What I thought John was going to say
By Chris | May 6, 2008
The very first thought that went through my mind when I saw the title to John H’s last post, “Creation is complete but not closed” was an idea I first heard in a New Testament lecture at university regarding the Sabbath “when God rested from His making in creation”.
In John 5:16-17 we read
Therefore the Jews started persecuting Jesus, because he was doing such things on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is still working, and I also am working.’
This Sabbath is finally consummated in Resurrection when God, and His people, finally find their rest. I’ve never read a commentary that tracks this theme through Biblical literature but then again I haven’t really looked. Has anyone else read or heard anything on the theme that we not yet seen the Seventh Day?
Update on previous post
By Chris | May 5, 2008
Some gems from the article that Pastor Klemsz graciously referred to in his comment on my previous post:
The desperate situation of the Christian, however, also provides an adequate motivation for constantly praying. Luther cites the example of Joseph who for thirteen years prayed to God for release from his slavery. The only result was that his plight became worse rather than better. It appears to us that, without an immediate answer to our prayers, they are to remain unanswered. Through this activity, however, God was strengthening Joseph for the position of lord of Egypt. As long as the distress and affliction last, the Christian is given no other choice than to pray to God continually for aid. The continual praying of the Christian indicates that his faith is still active in the midst of affliction.
and
The Christian’s ability to accept from God what seems to be disfavor flows in Luther’s thought, not only the Christian’s acknowledgement of God’s superior wisdom, but also the hiddenness of God. Luther writes, ‘For the work of God must be hidden and never understood, even when it happens’. The conception of Jesus by virgin birth and His suffering and death before His glorification are cited as examples of how God’s ways appear both as hidden and contrary to what humans expect.
Luther briefly puts forth two examples of how people receive from God the exact opposite of what they are asking. The man praying for chastity receives more temptations and the only praying for strength is besieged by more weakness. Nevertheless, as the Christian bears up under these stresses, God is answering the prayer more effectively than the man could have ever imagined.”
Full article here.
Some thoughts on particular atheism and prayer
By Chris | April 28, 2008
I’ve been reading the BHT over the last few weeks and lately the consensus seems to be among the regulars that we don’t believe in a God who will make us rich/prevent us from being hurt/give us a wholly wonderful earthly life. Michael Spencer wrote a very good article on how God is not a divine protection racket. So I’ve been thinking, how can we systematically and clearly lay out what we should and should not pray for?
I think I’ve realised that we can’t.
Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given to me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.’ So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)
The reason I don’t think we can be systematic about our prayers is because I don’t think God is. Sometimes He seems to answer things as we’d like but this is very rare. God invites us to “cast all our cares upon Him, because He cares for us” but never promises to address each one in a way that we’d like. And we see that demonstrated in the life of the old and new testament church: God’s saints are sometimes rescued, but the norm is that of suffering. And our Lord makes it clear in His own words that to follow Him is to follow Him into suffering. And He may very well answer our prayers in a way that merely enables us to endure suffering. Suffering through calamity, suffering through disappointment. It’s as if our most dearly held desires and most basic needs, are, like He was, crucified. The suffering of a Christian may appear to the world no different than the suffering of anyone else. The difference that Christ makes to these things is not to expel it from our lives, but to make our sufferings like His, with the ultimate aim of making us like Him. God very rarely seems to act in the world, but rather prefers to remain hidden and act in us. While praying for changes in other people and things we may find instead a change in us.
It’s not so simple
By Chris | April 11, 2008
Like many in the blogosphere, I’m really tired of oversimplification of environmental issues. Both businesses and individuals are jumping at anything that proclaims itself to be “environmentally friendly” because it’s one of todays foremost popular bandwagons. I think there’s a real and growing culture of shame, in the world of corporate image, and filtering down into individual life, for those who aren’t on board with what’s declared to be best for the environment.
I’m no longer a student of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, but I still get their magazine sent to me. They included this little article in the latest issue:
Banger blues?
26 Mar 08
Perhaps it’s time to rethink your policy on company cars – and do your bit for the environment
Future’s green
Still driving that old banger? Maybe it’s time to rethink your policy on company cars – and do your bit for the environment.Research from KPMG shows that 52 per cent of employees who opted for cash instead of a company car spent it on second-hand vehicles – which spew out emissions between 30-40 grams per kilometre higher than the average company car.
Chancellor Alistair Darling gave companies an incentive to invest in a more environment-friendly fleet in his recent Budget. He said first year capital allowances of 100 per cent will be available for cars with CO2 emissions of less than 110g/km. If you’ve a gas-guzzling beast with CO2 emissions of more than 160g/km, it will only qualify for tax relief of 10 per cent.
KPMG calculates that if the 400,000 workers who have given company car schemes a bodyswerve since 1999 chose to take advantage of green tax breaks, it could save over 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions a year.
That’s the equivalent of more than 1,700 Boeing 747 flights from London to New York.
Source here. Forgive me for not rushing out and buying a Prius or Bluemotion car and recommending all my friends who have company cars follow the advice of this article. My response is below:
I would like to respond to the article entitled “Banger blues?” in the Notepad section in the April 2008 edition of CA Magazine. The article picked up on the conclusion of KPMG that it would be more environmentally beneficial if employees chose low-emission company car schemes rather than buying used vehicles with cash alternatives. This conclusion fails to consider a number of factors, most especially the CO2 embodied in new cars as a result of the manufacturing process. In an article in New Scientist magazine (“Why Bother Going Green?” 17/11/07) it was revealed that it takes approximately 3 to 5 tonnes of CO2 to produce one car. Even with the example given of a used car producing more than 40g/km more CO2, one would have to drive at least an additional 75,000km before any saving on CO2 could be made by the use of the new car. However, the situation is not even that simple: many of the lowest emission cars produced today run on diesel, which although produces a lower CO2/kg figure, burns less cleanly and has potentially carcinogenic by-products. Even so called “environmentally friendly” biodiesel is often produced in many parts of the world at the expense of existing food crops and deforestation (Time Magazine, “The Clean Energy Scam” 27/03/08). The net effect of such endeavours actually results in more CO2 being released into the atmosphere in the process of their manufacture than is saved in their use, as well as increasing the price of staple foods for many of the world’s hungry and poor.
