Advent and the Christian Year

I have decided to go liturgical this coming Christian Year. I will use the Daily Office of the Book of Common Prayer as my guide (though neither the ESV nor the NIV include books like Tobit and Wisdom so I'll definitely be maintaining my Evangelical Presbyterianism).

I found this great series of posts from Mark Roberts on the significance of the liturgical calendar with special emphasis on Advent. They are great. Credit for the very helpful chart on the right goes to Mark Roberts as well. If you appreciate the relationship between art and worship (as I know one very special person who is reading this does) then you should take a look at the chart and click on the link to read the posts.

I'm excited to start in a few weeks. You should start too.

Revolutionary #2 - Leland Ryken

Well it's been a few days. I, for one, feel that I should only post when I have good things to say and when posting doesn't prevent me from actually having a life. I've also been trying to think of who really ought to be on my revolutionaries list. It's been tough.

Having said all that, there must be some of you laughing yourselves silly that I chose as my number 2 revolutionary a mild mannered professor of English Literature from Illinois (side note - the use of the word "some" is actually wishful thinking on my part).

Leland Ryken taught me how to read clearly. He showed me that prose and poetry can be understood if you only know what you're looking for. I remember freshman year when I wrote my first poetry explication paper for British Literature class. I put a lot into that paper. It was, in a dorky sort of way, thrilling to see how a complex poem made sense after hours of reading and still more hours of organizing everything I began to see.

Fast forward to senior year. I took Dr. Ryken's Literature of the Bible course. He was somehow able to do the same thing for the Bible that he did with British Literature. The words of the Bible took on a new richness in a spiritually invigorating way.

Dr. Leland Ryken changed the way I approach reading and writing; for that I am ever grateful.

Revolutionary #1 - Bono

Bono is the lead singer for U2. I love U2. Their status as international rock stars is well-established and well-deserved. That's not why Bono is on my favorite revolutionaries list (though his notoriety has granted him a platform as a revolutionary).

As much as I am able to discern, Bono is a Christian. If you've ever doubted that, and I have, read this clear testimony of faith from World Magazine. He may hold surprising views on certain issues, he may be incredibly rough around the edges, but he seems to have the essentials of the faith down firmly.

Bono's concern for justice, wholeness, and peace within the world makes him, in my mind, a revolutionary Christian. I remember a providential turn of events from sophomore year at Wheaton. I was taking Third World Issues, confronted with the overwhelming needs of the world, wrestling with how the church was called to respond to those needs. Things seemed bleak.

Just as the course was winding down, Bono came to Wheaton as part of his kick off tour for DATA (debt, AIDS, and trade in Africa). Thousands of people packed Edman Chapel and God reminded me that the church can and must respond to human need in the world.

Sure, some of the celebrities there wanted to have a pet "issue", some of the actions we were called to take seemed a little silly (can't we do more than just write to our congressional representatives? Yes), and a lot of it was emotional hype. But I will always remember that Bono took part in shaping my thinking and changing my views about the role of the church in meeting the world's deep needs.

My Favorite Revolutionaries

Webster's defines "revolution" as "a sudden, radical, or complete change; a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something; a change of paradigm". Revolutionaries bring those changes to pass. My posts over the next few days will focus on those revolutionaries who have been influential (you might say revolutionary) in my own life.

Get excited!

Favorite Anglican #3 - John R.W. Stott

John Stott is Rector Emeritus of All Souls Church in London. There are so many reasons why he is on my list of favorite Anglicans! Here are a few:

1. He is highly respected as a reasonable and compassionate voice for Evangelical Christianity. David Brooks wrote a New York Times Op-Ed that contrasted Stott with other (unfortunately far more vocal) evangelical leaders like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.

2. He is the founder of the Langham Partnership. This organization provides scholarships to church leaders from the southern hemisphere to study for their Ph.Ds in the U.S. and Great Britain. They then return home equipped to build solid indigenous churches and seminaries. I think that someday soon people will be traveling to places like Uganda and Liberia to attend seminary. We'll see what happens.

3. He writes excellent books. I am almost finished Christian Mission in the Modern World. I would recommend it to anyone who wants some clarity on how things like evangelism and social justice fit together within the church (I'll give you one word: mission). Read that. Also read Basic Christianity.

More could be said but enough already has.

John R.W. Stott: today's Favorite Anglican of the day.

I was once a treehouse, I lived in a cake

It's about time for a funny topic. Of all the funny topics in the world, llamas rank pretty highly on my list. Songs about llamas are even better!

