Reflections on the Priesthood by a newly ordained Priest

I was humbled this weekend at my ordination on Saturday, and subsequently by my first solo celebration on Sunday morning. Thinking back, Saturday was a whirlwind affair that I remember, but as if it were a dream. Its gotten me thinking about the service all over again, and the commission the Archbishop gave to me to "take authority". This led my mind to the movie "Becket".

I was thinking this morning while at work about Thomas Becket as portrayed in this movie, and how he was struggling to be able to defend the honor of his King, Henry II. I, like he, have a nice little job in government. Though it is not as the Chancellor to a King, it is working for the state no less. I have found myself torn between serving at the altar and serving in the prison I work in. The honor of the Department of Corrections and the honor of God himself come to view in a great contrast.

As a Correctional Officer, I represent the State of North Carolina. As a Deacon, I represented my church. However, as a Deacon, I was in a transitional state, whereas in my professional job, I am not. I may apply for a job with more responsibility and get it, but it is not the same.

Last Saturday, I was made a Priest in the Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I now rank as one of the ministers, and as a defender of the faith, I have an authority (that which all Priests and Bishops have) that others lack. I, like Becket, have found that the honor of God is worth defending. As I embark on my ministry as a Priest, I pray that I keep this in mind from now on. I'm not just some guy who is subject to the whims of the world. I am a representative of God himself, and as such, must conduct myself accordingly. I was such as a Deacon, but I felt a kind of disconnect from that office.

I don't know, maybe it was because I knew I was going on to be a Priest. However, I do know that I have not been made anything new. As a Priest, I am also still a Deacon, and still work in the ministry of the Deacon to the people of God. Each level of the ministry builds on the one that is lower, so that a Bishop is also a Priest and a Deacon as well. We that serve at the altar must keep this in mind as we do our daily prayers and say Mass. We are simply instruments. God is the artist.

Diligence

Hebrews 6:1-12
1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
3 And this will we do, if God permit.
4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
10 For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

I was struck by this morning's reading for Morning Prayer. Notice what Paul is saying here. He is calling us to move past the foundational aspects of our faith, and move in deeper. How is it that we draw deeper? Well, there are many ways to draw deeper.

The reading of scripture should always be a comfort to the believer. It plows the ground of our spirit and allows us to grow. You can also use a devotion such as a Rosary, or Orthodox, or even Anglican prayer beads. Simply repeating a prayer such as the Jesus Prayer or the Lord's Prayer can be a powerful devotion.

Paul then moves on to the pitfalls of turning our backs on God. Once we have tasted of the Goodness of the Lord, for us to go back would be to crucify him all over again. It is to prove God a liar, and reject the gift he has given through the sacrifice of his son.

The analogy of drinking in the rain and “...bringing forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed...” shows us that when we partake of the things of the Lord, he gives his blessings. Likewise, when we reject the Lord, after having first drank deep of the waters of life, we become like the thorns and thistles. No one wants to deal with us, nor do they want to touch us. In that state, we will have rejected what the Lord has done, and have bound ourselves to this world, and the consequences of the sinful nature of mankind. Such consequences, according to scripture, are death. We will be like the chaff that is collected with the wheat. We will be separated and burned in the fire.

He ends this paricope on a positive note by reminding his audience that he thinks better of them (and us, as the modern day audience). He reminds us that God is not forgetful, and will reward those who faithfully work their labor of love in ministry. We are to remain vigilant and not become slothful in our pursuit of those labors of ministry. We are called to be a mission to the world, to draw the world in to the fullness of Christ. God grants us the diligence to persevere.

What is a Good Shepherd?

St. John 10:11-16

11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

13 The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

It is no secret here what Jesus is speaking about. He is talking about fly-by-night pastors who rush into a parish and has no thought about the people there, only what he can get from them. There are many such men out there who are out for a salary, a retirement, health care, or whatever. Many churches have been split by such a man.

Christ states that such a man is a hireling, who has no care for the sheep. When danger comes, he will dessert the sheep. Such is the ways of a greedy man, who, like Simon Magus, is just out for what he power he can get. Christ, on the other hand, speaks of being the Good Shepherd. The one who will lay down his life for his sheep. The one who will fight off the wolf on behalf of the sheep. What does this say about those who would lead the several congregations of the Body of Christ?

