Psalm 22 (For Good Friday)

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
       Why are you so far from saving me,
       so far from the words of my groaning?

² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
       by night, and am not silent.

³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
       you are the praise of Israel.

⁴ In you our fathers put their trust;
       they trusted and you delivered them.

⁵ They cried to you and were saved;
       in you they trusted and were not disappointed.

⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
       scorned by men and despised by the people.

⁷ All who see me mock me;
       they hurl insults, shaking their heads:

⁸ "He trusts in the LORD;
       let the LORD rescue him.
       Let him deliver him,
       since he delights in him."

⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
       you made me trust in you
       even at my mother's breast.

¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
       from my mother's womb you have been my God.

¹¹ Do not be far from me,
       for trouble is near
       and there is no one to help.

¹² Many bulls surround me;
       strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.

¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey
       open their mouths wide against me.

¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
       and all my bones are out of joint.
       My heart has turned to wax;
       it has melted away within me.

¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
       and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
       you lay me  in the dust of death.

¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me;
       a band of evil men has encircled me,
       they have pierced my hands and my feet.

¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
       people stare and gloat over me.

¹⁸ They divide my garments among them
       and cast lots for my clothing.

¹⁹ But you, O LORD, be not far off;
       O my Strength, come quickly to help me.

²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
       my precious life from the power of the dogs.

²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
       save me from the horns of the wild oxen.

²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
       in the congregation I will praise you.

²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
       All you descendants of Jacob, honour him!
       Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!

²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
       the suffering of the afflicted one;
       he has not hidden his face from him
       but has listened to his cry for help.

²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
       before those who fear you will I fulfil my vows.

²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
       they who seek the LORD will praise him—
       may your hearts live forever!

²⁷ All the ends of the earth
       will remember and turn to the LORD,
       and all the families of the nations
       will bow down before him,

²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
       and he rules over the nations.

²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
       all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
       those who cannot keep themselves alive.

³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
       future generations will be told about the Lord.

³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
       to a people yet unborn—
       for he has done it.

St Patrick

Today is the feast day of St Patrick.  Although for most people it is is just an opportunity to drink green beer, and pinch people who don’t dress in the appropriate colour, it is also the day we remember Saint Patrick.

Interestingly enough, today is the day scheduled for me to start my week of talking about the Breastplate of Righteousness over at FISH for Lent.

Why is that interesting?

Because apart from driving all the snakes out of Ireland, and using the shamrock as a symbol of the trinity, Saint Patrick is possibly best known for a poem called…

ST PATRICK’S BREASTPLATE.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through the belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness

Of the Creator of Creation.

I arise today

Through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism,

Through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial,

Through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension,

Through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom.

I arise today

Through the strength of the love of Cherubim,

In obedience of angels,

In the service of archangels,

In hope of resurrection to meet with reward,

In prayers of patriarchs,

In predictions of prophets,

In preaching of apostles,

In faith of confessors,

In innocence of holy virgins,

In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven:

Light of sun,

Radiance of moon,

Splendor of fire,

Speed of lightning,

Swiftness of wind,

Depth of sea,

Stability of earth,

Firmness of rock.

I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me:

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's eye to look before me,

God's ear to hear me,

God's word to speak for me,

God's hand to guard me,

God's way to lie before me,

God's shield to protect me,

God's host to save me

From snares of devils,

From temptations of vices,

From everyone who shall wish me ill,

Afar and anear,

Alone and in multitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and those evils,

Against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul,

Against incantations of false prophets,

Against black laws of pagandom

Against false laws of heretics,

Against craft of idolatry,

Against spells of witches and smiths and wizards,

Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.

Christ to shield me today

Against poison, against burning,

Against drowning, against wounding,

So that there may come to me abundance of reward.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,

Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ on my right, Christ on my left,

Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise,

Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me,

Christ in every eye that sees me,

Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today

Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,

Through belief in the threeness,

Through confession of the oneness,

Of the Creator of Creation.

So, today we remember a very Faithful FISH, and the prayer named after him.

Ash what?

Lent?  Ash Wednesday?  Fasting?

Do you do any of it?

As a member of a fairly traditional mainstream church, I grew up assuming that everyone followed the same traditions as I/we did.  It was only as I got older that I realised that many (most?) believers and churches don’t bother with things like Lent.