Favorite Anglican #2 - N.T. Wright

Norman Thomas Wright, the Bishop of Durham, may very well be among the most important New Testament scholars of the present day. He writes everything from short paperbacks to massive tomes (tome: a volume forming part of a larger work, especially : a large or scholarly book. From Webster's Dictionary). I, for one, have only experienced his shorter books. And they are great!

I highly recommend For All God's Worth and The Challenge of Jesus. Read them both. The first will help you to understand what the church is all about (worship and mission) and the second will make it clear to you that the Gospel accounts of Jesus are very true.

Now, let me be clear, I disagree with N.T. Wright on the New Perspectives on Paul. I think that he (and others in that group) are correct in their assesment of the problems within the church today, but that the Old Perspective on Paul (when rightly understood) offers faithful and practical solutions to those problems.

Regardless of disagreements, he's an important guy with great things to say. Therefore:

N.T. Wright: today's favorite Anglican of the Day.

Favorite Anglican #1 - J.I. Packer

James Innell Packer (I'll bet you always wondered what the "I" stood for!) is a British born theologian who currently serves as Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver.

He falls into the category of "favorite Anglicans" for two main reasons:

1. He is, indeed, an Anglican. He may very well be the most important evangelical Anglican theologian of our time. He is a friend and supporter of Anglican bodies in the Global South (and endorsed the Anglican Mission in America). All of this is enough to qualify him as a favorite Anglican.

But there's more!

2. He writes good books. Thus far, I have only read Knowing God, but I hope to soon read Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God and Fundamentalism and the Word of God. Those seem to be his most well known and widely read works.

J.I. Packer: today's favorite Anglican of the day.

My Three Favorite Anglicans (details to follow)

J.I. Packer, Professor of Theology, Regent College












N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham












John R.W. Stott, Rector Emeritus, All Souls Church

Reformation Day "Appeal Letter"

Dear Friend,

It's that time of year again. Leaves are turning bright orange and deep red, pumpkins grace the front of nearly every house, and children everywhere will go from door to door tonight to celebrate Reformation Day.

It was nearly 500 years ago that Dr. Martin Luther struck the match that unleashed a consuming fire across the continent. Since he nailed his 95 theses to the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, children throughout the world have commemorated the anniversary with "theses or treats".

Moving from house to house, each young person is equipped with a hammer, nails, historic looking parchment, and a large pillowcase. After the children announce their intentions to nail theses to the door if denied a significant amount of candy, fun loving residents have 2 minutes and 30 seconds to provide heaping handfuls of Snickers bars or Reeses cups or face being condemned with the Holy See. As one resident recently told our field workers, "I'd much rather give candy to kids than be roped in with Johann Tetzel and papal indulgences!". A delightful tradition if ever there was one!

Sadly, many children today lack the resources to purchase the hammers, nails, parchments, quill pens and, yes, even the pillow cases they need to celebrate Reformation day aright. Their parents divert the funds that would go to proper Reformation Day observance to frivolous budget items like "college funds", "private school tuition", and "food".

Won't you join me to bring delight to these deserving upper-middle class children? All you need is a checkbook and a sharpened quill pen!

$50 can provide ONE PILLOWCASE to a child, $75 will ensure that they have the HAMMER and NAILS they need, a gift of $475 will provide one deserving child with EVERYTHING he/she needs to commemorate this important date in church history! The power is in your hands!

You can easily make a difference by sending your check/money order/cash/barter to:

Dr. Donald Sauerbraten
7 Parachute Drive
Orlando, Bermuda
78670

As a token of our appreciation, please accept the attached portrait of Martin Luther. Display it with the pride. Also, remember to include a return address with your contribution so that we can send you an attractive set of Savonarola adhesive address labels ... what better profile to grace your envelopes than the Italian forerunner of the Reformation?

Once again, our deepest thanks for your generous/sizable contribution!

Sincerely,

Donald Sauerbraten, D.Theol
President, Theses or Treats Committee 2005
a Division of Lutheran Entertainment, LLC

Tenth Presbyterian Church Gates

Trinity Sunday

Lord, who has form'd me out of mud,
And hast redeem'd me through thy blood,
And sanctifi'd me to do good;

Purge all my sins done heretofore:
For I confess my heavy score,
And I will strive to sin no more.

Enrich my heart, mouth, hands in me,
With faith, with hope, with charity;
That I may run, rise, rest with thee.

- George Herbert, Trinity Sunday