Some stuff worth reading...
The annual lists have begun...
My Top 10 Theology Stories of 2024
www.thegospelcoalition.org
Collin Hansen reviews 2024 and wonders whether Christianity has become so transgressive in Western culture that it’s on the verge of cool.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Carols: Angels from the realms of glory
One of the remarkable truths captured in this carol is the nature of our reaction to God's grace, in the birth of Jesus. For the shepherds, - marginalised, unclean and distrusted - God came to live with them. For the sages - wise in their contemplations and caught in their own wisdom - God grants them the 'desire of the nations'. For the saints - those longing for God's promise to be kept - God comes and greets them. For the sinners - broken in condemnation - God breaks their chains and frees them. In all of them, worship is coming to God and giving him what he deserves, because we have seen/experienced how he has met us in our need.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for living with the marginalised, humbling the wise, greeting the saints, and saving the sinners - all through Jesus alone. Amen.
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Some stuff worth reading...
This one stretches the grey matter, but it is a helpful exposure of an analysis of our culture in the West that is profound... www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/modernity-byung-chul-han/
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Carols: Angels from the realms of glory
Everywhere you look in the birth accounts of Jesus, humans are reactionary - none of the human actors initiate anything - they react to whatever God has done. Maty reacts to the Holy Spirit bringing her to pregnancy. Joseph reacts to what is revealed to him by the Lord. The shepherds react to the proclamation of the angels. The wise men react to what the Lord has revealed through natural phenomenon.
God initiates everything, and we humans react - we respond to the revelation of God. And that, if we stop and think about it, is the nature of the grace of God that lies at the heart of the birth narratives: God must initiate because we are dead in our sins that we would never, of our own free will, return to him.
Prayer:
Father, thank you that you are proactive, and thank you for the grace of your activity. Amen.
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Carols: Angels from the realms of glory
You can catch yesterday's sermon on 'Silent night' here: narrabrianglican.org/resources/sermons-talks/
'Angels from the realms of glory' is not one of the most well-known carols. And yet, it captures the reactionary essence of the Christmas events - we do not initiate the Incarnation, and all it brings - we react to it, as recipients of God's grace and coming... we'll look at that a little later this week. But now, here is what I found about its history as a carol...
This carol was composed by James Montgomery, in 1825 (a version was initially published in 1816). His original had five stanzas, with a repeated refrain; stanza 6 was added from a Montgomery poem on Philippians 2, and stanza 7 later on. James Montgomery led an interesting life. His parents died when he was young while they were on a missions trip in the West Indies. He was raised by Moravians in Ireland, a group known for its passion for the gospel and missions. He became involved in a newspaper later called the Sheffield Iris, and used that paper to advocate for justice against the societal evils of his day – slavery, the mistreatment of workers, etc. Another love of his was for writing poetry. Even famous poets like Shelley and Byron thought of him highly. In fact, he was the Poet Laureate of England, given an annual pension for the last 19 years of his life by the Prime Minister, to write poetry! And he used his love for poetry to express his sometimes radical views – in fact, some of his poetry led to his imprisonment! Montgomery had firm views on what made a good hymn: ‘a hymn must have a beginning, a middle, and an end… there should be a manifest gradation in thoughts’. He is considered the first true English hymnologist.
(calvarysimpsonville.org/the-story-behind-angels-from-the-realms-of-glory/)
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your people, and the gifts you grant them. Amen.
Sermons / Talks | https://narrabrianglican.org/resources/sermons-talks/
narrabrianglican.org
Genesis recounts three great truths: how this world began, how this world was broken, and how this world will be fixed. At the heart of each truth is God. And at the heart of what God does is His comm...0 CommentsComment on Facebook