Those in Holy Orders are the shepherds. They are the direct descendants of the Apostles, who were taught directly by the “Good Shepherd”. Therefore, they are to be the shepherds of those God leads to them. They are to love and care for their flock, as well as to defend them from wolves who would come in to scatter and destroy their flocks. But there's a funny thing about wolves. They run in packs. So if the shepherd is defending his sheep from one, he is likely defending them from even more. Such is the case when it comes to the Church.

Our Bishops, as direct descendants of the authority given by Christ to the Apostles, are charged with defending the faith once delivered. It is they who are the gatekeepers. If they somehow go wrong, then problems arise (as in the case of the Episcopal Church). They must be the shepherds who draw the sheep back into the fold. Often, they are also called upon to fight. Sometimes, they are betrayed by wolves in sheep's clothing.

These are the times when the church must mobilize to help the Bishop defend the flock. Often, flocks of sheep were split up and followed different shepherds, yet they were owned by one owner. Such is the case with the Church. Each man in Holy Orders serves at the behest of the Bishop. It is their job and duty to defend the church from those who would attack it. However, sometimes, those very Priests are themselves wolves in disguise, just waiting on their chance to pounce. Sometimes, they are rustlers, looking to steal sheep from the flock to add to their own.

Remember the story Nathan told to David about the wealthy man who had many flocks of sheep and the poor man who had one solitary sheep. The wealthy man had a friend come to visit, and instead of slaughtering one of his own sheep for the meal, or one of his fattened calves, he stole the the sheep of the poor man and prepared it as a meal. Such things have been happening since the inception of the Continuing Church movement. As David's arrangement of Uriah the Hittite's death so that he could have Bathsheba, so the stealing of the flocks of other shepherds is wrong.

I make no secret of the fact that I am an advocate for unity among the Continuing Churches. There is just no since in having so many jurisdictions fussing and fighting with one another. We may all have a different shepherd, but, as Christ said in the Gospel for today, he will one day bring us all into one fold. We must work towards the day that this happens. We must forgive and work to be forgiven. We must put aside petty arguments in favor of unity. We must show ourselves true shepherds of the sheep of God, and strive to bring the lost sheep into the fold.

Christ laid down his life so that we, his sheep, may live. But he conquered death through his resurrection, which we such a short time ago celebrated. Are we going to follow his example and be good shepherds, or are we going to be the hired help, who have no care outside of the monetary gain we get for looking after the sheep pen? I would hope that we would choose to follow the example of our Lord, and lay down our lives for the sheep of our pasture. We are, after all, Priests, a word which comes from the word Presbyter, which means shepherd.

The Pharisee and the Publican

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, they start the Lenten season with the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee. I thought I would just touch on this today.

Luke 18:10-14

¹⁰Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

¹¹The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

¹²I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

¹³And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

¹⁴I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

The Faith of the Pharisee

Do we have a haughty faith? Do we believe that how we worship, and how we believe is the only way to worship and believe? Do we look down our noses at other people, who seem to struggle just a little more with sin than we do? This is the principal Jesus is speaking about here.

Notice how the prayer of the Pharisee comes across. Haughty, arrogant, and not exactly loving and accepting of others. He was looking down on the publican because he (the publican) was seen as a thief and swindler. He was pre-judging the man and thereby bringing judgment down upon himself. This is a theme that is found throughout the bible, even in the Psalms. The idea that the haughty will be brought low. This man got his reward when he prayed his public prayer exhaulting himself over another man.

Often times I find myself talking to someone whose idea of how things works in very narrow and limited. They speak out of ignorance of what other people do. How they believe, and how they live their lives. For instance, I come from the Charismatic movement, and often hear that movement referred to as "happy-clappy". Now, this may properly explain what goes on in a charismatic worship service, but it also has the effect of looking down on these people. Its as if the person who looks at them this way is disapproving of the way they worship God. As if what they do is not an authentic form of worship.

Now, to compare and contrast, I have also spoken with charismatics who look down their noses at people who worship using liturgy. They talk down about the repeated prayers, the rote, the ceremony and the lack of concentration on preaching. For them, this form of worship is "dead traditions of men". They say that the holy spirit is not even present in that form of worship, and the people are "like a sounding gong".

