Update October 21st, 2005

Dear Good Shepherd, today's article represents the rollout of a new feature of Good Shepherd online: Questions and Answers. (see details in the Update below)

If you have questions about any aspect of the Christian faith, email them here: lambeth@flash.net or write them down and leave them in the church office.

Anne+ or I will respond to your question privately and may ask for your permission to post both your question and our answer on the website as a Questions and Answers article.

Today we'll answer two questions sent in by Christine Osgood. The first concerns names in the bible and the second has to do with the title “father” accorded to Roman Catholic and Episcopal priests.

Question:

Douglas and I want to know why some people in the bible have more then one name? We are reading Acts and Saul/Paul, John also called Mark.

Many people in the bible have more than one name. Sometimes this is significant and sometimes it's simply the difference between being referred to by a nickname or a full name rather than a partial name.

John Mark for example is the full name of the evangelist who wrote the Gospel of Mark. Sometimes he's called just Mark (Colossians 4:10), other times he's called John Mark (Acts 12:25), and other times just John (Acts 13:5). It can be very confusing unless you've studied your bible for years and have had the time to sort it out.

There are some significant name changes that are not simply nicknames or elongated names. Peter is one of those significant changes. He was originally called “Simon” (Mark 1:17). But when he replied to Jesus' question, “Who do you say that I am” with “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), Jesus renamed him "Cephas" which means "Rock" in Aramaic. Jesus changed his name because Peter's belief in Jesus as the messiah would be the confessional Rock upon which the New Testament Church would be founded.

"Cephas" means Rock in Aramaic. In Greek, rock is "Petra" and as a name it would be “Petros” which was later anglicized to “Peter”. In the bible you find Peter called "Simon" (Mark 1:17), "Simon Peter" (Luke 6:14), "Peter" (Acts 1:13) and "Cephas" (John 1:42).

Saul (of the New Testament) was a Pharisee who persecuted the early followers of Jesus (Acts 8:58; Philippians 3:4-6). When the risen Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19), Saul believed the gospel and committed his life to teaching non-Jews (Greeks mainly) about Jesus. But "Saul" is a very Jewish name. In order to gain wider access to the gentile world, he changed his name to "Paul" or "Paulus" in Latin, which would have been recognized as a common name by both Romans and Greeks.

Then of course, there are two Johns and two Jameses.

There is John the Baptist (John 1:15-34) who was beheaded by Herod during Jesus' ministry in Galilee (Matthew 14:1-12) and then there is John the disciple of Jesus, son of Zebedee (Matthew 4:21-22) and brother of one of the Jameses.

John the disciple, son of Zebedee, wrote the Gospel of John and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John and possibly Revelation.

His brother James the disciple, son of Zebedee (John 4:21-22), was martyred in Jerusalem in 44AD (Acts 12:2).

Jesus referred to his disciples James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, as Boanerges, or “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17) possibly because of their enthusiastic zeal for Christ.

The other James was the natural brother of Jesus through Mary (Matthew 13:55), and not one of the original 12 disciples. At first James did not believe his brother was the messiah (John 7:2-5). But he joined and later led the Christian Church in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:9; Acts 15:13) after seeing Jesus alive and risen after his death and burial (1 Corinthians 15:7). This James wrote the book of James.

I'll stop here as by now you are probably thoroughly confused. But suffice it to say that the more familiar you become with the bible the easier it will become to recognize names and the people to whom they refer.

Question:

Someone at work asked why Catholic (and Episcopal) priests are called Father. She said it says somewhere in the bible that God said I am the father and no one but me shall be called father. I could not find any such passage. I told her I would get an answer for her.

She is right about the admonition. It can be found in Matthew 23:9, "And do not call anyone on earth 'father' for you have one Father and he is in heaven."

When approaching such passages the first thing to ask yourself is, "Is this a universal command applicable to all times and places or is this a localized or even a hyperbolized command or expression?"

In other words, does Jesus mean that we are never to address ANYONE on earth by the term father?

If it is a universal command then we run into a big problem right off the bat because in the very same gospel (Matthew 15:4) Jesus quotes the 5th commandment, "You shall honor your father and mother" and argues that the Pharisees have applied their traditions in such a way that they force people to break this commandment.

But if you are not supposed to call ANYONE on earth 'father' then the command itself is faulty because the command applies the term "father" to a human dad.

And yet Jesus quotes and upholds this commandment and expects his followers to keep it.

So, is Jesus contradicting himself?

Of course not.

What this means is that Jesus did not mean for his command to be taken in a wooden, literal sense, that there are some people who may properly be called 'father'.

His dictate must have been a localized or hyperbolic.

Jesus used hyperbole quite a bit to make his point.

For example he said in Matthew 5:30, "And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away..."

