was instrumentalized for political ends. Our common faith in Jesus Christ and our baptism demand of us a daily conversion, by which we cast off the historical disagreements and conflicts that impede the ministry of reconciliation. While the past cannot be changed, what is remembered and how it is remembered can be transformed. We pray for the healing of our wounds and of the memories that cloud our view of one another. We emphatically reject all hatred and violence, past and present, especially that expressed in the name of religion. Today, we hear God’s command to set aside all conflict. We recognize that we are freed by grace to move towards the communion to which God continually calls us.

Our commitment to common witness

As we move beyond those episodes in history that burden us, we pledge to witness together to God’s merciful grace, made visible in the crucified and risen Christ. Aware that the way we relate to one another shapes our witness to the Gospel, we commit ourselves to further growth in communion rooted in Baptism, as we seek to remove the remaining obstacles that hinder us from attaining full unity. Christ desires that we be one, so that the world may believe (cf. John 17:21).

Many members of our communities yearn to receive the Eucharist at one table, as the concrete expression of full unity. We experience the pain of those who share their whole lives, but cannot share God’s redeeming presence at the Eucharistic table. We acknowledge our joint pastoral responsibility to respond to the spiritual thirst and hunger of our people to be one in Christ. We long for this wound in the Body of Christ to be healed. This is the goal of our ecumenical endeavours, which we wish to advance, also by renewing our commitment to theological dialogue.

We pray to God that Catholics and Lutherans will be able to witness together to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, inviting humanity to hear and receive the good news of God’s redeeming action. We pray to God for inspiration, encouragement and strength so that we may stand together in service, upholding human dignity and rights, especially for the poor, working for justice, and rejecting all forms of violence. God summons us to be close to all those who yearn for dignity, justice, peace and reconciliation. Today in particular, we raise our voices for an end to the violence and extremism which affect so many countries and communities, and countless sisters and brothers in Christ. We urge Lutherans and Catholics to work together to welcome the stranger, to come to the aid of those forced to flee because of war and persecution, and to defend the rights of refugees and those who seek asylum.

More than ever before, we realize that our joint service in this world must extend to God’s creation, which suffers exploitation and the effects of insatiable greed. We recognize the right of future generations to enjoy God’s world in all its potential and beauty. We pray for a change of hearts and minds that leads to a loving and responsible way to care for creation.

One in Christ

On this auspicious occasion, we express our gratitude to our brothers and sisters representing the various Christian World Communions and Fellowships who are present and join us in prayer. As we recommit ourselves to move from conflict to communion, we do so as part of the one Body of Christ, into which we are incorporated through Baptism. We invite our ecumenical partners to remind  us of our commitments and to encourage us. We ask them to continue to pray for us, to walk with us, to support us in living out the prayerful commitments we express today.

Calling upon Catholics and Lutherans worldwide

We call upon all Lutheran and Catholic parishes and communities to be bold and creative, joyful and hopeful in their commitment to continue the great journey ahead of us. Rather than conflicts of the past, God’s gift of unity among us shall guide cooperation and deepen our solidarity. By drawing close in faith to Christ, by praying together, by listening to one another, by living Christ’s love in our relationships, we, Catholics and Lutherans, open ourselves to the power of the Triune God. Rooted in Christ and witnessing to him, we renew our determination to be faithful heralds of God’s boundless love for all humanity.

Tools for Christian Bible Study in the Electronic Age

Recently, a friend send me an amazing quote from NT Wright's commentary on Paul.  It stated, that for a Christian to "sustain a worldview", it required a "participation in the kingdom of God", it is a necessity for the Christian to study and think theologically, and not just as "an intellectual luxury for long winter evenings" and that this is something that is not reserved for the intellectual in an ivory tower, but offered to the "slave as well as the shopkeeper".  The transformation of the mind encouraged in Rom 12 requires this kind of dedicated thinking and exploring.

I agree completely with this statement, yet today, it is difficult for many Christians to find the time, energy or motivation to engage in a deep study of scripture.  We are so easily satisfied today that we neglect to see the critical nature of this endeavor.