The word Lent comes from the Anglo-Saxon word lencten, meaning ‘Spring’, and also was the word for ‘March’ when lent was usually held to begin.  In the early church, new believers were baptised on Easter Sunday, and so they observed a time of fasting for 40 days prior.  It became traditional for the whole church to fast with them, recognising that they were being baptised into the Church as a body.  From this we have the modern tradition of 40 days of lent.  The 40 days were supposed to represent the 40 days that Christ fasted in the desert before beginning his public ministry.

It was also common for believers who were returning to the church to be re-admitted on the Easter Sunday.  They would traditionally make a full confession of their sins before beginning lent, and would make a mark of an Ash Cross on their forehead to symbolise their repentance.  Again, members of the early church chose to do the same thing, and began signing themselves with a Cross of Ash to symbolise that they also needed to repent and return to the Lord.

This is the origin of Ash Wednesday, where believers may choose to have a cross of Ash imposed on their forehead as a reminder of their decision to turn from sin, and follow Christ.  Tonight I will be attending an Ash Wednesday service at my church, and will be beginning a time of Lenten discipline. 

I will not be talking about Lent, or my journey, on this blog, because for those who do not follow it, it might be pretty boring.  Instead, I will be doing a daily post on my other site, FISH for Lent.

It would be great if you came over and visited me there.

Liturgy part 2 – Why bother?

So we looked yesterday at why following a liturgy is like playing a good game of golf.  But what is a liturgy?

Collins English Dictionary defines it as “a particular order or form of public service laid down by a Church”

Annie Dillard says “I often think of the set pieces of liturgy as certain words which people have successfully addressed to God without their getting killed.”

Pope Paul VI said “Liturgy is like a strong tree whose beauty is derived from the continuous renewal of its leaves, but whose strength comes from the old trunk, with solid roots in the ground.”

I read once that having a liturgy does five things for us.

1. It saves us from disorderliness

Otherwise our services might be chaos all the time, with some people trying to sing while others are trying to pray.  Each part has its place, and we know that we are united in our prayers or worship at that moment with the entire body.

 

2. It saves us from dependence on a minister

This one is strange, because you would think that having a liturgy would mean you are bound to follow someone.  However having a set liturgy means we do not need to rely on the training and abilities of an official to lead us in worship.  We have the means to do it ourselves, and a resource for even the most clueless or nervous leader to take us through the worship and service.

 

3. It saves us from our own feelings

Let us be honest.  If it has been a bad day, our mind might not really be on what we are saying.  If we are not feeling the joy, we might not express it.  Liturgy makes sure we focus on everything, not just what we feel like.

4. It saves us from loss of perspective

In times of war and trouble, we might forget to give thanks.
In times of plenty, we might forget to pray for the needs of others.
In times of great thanksgiving, we might forget to seek forgiveness.
Liturgy keeps us focused on the whole Christian experience.

5. It preserves all that is good

As we discussed yesterday, we take the best from every age.  Each new age learns new ways to honour God, but we should not abandon what has worked before.
Then we can truly say we are part of the universal church, and worship with “all the angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven.”

 

What I like about the liturgy is that it is flexible and alive, while still following a basic structure.  Sometimes a little structure and order is good, but we need to leave room for the Spirit to move among us, and through us. 

Do you like liturgy? 
Why?  Or Why not?

Liturgy part 1 - Golf

Golf!  You either love it or hate it, sometimes both in one day.  It is either the worst game in the world, or the best thing ever…. depending if you are having a good swing day.

So what is the purpose of Golf?  To hit the ball with a club, and have it land as close as possible to the flag, preferably right into the hole.  That is all.  Simple.

When you started playing golf, did you just read a book, and pick up the club with your one hand and start swinging?  Maybe, but I doubt it helped much.  You might be the one-in-a-million golf prodigy who can just grip-it-and-rip-it with no thought for the basics.

Most people started by choosing a grip.  They based it on the grip that others suggested to them.  The learned from the golfers who had gone before, in terms of what worked and what didn’t. 

Some swings felt more comfortable than others, but gradually they determine what is the best grip to achieve the goal.  Getting as close as possible to the flag.

 

I do have a point here, I promise.