He was making the point that sin is deadly and dangerous and we should discipline our bodies and minds to stay away from it. He did not mean that when you sin with your right hand; perhaps touch, take or hold something you shouldn't or gesture inappropriately, that you should literally cut it off. Otherwise every single Christian would or should be walking around without a right hand.

He was simply using hyperbole to emphasize his point.

It's commonly done by speakers today as well. When you say, "this day is never going to end." Do you really mean NEVER? No, you're using hyperbolic language to make a true point, it's been a tough day.

Turning back to the passage in question you'll see that in context Jesus is rebuking the Pharisees for their pride.

He says they love to be called "rabbi" and "father" and to take the seats of honor in public places. They love to feel set apart from and above other people. But in reality they are sinners like everyone else.

The Pharisees were using the title “father” as a source of pride and/or elitist arrogance. Jesus' point was that they were putting themselves in God's place. God is the ultimate and true Father. He is the ultimate Teacher and the Rabbi to whom all must bow and obey, even the Pharisees themselves.

Given all of this, I would say that if a pastor or priest is using the title “father” as a source of sinful pride, he should not use it or allow it to be used about him.

If, however, the title is intended to convey the idea that the pastor is the leader of the flock in the same way that a father is the leader of a family, then I think it is okay, remember Jesus was not giving a universal rule, but a hyperbolic expression of a true principle, only God is God.

That's my take on it and I have never been one to insist on the "father" moniker. If you feel more comfortable calling me Matt or pastor or whatever, that's fine with me.

But if you like “father” and you mean it in the "family" sense then there is, in my opinion, nothing biblically to forbid it.

God bless you, and here's the Update

Update Contents:
EVANGELISM

HOPE AND A FUTURE

ARTICLES

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY
105th ANNUAL HARVEST DINNER
BEGINNERS BIBLE STUDY
NEW BEGINNERS

THURSDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY
MARRIAGE AND FAMILY LIFE
SOUTH SIDE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL
BUFFALO BILLS

NEWS:

EVANGELISM: We are starting to plan for our next evangelism walkabout. For those who are new to Good Shepherd, here's how it works. First a team of volunteers makes bread in the church oven. Then another team places the bread in small paper bags along with some information about the church, a bible verse (“I am the bread of life”) and a brochure with the gospel message. Then all the volunteers split up into as many delivery teams as we can (at least two per team) and fan out through the neighborhood knocking on doors and handing out the bags. This makes it very easy to be an evangelist. All you have to do is smile and give away free homemade bread. Last time we delivered bread to 240 homes. This time we hope to double that. If you'd like to volunteer for this project, there will be a sign-up sheet downstairs. Really, I promise, there will be this time :)

The for the evangelism walkabout has changed. We had scheduled November 19 th , then we moved it back to the 12 th so as not to conflict with the diocesan convention. Now we're going to move it forward to December 10 th because of the Hope and a Future Conference (see below) scheduled for the 12 th ; the 26 th is Thanksgiving weekend and December 3 rd is the vestry retreat. So, if you're not already confused, mark your calendars for Saturday, December 10th for the evangelism walkabout. This actually might work out very well. It's winter, nearing Christmas, and people are looking for hope and thinking about family. Jesus offers both.

Please do volunteer. We need all the help we can get.

HOPE AND A FUTURE : Please read your bulletin insert and consider registering for this very important conference sponsored by the Anglican Communion Network. The conference title is taken from the bible passage quoted below in the “Good News for the Week” section of the Update. Are you wonderfing where is God leading the Anglican Communion? This conference will address that question. I'm going to be there and I'd love some company. We'll be back for Sunday services and, of course, the football games.

ARTICLES: If you haven't already noticed, there is a new “articles” section on the website homepage. Under the section title you will find many articles new and old. I'll be adding new articles and postings to that section on a regular basis (every week is my goal but I might skip a week here and there). Why? Well, I'll use the articles section to address theological issues and themes by topic. It's good to have a venue to discuss a broad range of interesting topics and ideas that might not always come up at bible study, Christian Ed, or in a sermon. So far, I've written articles on the process of Sanctification, the Atonement, the parish mission and goals for the year and much more.\

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Tha articles section will also serve as an online Question and Answer Board. If you have a question about a theological topic or a bible passage, or anything having to do with the Christian faith email your question to me, or write it out and send it to me. I'll send an answer and I may ask you if you'd like me to publish the exchange, with or without your name included. I'll then post the exchange under the “articles” section entitled

“Question and Answer: _________ (topic here).

Here is a link to a Roman Catholic site that will give you an idea of what this might look like (Since the link is to a Roman Catholic site, please keep in mind that the answers given there are not always answers orthodox Anglicans would agree with).

WOMEN'S BIBLE STUDY: The Women's Bible Study meets at the regular time and place this Saturday, 10:00am in the parish hall. All women of every age are invited and welcome to come and bring as many friends as you like! I'll (Matt+) be substituting for Anne+ this Saturday but she'll be back next week.