Part of the effort of this blog is to encourage a deeper Christian thought and ultimately living in the study and reflection of historic Christianity.  Books are essential because it is a way in which the church of the past and leaders and teachers in the present can communicate to us.  While I may not be able to have N T Wright in my study to ask questions, I can have the next best think, a commentary.  Accordance is one tool that I highly recommend for anyone wanting to engage in a more thoughtful Bible study life.  This is a powerful tool, it cannot replace dedication, but it can give users what they need to study the Bible.  I strongly recommend this powerful interface for anyone who wants to dig deeper into Bible study.

Furthermore, Accordance truly is unique in its speed, elegance, extensive collection, and price.


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Baptismal Theology of "God's Own Child I Gladly Say It"

God's Own Child I Gladly Say It

Erdmann Neumeister (1671-1756)

Stanza 1
God's own child, I gladly say it:
I am baptized into Christ!
He, because I could not pay it,
Gave my full redemption price.
Do I need earth's treasures many?
I have one worth more than any
That brought me salvation free
Lasting to eternity!

Stanza 2
Sin, disturb my soul no longer:
I am baptized into Christ!
I have comfort even stronger:
Jesus' cleansing sacrifice.
Should a guilty conscience seize me
Since my Baptism did release me
In a dear forgiving flood,
Sprinkling me with Jesus' blood!

Stanza 3
Satan, hear this proclamation:
I am baptized into Christ!
Drop your ugly accusation,
I am not so soon enticed.
Now that to the font I've traveled,
All your might has come unraveled,
And, against your tyranny,
God, my Lord, unites with me!

Stanza 4
Death, you cannot end my gladness:
I am baptized into Christ!
When I die, I leave all sadness
To inherit paradise!
Though I lie in dust and ashes
Faith's assurance brightly flashes:
Baptism has the strength divine
To make life immortal mine.

Stanza 5
There is nothing worth comparing
To this lifelong comfort sure!
Open-eyed my grave is staring:
Even there I'll sleep secure.
Though my flesh awaits its raising,
Still my soul continues praising:
I am baptized into Christ;
I'm a child of paradise!

Composer: Johann Caspar Bachofen, 1695-1755

Call to Prayer in Wake of a Hurricane

God of our life, whose presence sustains us in every circumstance, in the aftermath of storm and distress, we welcome the restoring power of your love and compassion.

We open our hearts in sorrow, gratitude, and hope:

that those who have been spared nature’s fury
as well as those whose lives are changed forever by ravages of wind and water
may find solace, sustenance, and strength in the days of recovery and reflection that come.

We are thankful for the generous grace of days of preparation;

for the wise counsel of experts and the generous collaboration of so many communities,
that in the face of the storm kept many out of harm’s way, and lessened the effects of wind and water on others. 

We are grateful that dire predictions did not result in the worst case scenario for all,

yet still served to support our best efforts at preparation and immediate relief.  

At the same time, we open ourselves to the stories of those for whom the Hurricane was not a near miss:

communities deeply affected, whose livelihood, homes and stability has been destroyed. 

We pray in grief, remembering the lives that have been lost.

We lift our voices in sorrow and compassion for families who have lost loved ones, homes, or livelihood.

We ask for sustaining courage for those who are suffering;

wisdom and diligence among agencies and individuals assessing damage and directing relief efforts;
and for generosity to flow as powerfully as rivers and streams,
as we, your people, respond to the deep human needs beginning to emerge in the wake of the storm.

In these days of relief, assessment and response,

open our eyes, our hearts, and our hands to the needs of your children and the movements of your Spirit,

who flows in us like the river whose streams makes glad the city of God,

and the hearts of all who dwell in it, and in You.

In the name of Christ the Healer we pray, Amen.

Prayer written by the Rev. Dr. Laurie Ann Kraus, Pastor, Riviera Presbyterian Church, Miami, Florida; Member, National Response Team of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance 
This prayer was originally written in response to Hurricane Irene that struck August 30, 2011.  

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance

PCUSA