Dear
Good Shepherd,
I
was planning to write an article this week on the role and
place of the church in the life of the believer, but the
time I set aside for that was eaten up by other things.
Instead, I'm passing along an article I wrote for Stand
Firm early one morning that has to do with the Miracles
in the New Testament. Next week, I'll have an article on
the church
How
did the Episcopal Church Come to This Point?
Weekly
Article
December
1st 2006
The
Church of the Good Shepherd
(originally
published on Stand Firm)
It
was fashionable in the 1970's and 80's for liberal to moderate
Episcopal preachers to give “relevant” sermons.
Making sermons “relevant” usually involved sucking every
hint of divine power from the text.
Most Episcopalians who remember attending church from 1970
to the mid-80's can probably also recall hearing the famously
bad but quite faddish sermon on the feeding of the 5000
in which the preacher explains that Jesus didn't really
miraculously multiply seven loaves of bread, but that the
people, inspired by Jesus' words of brotherly love, opened
their knapsacks and shared their personal bread with those
who had none. So, by the end of the sermon, we learn that
the meal in the wilderness does not really stand as an example
of God's powerful provision through his Son Jesus Christ,
but as a story about us.
Humanity in all its glory.
Back then, to be relevant, all the biblical texts had somehow
to be about “us” and all accounts of divine intervention
had to be explained away as “myth” which, you may have been
told, did not mean the accounts were somehow not “true”,
it just meant that they probably didn't happen historically.
In other words, it is “true” that Jesus walked on the water
and Peter's lack of faith prevented him from doing the same.
But even though it is "true," it probably didn't
happen.
How is it possible for an historical account to be true
and at the same time ahistorical? Ah well, the events were
true spiritually or symbolically or metaphorically but not
historically. Sure the accounts seem historical, but we
all know that it is impossible for a man to walk on water
so, well, he didn't.
This skepticism in the name of relevance with regard to
the supernatural elements of the New Testament gained as
much prominence in the academy as it did in the pulpit.
Many scholars trained in that period come to the text with
their minds made up that certain events simply cannot happen:
dead men don't rise, virgins don't get pregnant, bread cannot
multiply and thus they discount any text that purports to
report otherwise.
Decisions about what can and/or cannot happen are made before
they even come to the text.
This is, of course, not history. It's philosophy.
But it is a philosophy with a powerful pedigree.
In large part, the philosophical prejudice with regard to
New Testament miracles goes back to the brilliantly flawed
Rudolf Bultmann (and, in turn, back to Lessing) whose writings
and commentaries apparently played a quite prominent role
in seminary training during the 60's and 70's.
Bultmann systematized for New Testament scholars the epistemic
wall between the physical and metaphysical, natural and
supernatural, erected by Kant (et al) in the 19th century.
He argued that “modern” Christians should not be expected
to believe superstitious rubbish about virgins having babies,
exorcisms, healings and resurrections.
But rather than chucking the bible altogether, Bultmann
suggested that in order to understand the true eternally
relevant kernel of the gospel accounts, the texts had to
be demythologized so that their "superstitious"
elements would not distract the modern thinker and detract
from the timeless truths contained therein.
The badly worn feeding of the 5000 sermon mentioned above,
is one well-known result of this demythologization.
In fact, the writings of Rudolf Bultmann (along with those
of the terribly misguided but equally brilliant theologian
Paul Tillich) managed to produce generations of mainline
Protestant preachers and teachers trained to relevatize
the Church into irrelevance.
If you are wondering why some parish priests have a hard
time affirming things like the Virgin Birth and the bodily
Resurrection, this is why.
If
you are wondering how we came to the point that the majority
of ordained leaders in the Episcopal Church favor rejecting
basic biblical doctrine, this is how.
As (now Bishop) NT Wright argues so well in the opening
chapters of The Resurrection of the Son of God ,
the study of history is the study of “what actually happened”
in the past. So, good historians approach primary source
documents (like the gospels) with an open mind and consider
the claims made in the document without prejudice. If a
text purports to relate an historical event, the report
is taken seriously unless and until it is shown to be false.
It is, in other words, innocent until proven guilty.