Now, both of these takes on the worship of others are based on a misunderstanding of exactly what is going on. Both of the examples are of people who refuse to see the other side as authentic forms of worship. The truth is, that God most likely enjoys both forms of worship. He enjoys the personal touch of the charismatic worship, with its individualistic form of worship, and its reliance upon listening to the word of God expounded upon for almost an hour after almost an hour of straight out singing and dancing.

Likewise, God enjoys the reverence given to him in the service of Holy Communion. The emphasis on the cross and the sacrifice given there. The focus being on the wine and the bread transformed into the body and blood of Christ, and the main part of the service not being the sermon, but communion itself.

But its not just our forms of worship that we get haughty about. A lot of the time, we hold people's sins against them, even when God has forgiven them. It is this unforgiveness that is at the root of the problem. When we see someone who has cheated on his wife, and has probably left her and married someone else, do we hold that sin against them? Does God truly forgive them for breaking that marriage covenant? Can someone living in this sin be forgiven by God? The answer is yes.

Often times, we do things when we are young, and even when we are older that we are not proud of. We commit all manner or sins against ourselves, against our fellow man, and against God. No one is perfect, though we are all called to "be perfect, even as our father in heaven is perfect". Which leads me to the publican.

The Faith of the Publican

The publican in the scripture is very humble. He is very meek. He is crying out to God to forgive him. The Eastern Orthodox have a prayer that is based on this prayer, which is called "The Jesus Prayer".

Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner.

This simple prayer is at the heart of how we should approach God. We are sinners. We are imperfect. We have done things that by right, God should turn his back on us and shun us for. However, God is merciful, and in approaching him asking for mercy, we are acknowledging that we are not right with him. We are acknowledging that it is we who need to be improved... who need to repent and be forgiven.

It is our attitude, and our pre-conceived notions about others that cause us to stumble. The biggest example I can give is the way we look down on gays. These are people who are just as much in need of the love of God as we are. They are dealing with their sin just like we are. They are loved and accepted by God, even if their lifestyle and their sin isn't. God is in the business of saving everyone, not just the pious few. Of course, there is a decision on the part of those God loves to reciprocate that love, and to serve him. Some choose to do so, others don't. But it is not for us to judge whether their heart is right or not. Only God knows that.

Which brings me back to the being humble part. We all sin and fall short of the glory of God. We all have things in our lives that put up a wall between God and us. Just because we are not Gay doesn't make their sin any more horrible, and ours any less horrible in the eyes of God. Sin is sin, and it separates us from God no matter who we are. We are not worthy to look into the eyes of God. We are not worthy so much as to be in his presence. However, through what Christ did on the cross, which we celebrate every Sunday at Holy Communion, we have a means of approaching God. A means of having life breathed into us.

We must approach God as the Publican approached him. In a humble, lowly manner. Not as the Pharisee approached him, pointing out the faults of others while looking down our noses at them. We are called to be much better than that.

God help us to be the people you have called us to be.

Kontakion for the Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee:

Let us flee from the pride of the Pharisee!

And learn humility from the Publican's tears!

Let us cry to our Savior,

Have mercy on us,

Only merciful One!

Being missional minded in an Anglo-Catholic church.

I am often struck by the cohesion of the small little group that gathers on Sundays at Blessed Sacrament Church. Most of them are aging people well past the prime of their lives. From the Priest, who is 70 years old, to the server, who is two years older. From the two little old ladies who attend Mass regularly, to the wife of the server, who plays the organ. The mean age of the congregation I serve is roughly 68 years old. That's not to say we don''t have some younger people. Counting my family, we have three other young families in the church, as well as a couple of middle aged families. The problem is, most of those families come sporadically.

So, with all that in mind, its hard to think about Blessed Sacrament in a missional since. We're having trouble just getting our own involved in what's going on. But the question becomes, how do we step out of our little paradigm and reach out to the culture around us? Specially with older people who tend to be very conservative in their dealings with others.

I think the answer lies in networking with other churches in the area, whether they be Anglican, Catholic, Protestant, or what not. I think it lies in reaching out in our own little way to the community by feeding the hungry; clothing those that need clothed; by making sure people with no place to go or live have shelter over their heads. But how does a small church with a budget of roughly $2000 a month (if that) do this?