These are all very complex areas and I think that employee and consumer choices, as well as government policies, need to be thought out more thoroughly than by simply throwing around g/km figures and overly keen applications of the words “environmentally friendly”.
Vital stats
By Chris | April 7, 2008
E-mailed to me this morning. I have no idea who the creator of these is, but well done.
Pure, succinct, gold
By Chris | April 3, 2008
From Dr Phil Cary in the comments of this post at Confessing Evangelical, just in case any of you missed it:
So the crucial question about the command to take up the cross is a question about the value of the Law and good works. What good are they, if they can do nothing to save us? And here I go back to Luther’s treatise on The Freedom of a Christian, which describes the value of good works in terms of what they accomplish for our neighbor and even for our own bodies. God gives us his commandments, including the commandment to take up the cross, so that we may know what pleases him in the way of loving for our neighbor and caring for ourselves, disciplining ourselves and so forth.
For now that we belong wholly to him (I’m in wholehearted agreement with all of you guys who keep returning to your baptism on this point!), we have nothing more to do with our lives but give them in service to others—and even to our own external needs, i.e., the needs of our bodies for discipline and self-control. But what we don’t have to do is look inside ourselves—all that reflective business of wondering whether we are doing a good enough job to earn God’s favor or our own self respect. That’s all irrelevant now. Who we are deep inside is Christ’s concern, not ours. He’s taken over that part of our lives, and he gives us no say in it, thank God.
One way Luther has of putting this is to say: the Law must not touch the conscience (e.g., in the big Galatians commentary, LW 26:391). The Law is not to tell me who I am or how I stand before God or whether I am a good enough Christian or any of that. For that I am simply to believe the good news my Lord has to tell me in the Gospel. But the Law (in its 3rd use) does say: Now that you are baptised, buried with Christ and raised to new life with him, just like the Gospel says—well, gee, you’ve got nothing to do with your life except give it to the people you love, to your neighbors. But that will require some work, and indeed some self-discipline, so here’s what you do: take up the cross and follow God’s beloved Son, who has lots of good work for you to do. It will be costly and hard work, and will surely involve suffering and death. But you already knew that, for you’ve already seen how it is with Christ. But that’s who you are–so come, follow.
April 1 review
By Chris | April 2, 2008
I wish the flying penguins story was true.
However, the surfing penguins story is.
And you guys thought the Surf’s Up trailer was kidding when it ended “A true story…”
Impromptu Easter prayer for the Church
By Chris | March 23, 2008
This is just as much a prayer for myself, but I’m sure parts of it resonate with others out there.
May those who carefully calculate their faith with their doubts, be wholeheartedly filled with the joy of Christ’s resurrection and victory over death.
May those who suffer any pain or weakness or infirmity rejoice that they will be raised from the dead into perfection and wholeness.
May those who are guilty find joy and blessed forgetfulness in the God who, in Christ, remembers their sin no more.
May those who grieve find hope in Christ’s transformation of the finality of death into a temporary sleep, and joy in His promise that all in Christ will be, like He has been, raised from death to eternal life.
Amen.
Happy Easter to you all.
Meditation for the end of Holy Week
By Chris | March 20, 2008
I’m sure just about everyone who might see this site has already seen this, but if you haven’t, check out this stark Holy Week meditation. HT: JH
Practical idea for Bible reading
By Chris | March 20, 2008
I thought I’d share one little product that has helped me a lot in my Bible reading… or not. Working in practice accountancy, especially audit, usually involves long days and travelling to the back end of beyond for jobs. My time on the road has been put to good use -as opposed to the usual getting pissed off and swearing at other drivers who prefer to use telepathy over their car’s indicators, amongst others of their challenged kin - in the listening of an audio Bible. The one I listen to is Max McLean’s ESV Bible on 4 MP3 CDs. I’ll give a few sentences of review here:
It’s audible, although one can’t help but think sometimes he’s putting emphases in the wrong place. And his pronounciation of a few words, like “shone” pronounced as “shown” is a bit strange to my British ears. (I don’t think I’ve heard the long-o pronounciation of shone before in my travels). Still, I’ve found it easier to stay attentive than I thought I would. And due to the time taken commuting, I find that I’m able to listen to, and re-listen to, most books in a week. I’m not going to link to Amazon because you could probably find a better price if you’re really interested. Try Abebooks, or just shop around.
I don’t have a car that plays MP3 CDs either. Thankfully, my old skool Nokia 6230 with the memory card I put in it does play MP3s, so coupled with the ear phones attachment and bluetooth, I transfer a book at a time from my computer at home. Or you could just buy a really cheap MP3 player if you don’t have one.
I don’t know if this is such a revolutionary idea. I just don’t think I’d get much Bible-learning done… and I most certainly didn’t get much done before this came around with my job… without it. I am shockingly bad at having a disciplined and regular Bible study, so it really has helped.
Also, short readings of Wonders for Oyarsa in lunchbreaks is a pretty brilliant site to help you think about what you just heard, especially since the Old Testament is really, really confusing sometimes.
This has helped me. Maybe it will help someone else.
« Previous Entries