To assume otherwise may prematurely cut off an avenue of
inquiry.
Thus, if a number of distinct primary source documents credibly
report a bodily resurrection, and these reports are supported
by external evidence, those claims are to be taken seriously
until or unless they are shown to be false.
This line of reasoning has gained a great deal of academic
prominence lately and will likely supersede the old line
in the next few decades.
Of course, if you believe that God exists and that he created
and sustains the universe, miracle accounts pose no real
difficulties. You approach the text with the quite reasonable
and logical assumption that God is able to intervene in
the universe he made to accomplish the purposes he ordains.
In fact, if you believe that God exists, it is illogical
and unreasonable to assume otherwise.
End
Here's
the news
UPDATE
CONTENT
NEWS
EVANGELISM
WALKABOUT NEXT SATURDAY
CHRISTMAS
PAGEANT PRACTICE
CHRISTMAS
BAKE SALE
WOMEN'S
BIBLE STUDY
CHRISTMAS
FLOWERS
STEWARDSHIP
PLEDGE CARDS
A
NOTE ABOUT SUNDAY SCHOOL
ADULT
EDUCATION SERIES: HEROES OF THE BIBLE
ANGLICAN
NEWS UPDATE
FIRST
LIGHT BIBLE STUDY
GREAT
QUOTE
NOT QUITE “ NEW ”
NEWS
BIBLE
STUDY FELLOWSHIP
SHARING
BIBLES
STEWARDSHIP
NEWS:
EVANGELISM
WALKABOUT : THIS IS COMING UP NEXT SATURDAY. 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 about 400 homes.
Because
I keep forgetting to put a sign up sheet downstairs, we
are in desperate need of volunteers for this. You can volunteer
for one of three aspects of this project or, if you like,
all three:
•
baking: If you volunteer to bake, you'll commit to be there
early enough in the morning (last year I believe it was
about 7:00am ) to get loaves out of the oven in time to
start bagging by about 10:00am . We hope to churn out 420
loaves
•
Bagging: If you volunteer to bag, you will help put the
loaves into the bags we choose along with a brief letter
explaining the gospel of Jesus Christ and a card with service
times and contact information. The bags will hopefully be
filled by noon .
•
Delivery: If you volunteer to deliver, you will be assigned
a geographical area, usually a few blocks or so, near the
church and provided with a few box-fulls of bread-bags.
Then, You'll go door to door, wishing people merry Christmas
from the Church of the Good Shepherd and handing them the
bags. That's all you have to do. Sometimes people will want
to talk. Sometimes they won't. Either way is fine. If no
one answers the door, just leave the bag on their doorstep.
Every
time we've done a walkabout we've reaped great spiritual
rewards. I believe that the Lord has blessed our efforts
to proclaim his gospel both by bringing more people to faith
in Jesus Christ and deepening our own relationship with
him. That is what happens when a church trusts God and follows
his call to spread the gospel. God has blessed us and so
long as we remain willing to follow his guidance, I believe
he will continue to do so.
So
let's continue reaching out to the lost in Binghamton in
keeping with the Great Commission
18Then
Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven
and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
a
the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely
I am with you always, to the very end of the age (Matthew
28:
CHRISTMAS
PAGEANT PRACTICE: Please
remember to stay after church this Sunday for practice after
the 10:30am service ends. It will only take about 10 to
15 minutes.
CHRISMAS
BAKE SALE:
The Annual Christmas Bake Sale is coming up THIS SATURDAY.
There will be lots of good things to eat sold along with
some Christmas crafts on sale. Come and enjoy. It starts
at 10:00am and lasts until 2:00pm .
WOMEN'S
BIBLE STUDY: Because of the Bake Sale, the Women's
Bible Study will meet at 8:00am Saturday morning rather
than the usual time.