That is my dilemma as I look towards the future of working in my present parish. I don't have all the answers, but I trust that God will provide the things we need when we need them in his good time. And in this Thanksgiving season, I am merely thankful that I have a good group of people to worship God with.

Watch yourself.

I have an acquaintance who was recently arrested. He made some very bad decisions and as a result, his family is suffering. His wife is going through the emotional turmoil of having her children ask her where daddy is, and not having an answer to give them. Furthermore, the crime committed was of a nature that it directly attacked their marriage, and she is wondering whether to divorce or not. All of this happened because of an excuse that was used. It was all about ministry.

When we minister to people, we have to be very careful of who we are ministering to, and what things can happen if we allow them. This guy was ministering to a female minor and got caught in the trap laid by the enemy of our soul. What's worse, he and his wife were in councilling over this issue (that of him ministering to a minor of the opposite sex). He kept making the statement that his wife (and his pastor) were hampering his ministry. One thing led to another, and now he is in jail for statutory rape and indecent liberties with a minor. And it was all about his ministry.

Let me be clear about something here. You, me, this guy, we do not have a ministry. What we have is what God gives us. God will not lead us into things that will cause us to stumble in the things that he holds dear (like the covenant of marriage). This guy used the excuse of ministry to get close with someone of the opposite sex who was not his wife. He thought it was his ministry, and he didn't take safeguards to ensure that he kept himself pure for his wife. He got burned by the oldest trap in the book. Now he is looking at prison time, being labeled as a sexual predator for the rest of his life, and the possible break up of his family.

We need to watch ourselves when we minister to others, specially when those others are of the opposite sex. If you are a Priest and have confession with a member of the opposite sex, it might be a good idea to have someone within sight (though not within hearing distance) to keep things (even appearances) honest. A good rule of thumb is never minister to a member of the opposite sex without your wife present. See yourself and your wife as a ministry team... a stronger two rope chord (three when you add Christ at the center). Be careful out there and remember there are always traps being set by the enemy of your soul. Don't fall as this guy fell. Don't fall for the trap.

Unconditional Love

I sometimes surprise my wife with the love I show to her. She often asks me how I can love her even when she is being grumpy. My answer is always that I love her with the love of Christ. That I try to love her the way Christ loves me... unconditionally. Early in our marriage, she found it even harder because she had no concept of that kind of love. In her family, love was shown in what you could do for one another. You showed love by going and doing the dishes, or helping with family chores. Where that can be showing love, more than often, its just getting the chores done.

In contrast, my family was very close, and my parents showed love to us for who we were, not for what we could do for them. I had a Godly man leading my family by being a man, and a Godly woman supporting him. It was through my father that I learned to love. Through his example of how he loved my mother, I learned the concept of showing a woman unconditional love.

Likewise, I saw how my mother respected my father, and turned to him even when she wasn't quite sure he knew how to deal with a situation. She trusted him to God, and trusted God with him. It was their relationship that ultimately taught me how to love my wife.

Love

There are also biblical principals that teach us how to have a relationship with one another as man and wife. In Ephesians chapter 5, Paul has the following to say:

22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.

29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Take particular note of the last verse. That states the whole passage in a nutshell. The man is to love his wife as himself (and by extension, as Christ), and the woman is to reverence (or respect) her husband. So the call to a man, and the example set to my by my own earthly father, is to love his wife. But not just to love her, to agape her. The English language does not have a word strong enough to convey the essence of agape. We can say the phrase “unconditional love”, but even that does not convey the whole essence of agape. It is a one way love. It is without condition, without judgment, without holding the faults of the other against them. A man cannot fully give agape to his wife, because he, unlike God, is capable of sin. He is capable of falling into the traps of his flesh. But he can some very close by showing her us unconditional a love as he is humanly possible, even unto dying for her.

Respect

Now, as for women, Paul gives instructions to them as well. The woman's charge is to respect her husband. Men work in the world of respect. There is no example better than in an environment where there are only men.

I am a Correctional Officer by trade (as some of you may already know), and I work in an environment where respect is everything. The quickest way to a fight in a prison environment (specifically a male prison environment, a female prison environment is different) is to show disrespect to someone. Men are martial by nature, and develop pecking orders. If you don't respect the pecking order, you are liable to get beaten down until you respect it, or disrespect it enough to get yourself killed. Of course, there is the other side of the coin, where you move up by challenging those above you and gaining the respect (and fear) of the other men.

