Individuality and Community

August 22, 2008 at 1:00 pm | In culture, theology | Leave a Comment
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It’s easy to crack on our culture, in particular, our penchant for selfish individuality.  You’ll often hear phrases like, “Well, ultimately it’s not about THEM is it?” Implying it’s ultimately just about yourself.  We celebrate the self in ways extreme and dangerous.  

In response to our individualistic society, Christians preach and try to practice a self-giving rather than selfishness.  Jesus is held up as the ultimate example of self sacrifice, and we’re told to do as he did.  Of course, this extreme–total selflessness–can be really dangerous, and is ultimately unfaithful in practice.  Too often, especially for women, the giving of oneself for others becomes dangerous and abusive.  Lack of self-respect and self-dignity is no good either.

Enter Shirley Guthrie.  

As human beings created in the image of God, we can realize our distinctive individuality only in and for the sake of community with God and other people; and we can live in true community with them only as we respect, preserve, and defend our own unique individuality and that of other people.  True individuality and true community cannot be separated; each has to be understood in inseperable connection with the other… [Christian Doctrine, p. 209]

May more of us better walk this balance beam of Christian individuality and community.

image by spekulator 

Sermon: Food Trough Festivities, Luke 2:1-20, Christmas Eve

December 25, 2007 at 12:07 pm | In sermon | 1 Comment
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Here’s the Christmas Eve sermon I preached, well, on Christmas Eve.  Actually, I didn’t feel particularly good about how it was received.  Though the congregation was huge, they were mostly visitors or rare attenders so the atmosphere felt less like a friendly congregation worshiping and more like a gathering of folks seeing a concert.  I could say more, but I’m off to Christmas lunch.  Cheers.

Food Trough Festivities

Luke 2:1-20

How many of your know the television show Sesame Street? I used to love that show–still do, in fact (though Megan doesn’t like me to watch it). I’m a big Ernie fan. I find Elmo hilarious. And every time I watch it I learn something new. One of my favorite parts of Sesame Street is a segment in which they give the viewers a little quiz.

Four items will appear on the screen, each in a different corner. And then someone will sing the song:

Three of these things belong together
Three of these things are kind of the same
Can you guess which one of these doesn’t belong here?
Now it’s time to play our game (time to play our game).

And you’re supposed to guess which item of the four doesn’t belong. I’d like to play a few rounds with you this evening. So, since Tom refused to install a big screen TV in the pulpit, I brought along some low-tech sheets that will have to do.

Here’s four things, which one of them doesn’t belong with the others?
Continue reading Sermon: Food Trough Festivities, Luke 2:1-20, Christmas Eve…

Blogging Advent with the (online) community of faith

December 4, 2007 at 3:56 pm | In blogging, reflections, web stuff | Leave a Comment
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I’m participating in an Advent series with other bloggers organized by Brother Maynard, another CCBlogger. About twenty of us will be posting reflections throughout Advent using texts from John and the Old Testament chosen by Brother Maynard who just wrote a book on the same topic.

Last year, one of my seminary friends unwittingly became the center of the most ancient of theological debates. As he came before the committee that was to approve his next move towards ordination, a heated discussion broke out among the committee members as to whether Jesus existed before he become incarnate.

To be fair, I think the discussion centered more around what form Jesus took before incarnation, rather than whether or not he existed at all, but it all took my friend a bit off guard as these meetings generally get bogged down in where one stands on homosexuality, the authority of the Bible, or questions of the lordship of Christ and the like.

Regardless of what Jesus looked like before the incarnation, or how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, the Bible tells us of God who from the very beginning created.

So we come to the first few verses of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”

And to Proverbs 8:22 on wisdom “The Lord created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago.”

The opening verses of John clearly enough describe Jesus (or the Word at least, “logos” in Greek) as existing “from the beginning.” Way over-simplification of hundreds of years of church history: this is one reason why we have Nicene Creed which makes it clear Jesus is co-eternal with the Father and begotten not made from God.

One could go any number of ways from here, but as this is the first week of Advent and the theme of hope, perhaps I’ll borrow from Shirely Guthrie. In his book, Christian Doctrine, Guthrie writes, “The Bible says not only that God was but that God is and will be Creator.” The Triune God’s act of creating is not confined to distant lands of the past, but God still creates anew.

Still today, God is making all things new (Rev 21). Still today, God is making us to be new creatures in Christ (2 Cor 5:17). Still today, we hope for God’s new creation, and the time when the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and all manner of things shall be well (Is 6).

So, this Advent, we can look for ways God is continuing God’s creative acts. We can remember that God creates within and without the Church. With the Spirit’s guidance, we can seek to encourage, uphold, even help begin God’s acts of new creation.

Here are the other Johannine Advent bloggers:

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