Pope Francis Visit 2015

Pope Francis was born in Buenos Aires in 1936, a child of Italian immigrants.  He studies chemistry but became a Jesuit, and was ordained a priest in 1992.  He was consecrated a cardinal in 1998.  In 2013, Pope Francis became the 266th pope.  He is the first Jesuit to become pope.  He chose the name of Francis in honor of St. Francis of Assisi reminding christians and catholics of the importance of not forgetting the poor.

He has written several documents including, Lumen Fidei (the Light of Faith) and an Apostolic Exhortation called Evangelic Gaudiem (the Joy of the Gospel) which is available on this blog.

Today, in a historic event, the pope addressed both houses of Congress.  It was telling to see three Roman Catholic Christians on the screen.  Seated behind Pope Francis was the Speaker of the House, John Boehner, a Roman Catholic, and the President of the United States Senate Joe Biden, also Roman Catholic.  Two Roman Catholics, one a Republican the other a Democrat, serving in a chamber that is divided and partisan and known for its toxic culture of division.  Yet, the reason that this pope is a leader for his time, is that in my opinion, he can't be labeled as either a conservative or a liberal politically.  He spoke about the value of life of every stage, covering both the abortion debate, and the death penalty, he spoke both of the value of business and our responsibility to create fairness in our economy.  To understand this Pope, one must understand that he is first and foremost interested in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and not serving any one political agenda.

There were many high points in the speech.  He reminded law makers of their vocation embodied in Moses the lawgiver of Israel.  He spoke on the importance of the "right application of technology, the spirit of enterprise, and a modern economy which is both modern, inclusive, and sustainable".  He spoke of business as a noble vocation.  He spoke of combating poverty, respecting immigrants, and taking care of nature, all in the light of the common good that we all share.  He emphasized the importance of children and our commitment to them.  There were four Americans he referred to that embodied these values: Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, Dorothy Day (social justice) and Thomas Merton (capacity for dialogue).  He is scheduled to eat lunch today with the homeless.

I am currently on a series on the Beatitudes, its timely that this Sunday I will be speaking on "blessed are those that hunger and thirst for justice."  This speech as well as this pope are embodiments of someone who does just that.  May we also have the same heart for others, which is the heart of Christ and the heart of the Gospel.  Indeed, he needs our prayers...

Blog entry July 2014 (The Joy of the Gospel)

click here for text of pope's speech to congress (third party site)

click here for archive of pope speeches at Vatican Radio (third party site- you are leaving this blog)

NY Times Video of Pope Speech to Congress

download papal encyclical at this link (third party site) Laudato Si

Church of Scotland General Assembly Addressed by Coptic Bishop Angaelos

Bishop Angaelos is a bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church, a church that traces its roots back to Mark the apostle in 55 AD.  He was born in Cairo, studied in political science, philosophy, and sociology, and law before joining a monastery, serving as a Papal secretary, and then as a parish priest in England.  He was consecrated as a bishop in 1999.  In 2014 he addressed the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.  This is an important address dealing with the witness of the Coptic Christians today.

click here to access Bishop Angaelos web site

Sermon: Proper 17; Luke 19:1-10

Joel Whitehead artist

click on this link to listen to sermon "Jesus and Zacchaeus"

Most Christians are very familiar with the encounter of Jesus with Zacchaeus, it is often told as a children's story because it is rich in drama.  Zacchaeus is short, he can't see Jesus who has come into Jericho in a crowd, Jesus approaches the tree in which Zacchaeus has climbed to get a better view, as Jesus moves underneath the tree he looks up and speaks to the least popular citizen of the city.  This passage has often been used as a classic conversion story based on what Zacchaeus tells Jesus, but in this sermon we look at the tense of the words spoken by Zacchaeus and ask whether we have missed the point.  What is clear, is that once again, Jesus challenges his audience to question the preconceived notions that we have of other people.  

This text is not based on the lectionary for this Sunday but was preached on the occasion of a VBS (vacation Bible school) Sunday.

Singing Our Faith; Sacred Choral Music as Worship, Prayer and Confession

Music has historically been a significant way in which Christians not only worship but express our faith and communicate our theology and belief.  We sing our theology.  It is offered as praise, prayer, celebration and confession, in joy, sorrow, grief and hope.  Occasionally this blog features outstanding examples of our beliefs, expressed in music and song through a variety of outstanding Christian choirs or musicians (see Reformation hymns remembered 10/2014).  This entry features the several outstanding examples of Christian choirs singing the faith in music.

National Lutheran Choir singing "Salvation is Created"by Pavel Tschesnokoff

Salvation is created,

in the midst of earth,

O God, O our God.  Alleluia. 