So many times, I see female officers come into the environment and cause waves because she does not properly know how to show respect to the men. It creates an environment of confusion in that the established order is upset (naturally, as the woman is now the person in authority). If this situation creates confusion in an environment of only men, then just think what it creates in the environment of the home when the woman does not show respect to her husband (or her sons). This respect is very important for more than one reason. It upholds the man in his position as the leader of the household. If the woman is the leader, it shows weakness on the part of the man, and that weakness passes on to any male children that are in that home. They are not properly taught the relationship between a man and a women as it should properly be.

So, for the woman to gain the love that she so longs for, she has to show her husband respect, even when she feels he has not earned it. Even when she feels he is being juvenile. If the woman shows the respect that the man needs, he will feel secure in his environment. When the man feels secure, he is properly able to show the love he has for his wife. Instead of competing with her for control of the household, he is loving her in a way that speaks directly to her heart. Likewise, it will show the children of the household (both male and female) the proper means of relationship between a man and a woman.

What it is not

Now, I have shown how the relationship should be established on the concept of the woman repsecting the man and the man loving the woman. Let me now speak on the abuses that occur. Many times, the man thinks because he has the leadership position, that he can lord it over his wife and children. He becomes a tyrant in his own home and creates an environment of fear and loathing. In this environment, it is really tough for a woman to respect a man, and it teaches the wrong values to the offspring. It teaches a destructive form of control that leads to much heartache. We have to be wise in our establishment of the relationship we have married couples. Because each member of the marriage has specific things they are called to do.

The man is called to support, provide, and secure the home. If there is a bump in the night, it is the responsibility of the man to go investigate it. If there is discipline that needs to be meted out, it should be at the hands of the man. Why? Because of the calling of the woman.

The woman is called to be the emotional support mechanism of the family. She is the nurse, and the councilor of the family. Because of this role, it should not be the woman who does the discipline (unless there is no man in the picture to take care of it). In a proper family relationship, it should be the place of the woman to teach and train up the children (with the occasional help of the man). The woman is emotionally and physically set up for this task, and does it very well.

The man, on the other hand, is very brash. Men show their emotions in different ways than women do, and because of this, they cannot take the place of the woman. They are not set up to be an emotional support mechanism. They are not wired that way. Instead, they are wired in such a way that if there is a problem, its time to solve it. Many times, women know the solution to problems, but just want to have their feelings validated. Men, instead of doing the validating, will step in and solve the problem the woman already knows the answer to, thereby frustrating her. In that one moment of frustration, she strikes out, and with that striking out, shows the man disrespect. Naturally, the man is going to respond the only way he knows how. He's either going to throw his hands up in the air and argue at her, or he is going to shut down and walk away. Either way, the woman is not going to get her feelings validated.

If we can learn to avoid the things which create the strife between men and women, then we can work towards building our relationships in the way in which God would have us build them. Men can have the respect that they need to feel secure in their relationship with their wife, and women can have the love that they need to make them feel secure in their relationship with their husband. If the negative cycle is broken and replaced with a positive cycle, then hurting families will begin to see a change in their relationships. They will even be able to save a dying relationship. May God bless all our relationships.

Amen

Symbolism

As I have stated before, we are a market driven culture. Everything has a brand, and each brand has a symbol. These symbols send powerful messages to those around them. They advertise the company that they represent in a way that a 30 second ad on television or radio could never do. Everyone trademarks their symbol so that others can't steal them and use them. That's the kind of culture we have become. And that is a means we can approach others with the message of Christ.

As Christians, we have plenty of symbols that can speak to others of what we believe. The fish signifies that we are fishers of men. It is also a symbol of the provision Christ gives to us by reminding us of the feeding of the 5000, and the feeding of the 4000. But as most of the rest of Christianity, this symbol is under attack. I have heard that there are those that believe this is a pagan symbol, that originated in the worship of Dagon. The Mitre that our bishops wear is also linked by these people to the worship of Dagon.

The symbol may, truly, have been used in pagan worship, but it was used by Christians as a sort of password. One would draw an ark on the ground, and the other would complete it by drawing another ark over it, forming the fish. This is just one of the many symbols we have.

