You know, most Christians hold to both these seemingly contradictory truths: that we are fully selfish, sinful human people at the same time that we are also, with God’s gracious help, being daily changed and shaped to look more like Jesus as we grow in our faith over time. I do not think that even the most famous propositional statements of historical Christianity—such as the Nicene Creed, the Apostle’s Creed, and so on—illustrate this very point in as earthy a fashion as does…(drum roll, please….) church signage. Oh, yes. In church signboards we see the silly and the sublime, the [...] Read more »
Happy Easter!
He is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! And a joyful, merry Easter to you and yours~ (14th-century carol, originally in Latin; first published in 1708.) Jesus Christ Is Risen Today Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia! Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia! Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia! Unto Christ, our heavenly king, Alleluia! Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia! Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia! But the pains which he endured, Alleluia! Our salvation have procured; Alleluia! Now above the sky he’s king, [...] Read more »
Allegri’s Miserere Mei
Traditionally sung in the Vatican during Holy Week on Wednesday and Good Friday, the Miserere Mei was most likely composed during the 1630s by Gregorio Allegri under the reign of Pope Urban VIII. This exquisite setting of Psalm 51 was jealously guarded by the Vatican: it is said that anyone who wrote the music down and tried to share or perform it elsewhere—outside of the Holy Week setting in the Sistine Chapel—would be punished by excommunication. The form in which this piece has come down to us has been altered by the passage of time: different transcriptions at different times [...] Read more »
Eternal life in heaven through social networking?
While growing up in Christianity—and as a practicing Christian throughout my adult years—I have heard numerous discussions regarding where we spend eternity and how each of us ends up getting there. Various Christians—committed people who thoughtfully practice their faith—have argued about these issues for literally millennia now. Despite the fact that these are committed people who thoughtfully practice their faith, traditions within Christianity have still differed on the levels of importance each facet of the Christian journey has, and how that in turn affects our hope of spending eternity with an all-wise, all-omnipotent, all-loving, and all-just God. As you can [...] Read more »
On Hosannas and Ammo Belts
In this season of Lent, I have recently been reminded that Palm Sunday can mean very different things to different people. Perhaps the Protestant Christian church has been slightly remiss in presenting the season of Lent (including Palm Sunday) with the kind of clarity that leads to understanding. Maybe Sunday schools could revisit how they are presenting and teaching this particular season of the church year. I submit this (possible) case in point: For some reason I think the “hosannas” have been a bit lost in translation on this one… Read more »
On Prayers for Help
I came across this prayer recently, and I had to laugh. Yes. After all, the Christian tradition has given us thousands upon thousands of beautiful prayers: words of penitence, gratitude, joy, and sorrow covering every theme the human heart can articulate and many it cannot. The cries for guidance, help, and strength reverberate through the centuries and across the millennia in these prayers, reminding us that we are not so very different from one another after all. The prayer books and liturgical service guides for the various denominations often contain the very best of these. And yet none of these [...] Read more »