Lutheran National Choir Home Page

Westminster Cathedral Choir: midnight mass singing "O Magnum Mysterium"

Home page of Westminster Cathedral Choir

Seeking Ecumenical Relationships within Christianity

Although there have been many divisions within Christianity, three major historic rifts occurred.  The first, between the Latin/Greek Church (Catholic and Orthodox) and the Oriental Orthodox Church, (AD 451) the second, the schism between the Greek Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church in AD 1054 and the third, the rift between the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches during the reformation AD 1517.  These divisions demonstrate the failure of the church to keep the unity of the faith (the one holy, catholic and apostolic church), and highlighting serious theological problems that still exist.  In the light of these fractures within Christ's body, the goal to seek to be in communion as Christians often seems insurrmoundable.  The Orientale Lumen Conferences are an example of interfaith ecumenical attempts to heal the wounds between Christians that may serve as a model ultimately for other Christian denominations.

The second video is an invitation by Pope Francis given in May calling for a week of prayer and celebration of Christian unity.  He describes the divisions in the body of Christ as a wound that needs healing.  Both these videos are powerful examples of the need for continued ecumenical dialogue between Christians of different denominations towards unity and peace.

Confirmation as Faith Formation

Scroll down for links to Confirmation Project joint project of several Christian denominations. 

Confirmation means very different things depending on the particular Christian tradition.  Practices vary widely.  Historically, from the earliest records of church history, it appears that the Sacrament of Baptism was accompanied by chrism, the anointing of oil, and laying on of hands, usually performed by the bishops of the early Christian church immediately following baptism. The roots of this practice are found in Acts 8:14-17 where the apostles laid their hands on baptized Christians.  Origen (185-232) mentions chrism as early as the 3rd century CE.  As time progressed it often was impossible to keep both of those actions together, and so the chrism was often done when the bishop was able to visit the churches, and baptism by local priests.  In the Middle Ages, these developed into two separate sacraments, baptism mostly of infants and confirmation with the post baptismal anointing and catechismal instruction. During the reformation, confirmation became an opportunity to teach catechism to children that had previously been baptized.  Reformers like Luther and Calvin developed catechisms to instruct children in the faith.  The pattern in reformed circles became one of baptism, then in early adolescents, catechism, followed by confirmation.  Depending on the Christian denomination, a number of different practices regarding baptism, catechism, confirmation, and participating in the eucharist eventually developed.  Interestingly, in the Orthodox church, there has been no division and the rite of baptism and chrism (confirmation) have steadily maintained a consistency together throughout the centuries.

Today, a new dialogue has recently begun into CEP (confirmation and equivalent practices) between the Episcopal Church, the Presbyterian Church, the United Methodist Church, the ELCA Lutheran Church, and the African Methodist Episcopal church.  The Confirmation Project is a collaborate effort that seeks to explore questions such as the extent in which CEP are effective in growing disciples in Jesus Christ and supporting a lifelong Christian vocation.  Below are listed some websites that are worth visiting to explore more about confirmation, educational practices in the church and faith formation.   The site also includes a confirmation timeline, FAQ, news and a blog with more information.  The question remains, what is the role today of confirmation in the faith formation of both children and adults?  How do we grow in our understanding of these important rites in our spiritual life and development?  What practices can best help Christians develop a life long process of discipleship?  These are important questions to consider.  Furthermore, these are not simply questions of practicality or personal preference but reflect important theological understandings of the Sacraments, the Holy Spirit, Baptism, conversion, and inclusion in the church.

In my own Presbyterian tradition, confirmation has been mostly reserved for youth, traditionally this has meant those between the ages of 13-15.  Confirmation follows when a child is old enough and follows a brief period of education to help in their faith formation and in reaffirming the vows taken on their behalf at their baptism.  This can often become an important rite of passage and gives them a sense of belonging and allows them to ask important questions about their faith. These resources are offered as a starting place for this important discussion in your church about the role of confirmation in the formation of faith and spiritual development in the life of Christians.

Princeton Theological Seminary Confirmation Project site

The Confirmation Project Website

click to view worship bulletin for Service of Confirmation 4-12-2015 Easter 2

Life Long Faith (ELCA) initiative for faith formation

Best Practices in Adolescent Faith Formation

Confirmation (Catholic Online Encyclopedia)

Roman Catholic: The Sacrament of Confirmation

Sermon: Reflections on the Season of Pentecost

Click here to listen to sermon "Pentecost Fire"

Pentecost is the celebration of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the church as the paraclete (παράκλητος) "the one called along side" to empower the church for mission and service.  This Pentecost sermon looks at the text from Acts 2:1-12 to the Pentecost event.  Fire gives warmth and energy, but it can also be destructive.  The early church responds with great boldness and courage but the history of the first several centuries of the church is one of persecution and suffering.  Yet the spirit not only empowers for witness but sustains in the hour of greatest need.  To Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, and comes to bring new life where there once was none.