One in the Spirit
This week’s readings bring perfect support to the ideas brought previously by Metz, Schmemann, and others around the importance of communal anamnesis. In the previous week’s readings, the moment of the Eucharist became a central focus point for the theologians involved. It was especially in this moment that the mighty and merciful acts of God were remembered and the community stood in solidarity with the world. In Flesh of the Church, Flesh of Christ Tillard takes a deeper look into the idea of unity in the Christian tradition, focusing especially on how unity plays out in the Eucharist. Read more...
Schmemann and Christian Memory
This week’s reading focused first on the liturgical theology of Alexander Schmemann – chapter three of Anamnesis – moving on in chapter four to an engagement of Metz, Schmemann, and other theologians in a conversation about memory within the rituals of the Christian tradition. In chapter five’s conclusion, Professor Morrill ties the work of the many theologians engaged in the reading together and gives some practical suggestions on how to better reform liturgy to move worshipers to remembrance and action. Read more...
Setting & Meaning of Luke 4:21-30
This chapter starts with a newly baptized Jesus being lead by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil for forty days. After being tempted by the devil and successfully overcoming him, Jesus returns to his ministry in Galilee teaching and healing as he goes. After an undisclosed amount of time, Jesus finds himself in his home village of Nazareth where he takes his customary place in the synagogue on the sabbath to read from Hebrew scripture. Read more...
Great Nashville Snow of 2016
Like many in Nashville I went to bed on Thursday night expecting to awake to a lot of ice with a little dusting of snow. I knew MNPS would be closed for the day, but I completely expected to drive into work at my normal time. When I awoke on Friday, I was excited to see inches of snow. Like any good Southerner I ran outside and took as many photos I could. Read more...
The Kenotic Faith Once Delivered
The Christian faith stands at an intersection of ritual, belief, history, and reality. In this tension theologians like Metz ask the uncomfortable questions those outside the faith readily ask and those within the faith would rather avoid. In an age of instrumental reason does the mysticism of Christian ritual and prayer have a place? Is the Christian faith more than assent to a list of dogmas? What is the Christian response to the history of human suffering and the present suffering peoples of the world? Read more...
Response to the Articles of Relgion: Pt. I
As part of my journey to ordination I have been asked to share a short reflection on each of the 39 Articles of Relgion of the Church of England. I will share my reflections as I write them over the coming weeks. Today, I share my responses to articles one through six. Article I: Of Faith in the Holy Trinity There is but one living and true God, ever-lasting, without body, parts, or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness; the Maker, and Preserver of all things both visible and invisible. Read more...
Torture Condemned?
The parable of rich man and Lazarus found in Luke 16:19-31 raises many uncomfortable questions about wealth, poverty, salvation, judgment, and the nature of the afterlife. Most uncomfortable for me, is the parable’s apparent ease with the idea of the rich man being tormented in Hades. In the narrative, torture is introduced abruptly without comment and neither Lazarus nor Abraham seem to have a problem with it. The rich man is dead, buried, and being tormented in Hades all within one quick declaration in vv. Read more...
Helping the Seeds Grow
The Parable of the Growing Seed – so called by Snodgrass1 – found in Mark 4:26-29 at first glance appears to present an image of a careless and maybe not very intelligent man who aimlessly throws seed around, naps during the growing season, and then harvests whatever happens to grow. First impressions, however, are not always best. On a deeper analysis, the parable reveals an image of humankind participating in the building of the kingdom of God and enjoying the bounty of God’s blessings once his kingdom has been fully realized. Read more...
Sanctification of Soil
The parable found in Luke 8:5-8, Mark 4:2b-9, and Matt 13:3b-9 titled the “Parable of the Sower” by Snodgrass1 is much better titled the “Parable of the Soils” as it is called in Burton’s2 early 20th century gospel harmony, because the point of this parable has very little to do with the sower and everything to do with dirt.3 Snodgrass provides sufficient evidence that the nimshal found in Matt 13:18-23, Mark 4:13-20, and Luke 8:11-15 fits well within the bounds of what Jesus would have taught to his disciples. Read more...
More Than Bread
The interrogative parable found in Luke 11:5-71 is best interpreted not only in the assurance given in v. 8 and Jesus' sayings about the Father’s faithfulness in answering prayers in vv. 9-13, but also by Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer in vv. 2-4. Snodgrass notes that the parable and the Lord’s Prayer are connected because in each a request for bread is made.2 The connection goes much deeper than bread. Read more...
Mustard Seeds, Leaven, and the Present Kingdom of God
Though the Gospel of Thomas separates the parable of the mustard seed1 and the parable of the leaven2 and Mark does not have the parable of the leaven entirely3, the pairing of the parables in Luke and Matthew bring the similarities of both to light. The parables are connected in that both are about the small acts of women and men who, when paired with the mysterious acts of God, bring forth the Kingdom of God in the present world. Read more...
The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
Luke 10:25-37, to me, has always been a parable about a person who crossed cultural divides to serve and love another. My understanding of the parable of the “Good Samaritan” prior to this week was focused on my call as a Christian to serve others in need and not walk past them; plan and simple. This week, however, I am left with additional points of focus. Through Short Stories__1 I have been lead to explore the effect the parable would have on me if I identified with the victim instead of the Samaritan. Read more...
The Parable of the Dishonest Manager (Luke 16:1-15)
The parable of the dishonest manager has always been challenging for me to interpret. Is there a positive figure in the parable? Is there even a lesson in the narrative portion of the parable or does that only come after 8a when Jesus gives his interpretation? Does the narrative even fit with Jesus' interpretation, or was this explanation possibly a Lukan addition; his attempt to salvage a well-known story attributed to Jesus by the early church? Read more...
Review: Basil of Caesarea
In Basil of Caesarea: A Guide to His Life and Doctrine Andrew Radde-Gallwitz gives space to not only to the historical events and context of the life of Basil of Caesarea, but takes an extended look into the theology of Basil. However, unlike many books summarizing the theology of a great influencer of the church, Radde-Gallwitz doesn’t separate the human being from his or her theology. Radde-Gallwitz gives the context of the political and ecclesiastical world Basil lived in along with Basil’s various academic and personal relationships as a window into the place in life from which he approached the divine mysteries of God. Read more...
Boston Bombing & Road to Tyrany
Nearly a decade after one of the most defining moments of my life, once again I read the news and mourn for the American people. I have the sense, just as I did on that day, that everything has changed and that the America of my youth is forever dead. I of all people know that America was a myth, but – though it may be the rose tint so often applied to the past – I do remember that much of that myth was lived in to. Read more...