Over time, you gradually develop your own style, and grip.  Your stance changes, all the time in an effort to get the ball closer to the flag.  It is unlikely that you will completely abandon years of wisdom, and try find your own stance.  More likely you will keep the best of it, but make it work for you.

Always keeping your eye on the goal… getting closer to the flag.

Kind of like church traditions and liturgy.

We all have the same goal here, to get closer to God.  Simple.

But unless we are the one-in-a-million spiritual prodigy, we probably won’t be able to do it all at once in our own knowledge.  Instead we follow what other people have done for generations to get closer to him.  We choose to follow the traditions, and words, that other people have found help them to get closer to God.

Of course, over time, we will see what helps us to get closer to Him, and what stands in our way.  We will find a “stance” that is more comfortable to who we are.  We will decide if we like to chip, or drive.  We will figure out what grip is most efficient for us, all with a view to reaching the ultimate goal.

Getting closer to God.

Greater minds than ours have tried for hundreds of years to draw closer to Him, isn’t it arrogance for us to think we can figure it all out on our own?  Isn’t it stupid to try and move away from their wisdom, just because “I don’t need tradition to meet God”?

Don’t forget, the goal is not to be the coolest kid on the golf course.  The goal is to get closer to the flag.

So what about you? 
Do you like liturgy and tradition, or do you just do what feels right?

Tomorrow we will look at this question in a little more depth. 
(And with less sporting terminology)

Church Part 2 – Tree of life

Yesterday we said that the Church was more like a tree than a building, and I think this is a good analogy.

A tree with strong branches from the trunk.  Branches like Ministry (what we do), Creed (what we believe), Scriptures (where we find it), and Sacraments (how we react to it)

Then each big branch grows smaller branches.  Out of Ministry comes the various offices we create in the church: Priests; lay-ministers; pastors; lay-workers.   Out of Creed grows our theology and studies of God.  Out of Scripture grows our bible studies, and devotionals books etc.  Out of Sacrament grows all our services, and ceremonies, our forms of prayer and our liturgies.   

Each smaller branch grows smaller branches, and twigs.  This is the body and life of the tree.

Then on these smaller branches and twigs grow the leaves.  The leaves are the beauty of the Church.  The music, the art, the candles.  The way we present our services.  What people see when they look at our services and our buildings. 

And the fruit that grows is the life of the saints, and humble servants.

 

So what happens if we start stripping the leaves off?

The tree loses its beauty, but not it’s purpose.  It still grows, and lives, and adapts. 

Even if we start tearing off the twigs and small branches, it is still the same tree. We damage it, but it will grow new branches and twigs, and the purpose of the main branches will still be achieved.

The same way, we can’t get too caught up in the music, and services, and books of prayer etc.  These are what make the Church work, but they are not the Church.  If we took them away, the Church would adapt, and find new ways to express the Scriptures, new ways to minister, new ways to follow our Creed and Sacraments.

But if we start pulling away the main branches, we cripple the tree, and it loses life.

Sometimes we get too caught up in the trappings of our churches, that we lose sight of the Church that Jesus gave to us.  That he commanded us to grow and spread.

Sometimes we can’t see the tree for the branches.

Church part 1 - Growth

I have a lot of issues with the church.  A lot.  I do not deny that.

However, I still believe that it is God’s chosen instrument for bringing salvation and freedom to those in need.  Not that I believe that there is no salvation outside the Church (God is pretty good at surprises after all) but rather that I believe it was the best idea He had, and He gave it to us to run with.  So who am I to have issue with it?

Jesus could have left us with a fixed picture of his Church.  Like a blue-print for a house.  Then we could have built it exactly to his specifications and design, using lasting material.

The problem with that idea, is that there is not a lot of room for change in a house.  It has solid foundations, but it also has solid walls and roofs.  It doesn’t change easily to adapt to changing times and geography.  

So Jesus left us something better.

He planted a seed.

He planted a seed with the teaching he left with his disciples.

Then he gave them the great commission to start growing it. 
Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Then the seed started to flourish, and it was fertilised on the Day of Pentecost by the Holy Spirit. 

And as it is watered every day with Living Waters, and exposed to SONlight, that seed has grown into a mighty tree.

The Church of God.

<More to follow tomorrow>