THE 105th ANNUAL HARVEST DINNER: THANK YOU to everyone who volunteered. The Harvest Dinner was a great success and a lot of fun. One of the great things about these dinners is that they show how unified we are and how easily and cheerfully we work together. People who have never worked at a Harvest Dinner and people who have been doing them all their lives worked together happily and well. It was great to see. Thank you to everyone!

BEGINNERS BIBLE STUDY: After a two week hiatus we will meet this Tuesday. I hope you're ready to discuss the book of Ezekiel! We have a lot of catching up to do, but we should be ready for graduation by next Tuesday. Remember we're starting with the gospel of Matthew first thing after graduation so you might want to read ahead

NEW BEGINNERS SCHEDULE : Thus far the consensus seems to be Thursday nights. The official study will begin at 6:30pm and end at 7:30pm sharp so that people in the choir can attend practice. Like the first beginners study, there will be a 30 minute Q and A session before the official class starts for all who are interested.

The first session of the new beginners bible study is scheduled for Thursday the 27th of October. Contact me here lambeth@flash.net if you would like to sign up. 

This will be approximately a four month course. At the end of the course, those who participate will form their own bible study group and a new beginners study will be offered. This means that If you can't arrange to be at this new beginners course, there will be another one starting up four months later for you.

I pray that God will use this program to create a whole host of new bible studies at Good Shepherd and beyond. And I encourage everyone at Good Shepherd to take the course because it provides the basic skills and knowledge necessary for a lifetime of reading and studying the Word of God on your own and/or in a group. 

Believers in Christ must be rooted in the Word. The Bible is God's word to you personally and to all of his people. To know it is both to know God's self revelation and his commands and to learn to hear his voice and be guided by his Spirit. Such rootedness is essential to a growing, discerning, and joyful personal life in Christ and essential to a growing, discerning, and joyful church.

THURSDAY NIGHT BIBLE STUDY: As I announced last Sunday and as you may already have figured out, what was once our Thursday night Bible Study will soon become the New Beginners Study. The members of the old Thursday Night Study all decided that they needed some basic training, so they will all be going through it together along with the others who have signed up.

MARRIAGE & FAMILY LIFE: This came out in last week's Update before I was aware that Fr. Brown was going to speak between services. It now applies to this coming Sunday: We are midway through the marriage section of the Family Life series and we are just about ready to take up the timely topic of marital conflict.

There are many many sources of conflict in a marriage. Most of them do not appear until after the marriage actually takes place. The important thing to remember as we begin this section is that there are two kinds of conflict. There is the normal sort of conflict that arises naturally when two different people share their lives together and there is the deep and serious sort of conflict that points to an even deeper relational problem.

The difficult thing is that both the normal kind and the deep kind of conflict can erupt over the same topics Finances, décor, housework, childrearing…the “little“ things. The difference becomes clear only after you get below the surface.

We'll talk about healthy and unhealthy conflict and what distinguishes them and then we'll talk about how to fight fair.

We'll also give some strategies for getting below the surface and dealing with the sources of serious conflict.

After we finish the marriage section of this course, we'll move on to talk about parent-child relationships and dating (not necessarily in that order).

This has been a great series so far and I'm looking forward to our next discussion.

SOUTH SIDE ECUMENICAL COUNCIL (SSEC) is collecting donations for the purchase of thanksgiving turkeys for poor families. If you would like to help, please put your donation in an envelope addressed to the SSEC and place it in the offering plate. Thank you, Mary Lindsey

BUFFALO BILLS: Don Dean has volunteered to lead a group from Good Shepherd to a Bills game this fall. He has already purchased 15 tickets for the November 27th Buffalo Bills v. Carolina Panthers game in Buffalo. If you'd like to go along you can buy a ticket from Don for $50.00. Sounds like a great deal. First come first serve.

GOOD NEWS FOR THE WEEK:
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." (Jeremiah 29:11-14)


Don't forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH!

Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday October 23rd, 2005

Monday:
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer

Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00 a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study (Chapter 3 of 1st John)
6:30 p.m. Beginner's Bible Study: Question and Answer
7:00 p.m. Beginner's Bible Study: Class period begins (Ezekiel)

Wednesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Anne's in the office all day; my study day

Thursday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
5:30 p.m. Shepherd's Bowl
7:30 p.m. Choir practice

Friday
6:30 a.m. Men's Breakfast/Bible Study (Romans 8)
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer

sermon writing day

Saturday:
10:00 a.m. Women's Bible Study (Deuteronomy)

Sunday October 30th: Proper 26 year A
8:00am Holy Communion II and Sermon
9:15 Christian Education for All ages
10:30 am Holy Communion II, Music and Sermon

God bless you all

Matt+