Another symbol that we have is the Chi Rho. It is an X with a larger P through it, for those who don't know. This was the symbol that Constantine was said to have seen in a dream, or in a vision, or in a cloud over the battlefield. It was the symbol used on the shields of his warriors. It actually became an imperial symbol later. It is simply the first two letters of the word Christos. It is a means of telling someone that you serve Christ without actually telling them.

Yet another is the IHS, which, also, is the first letters of Iesous, the Greek spelling of our Lord's name. It has also, wrongly, been said to mean “Jesus Hominum Salvator”, or Jesus, the savior of men. Ane when I walked in Protestant circles, I heard the words “In His Service” used for it too. So that is yet another symbol that can be used to represent our savior without actually spelling out his name.

Finally, I come to the symbol that is used pretty much universally (or catholicly if you will). That is the cross. The symbol itself was a form of tortuous death used by the Romans when they didn't want someone to die quickly. It literally suffocated a person to death. People could hang on them for days before they finally wore out and died of asphyxiation. Today, it is found in many different forms. From the Maltese Cross, to the Jerusalem Cross, to the simple cross used by Protestants. Catholics and Anglicans (and even some Methodists) use the Crucifix, which is a form of the cross with Christ on it. It reminds us of the suffering death our Lord suffered on our behalf. It is a powerful symbol to see while we are partaking of his body and blood in communion.

All of these symbols (and more) are evangelistic tools that, if used properly, can show forth the glory of our faith. Today's culture is a symbol driven culture. It is time we start using the symbols that Christians have used for two millenia to speak to the culture around us. They can be put on a t-shirt. On a necklace. On a bumper sticker. Anywhere you can think to put up a symbol, you can use one of our Christian symbols to let people know that we, the body of Christ, are here, and are ready to help them to the one who can heal their pain.

Dialog with the World

I'm in the process of reading Robbert Webber's "Ancient-Future" series of books. His idea of approaching the world through what he calls classical Christianity, the Christianity of the first 600 years, has fueled some thought in my mind about how to approach the younger generations with the Christian message, while still remaining in the context of Continuing Anglicanism. I believe the Continuing Anglican Movement has something to say to the postmodern world, and that through the liturgy, devotions and other aspects of how we approach Christianity, we can bring the newer generations back to the church. We don't have to change everything just to draw them in. All we have to do is change the way we communicate it to them.

The younger generation thinks in terms of symbolism. They do this because of the culture of communication around them. Everything is built around a trademark, or a brand. Your brand is how you are recognized. When you see a yellow colored M on top of a red rectangle, it conjures up an image in your mind. An image of hamburgers, fries, chicken nuggets, and a clown named Ronald McDonald. Likewise, when you see a cross, it conjures up images in your mind. Christ at the Last Supper. Christ on the mountain preaching. Christ on the cross being crucified.

We in the Continuing Anglican Movement still have the symbolic, though it has been couched in the modernistic approach where words and ideas are more important. To the youth of today, words aren't as important as ideas. They are a community driven culture, not an individualistic driven culture. We have to leave behind the ideas of individualism and embrace the idea of community. The same ideals the early church embraced. We have to engage the culture of today in a dialog as ambassadors of Christ, even as ambassadors of countries engage each other in dialog.

Too many times, we approach the culture with a "convert or die" attitude. That is an ultimatum, and it doesn't speak to the culture on a level that they will listen to. Especially since the culture has become relativistic. It sees truth as relative to the culture that it comes from. Emergent people call this a metanarrative, and the name actually fits. If each social group has its own narrative on the truth, then so does Christianity. What we have to do is convince this new culture that has risen in our country that the narrative that is the correct narrative, is the Christian. The the other narratives, while they do provide ideas, and truths and half-truths, are not the authentic article. They are going to have to be convinced that the narrative we have, the truth of a risen Christ, who has gained victory over evil, is the correct one.

Now, don't go thinking I'm running off into the Emergent movement. Nothing is further from the truth. However, I do think these people have something to say to us about how to approach the culture around us. Its not that we have to change Christianity to conform to the culture around us. That should never be a way to approach a culture with the Gospel of Christ. Instead, we have to convince the culture around us that the story of Jesus is relevant to them. That the story of what Jesus did on the cross is just as vital to them as it is to us.

I will focus on this more in the coming days and months, as well as on other things. For now, that is enough. Welcome to the Christian Herald.