STEWARDSHIP:
You should be receiving pledge cards in the mail
sometime early next week. At Good Shepherd, those in leadership
do their best to use your pledges and gifts in a godly,
faithful and generous way to support the poor, further the
Gospel, and maintain the gifts God has given us. This is
the work of the Body of Christ all believers are called
to pitch in. I encourage everyone to commit to the ten percent
tithe in your pledge this year. But don't take my word for
it. Here's what the prophet Malachi says:
10
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may
be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD
Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates
of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not
have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring
your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their
fruit," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the
nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful
land," says the LORD Almighty. (Malachi 3:10-12)
CHRISTMAS
FLOWERS:
If you wish
to have memorial or thanksgiving flowers for Christmas this
year, you will find a form in this newsletter for the Christmas
flowers to be placed on the altar. Please fill it out and
return it to the church by December 17 th so that your loved
ones can be included. Please use full names and not “Mr.
or Mrs.” Sign your name to the form so that, if there are
any questions, we can contact you. This is a good time to
remember those who have passed away and to let our living
friends and family know how much we love them.
.
A
NOTE ABOUT SUNDAY SCHOOL: Thank you to everyone
for keeping Sunday School attendance up. You simply cannot
underestimate the importance of bringing your kids to Christian
education Sunday morning. The best way to ensure that your
kids know Christ and are not led astray in the future is
to insure that they are exposed to and hear the gospel regularly
and know the bible. Knowing Jesus is so much better than
anything else the world has to offer. But how can they know
him, if you don't speak about your own faith and regularly
put them under good biblical teaching? It is vital, so much
more vital in fact than any sport or educational activity.
While those may benefit your son or daughter for a time,
Christ and his Word are eternal.
ADULT
EDUCATION SERIES: HEROES
OF THE BIBLE :
This Week we'll continue our discussion of Abraham. We have
already noticed the way Abram struggles to trust God in
difficult circumstances. Abram was a human being and made
lots of mistakes. But God was graceful despite Abrams failings
and he made Abram into a man of great faith. On Sunday we'll
pick up in Genesis 18 and follow through to Genesis 22 where
Abraham faces his greatest test.
ANGLICAN
NEWS UPDATE: For a great summary of the present
situation in the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion,
please be sure to check out this article
by Jordan Hylden
FIRST
LIGHT BIBLE STUDY: I forgot to mention this on
Tuesday. Please read 2 nd Timothy as part of your homework
(especially if you missed this last study).
GREAT
QUOTE: About 150 years ago, Soren Kierkegaard wrote
these words (found here
):
The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to
understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers.
We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know
very well that the minute we understand it we are obliged
to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament
and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly.
My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be
ruined. How would I ever get on in the world?
Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship.
Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention
to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can
continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming
to close. Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living
God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament.
NOT QUITE
" NEW " NEWS
BIBLE FELLOWSHIP: If you are a man and
having trouble getting up at 6:30am for the men's bible
study and breakfast, there is another men's bible study
that meets every Saturday. This study is led by Bill Lane
and meets between 4 and 6 pm . If you are interested can
call Bill on his cell phone: 237-9232
HAVE YOU…. shared your faith with a friend? The vestry has
challenged all of us to share our faith in Jesus Christ
with at least one non-believer each month.
Good News for the Week
7To keep me from becoming conceited because of these
surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn
in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. 8Three
times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But
he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for
my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I
will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that
Christ's power may rest on me. 10That is why, for Christ's
sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,
in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then
I am strong.(2 nd Corinthians 12:7-10)
Don't forget to....BRING A FRIEND TO CHURCH!
Daily Schedule for the week of Sunday December 3rd, 2006
( Bible Study/Christian Education Opportunities in red
)
Monday:
Pastor's day off
Tuesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
9:00
a.m. Tuesday Morning Bible Study
6:30
p.m. First Light Bible Study
8:00 p.m. Choir Practice
Wednesday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Thursday
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
5:30 p.m. Shepherd's Bowl
6:30
p.m. New Beginners Bible Study
Friday
6:30
a.m. Men's Breakfast/Bible Study
8:30 a.m. Morning Prayer
Pastor's sermon prep day
Saturday :
EVANGELISM
WALKABOUT: 7:00am? Until Noon
Sunday December
10th, 2006: Praise and Worship the Lord
8:00am Holy Communion II and Sermon
9:
15-10:15 a.m. Christian Education for all Ages
10:30 am Holy Communion II, Music and Sermon
God bless you all
In
Christ,
Matt+
