A New Chapter in Ministry
This post is a departure from the kind I usually write because I want all of you who read Trinity and Humanity to know about a new chapter in ministry that will be starting for me this summer.
Sometime around July of this year I will be leaving my role as the pastor of the GCI congregations in Nashville and Murfreesboro, TN, and moving to North Carolina, where I grew up and my extended family lives. Once there my family and I will be joining the Episcopal Church and I will be pursuing ordination into the Episcopal Priesthood.
As I’m sure you can imagine, this is not a decision that we have come to lightly or quickly. Beth and I have spent much time in prayer and conversation over the last couple of years as we have sought to discern where Jesus is calling me in ministry.
There are several reasons I am entering the Episcopal Church. None of these reasons are salvation issues and they are all of secondary importance, but they are all important to me personally. I have a desire to be in a fellowship organized around the ancient three-fold ministry of bishops, elders, and deacons; I believe that the historic episcopate, linking the leadership of modern Christianity to its ancient roots, is valuable and is present in the Episcopal Church; I have a heart for sacramental theology and a personal preference for liturgical worship, especially as expressed in the Book of Common Prayer; and, finally, I have a desire to live in North Carolina, near my extended family, where there are many opportunities for ministry in the Episcopal Church.
I have written an essay entitled “Why I am Entering the Episcopal Church” that explains in more detail my decision. If you are interested in learning more about my thinking you can read the essay at this link: http://trinityandhumanity.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/why-i-am-entering-the-episcopal-church.pdf
Here’s a quote from page 6 of the essay that summarizes the conclusions I have come to:
I believe that just as there is a mainstream, orthodox understanding of Christianity based on the Bible and the creeds so there is also a mainstream, orthodox ecclesiology based on the three-fold ministry of bishops, elders, and deacons. This ecclesiology has its roots in the earliest days of Christianity and it has been handed down, through the historic episcopate, to our modern age of the Church.
I have spent my entire life in GCI and I love GCI and the people here. I believe that GCI has a bright future. The decision to live my Christian life in another part of the Body of Christ is not an easy one but I plan to remain as connected as possible with all of my friends in GCI.
I am also looking forward to continuing my ministry with Tim, Nan, and John here at Trinity and Humanity. I will continue blogging here through the coming months of this transition and after I enter the Episcopal Church. The conversations that we have here together, and the gospel words of encouragement that we share with each other, are an important part of my spiritual life and a major part of my ministry. I thank the Father, Son, and Spirit for each one of you and look forward to continuing our conversations about the gospel in the years ahead – even as a new chapter of ministry begins for me.
~ Jonathan Stepp
Epiphany for a gentile
Filed under: Bible, By John Stonecypher, Fiction, Gospel, The Plan of Adoption |
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Imagine you are a member of an ancient tribe. The earth is chock-full of gods, but the one who lives in your area is the one who affects your life. You have carefully groomed this deity with gifts and flattery (a.k.a., “worship”), so that he will think positively of you and grant you occasional favors. If you have been really diligent in your flattery, you can have some reasonable expectation that your god will save you from your enemies (who, coincidentally, have the same arrangement with their gods).
As far as you can tell, the nearby tribe of Jews seems to have a similar relationship with their “Yahweh.” Just like you, they work hard at stroking their god’s ego, and they feed him lots of whatever food he likes (Yahweh seems partial to blood and meat), and they expect him to send them a “Messiah” to crush their enemies. Good for them.
But one of the Jewish splinter groups believes that Yahweh has already sent their Messiah, this Jesus. Okay, whatever. But here’s the weird part: They are saying that their messiah is your savior, that their Yahweh has crushed your enemies. That Jesus is not only the Messiah of the Jews, but is also the Savior of the whole world and all the people in it. Huh?
Here’s their logic: They say Yahweh is not just their local deity, but the Creator of everything, the God of gods (including yours). They say Yahweh’s kindness to them is a gift, not dependent on the quality of their sacrifices and worship. Taking the weirdness even further, they say Yahweh has been kind to them for the express purpose of extending his unconditional kindness to all people, including you. They call this “the mystery of the ages” (Ephesians 3.6). It’s a mystery alright…
But if they’re right, if this Jesus is what they say he is, it means the world does not work the way you think it does. This is worth thinking about more…
Sermon: We Believe in the Body of Christ, Part 10A
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Church, Evangelism, Gospel, Perichoresis |
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This message continues to reflect on the difference between the Church and the World even though everyone is already included in the Love and Life of God the Father, Son and Spirit, through Jesus and by Grace. Particularly, the Truth of the Body of Christ as a Person is clarified and contrasted against tendencies we have in the Church toward consumerism, religiosity and success thinking; things that lie behind the incongruency and deadness of our personal and collective lives.
Sermon: Unto Us a Child is Born
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Gospel, Perichoresis, Trinity |
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As our celebration of Christmas continues we hear the Spirit speak to us in the prophecies of Simeon and Anna, spoken over the infant Jesus in the temple.
Making a Way in the Desert
Filed under: By Nan Kuhlman, Christian Living, The Plan of Adoption, Uncategorized | Tags: Gabby Giffords, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, Hope, Jeff Zaslow, joy, loss, Mark Kelly, sadness, trials
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The media has been featuring the best (and worst) of 2011, and like many of you, I am sucked into watching these list-making programs just to see a summary of what really made headlines in 2011. One of the year’s most-covered stories was about the shooting of Representative Gabby Giffords in Arizona and her subsequent work of recovery from a traumatic brain injury.
Giffords and her husband Mark Kelly’s memoir, called Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope, was recently released in November. As the story goes, the couple was looking forward to consulting a fertility specialist in early 2011 and hopefully having their first child by the end of the year. This past Christmas ended up being very different from what they pictured a year ago, yet they still press forward. Kelly shared his thoughts on the events of the year with author Jeff Zaslow:
You don’t get the life you planned. That’s what Gabby and I have learned. When things look bad, the only answer is to find a path through it. What other choice do you have?
Gabby and Mark have learned that it’s possible to still find joy and hope, even in the most trying of circumstances. Maybe you find yourself in their camp this year, stretched to your limit and trying to find a path through it, wondering if it’s even possible to have joy after suffering such disappointment and trouble. Maybe you’re even wondering if God hears or cares about your misfortune and pain.
The nation of Judah had similar doubts about God’s care and concern for them, and the prophet Isaiah encouraged them (and us) by reminding them they were God’s special treasure:
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze…Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland…(Isaiah 43:2, 18-19, NIV).
The promise of “making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland” is still true for us today. Even as we encounter trouble and misfortune, we are never alone. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are with us, keeping our heads above water, our feet from being burned. The Triune God helps us find a new path through whatever circumstances we face. And as Gabby Giffords and Mark Kelly have learned, the new path, though different from our original plans, can have its own hope and joy.
~by Nan Kuhlman
Christmas: Let The World Rejoice!
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Christian Living, Gospel, Perichoresis, Trinity, Worship |
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The Lectionary prescribes three Psalms for Christmas: Psalms 96, 97, and 98. They are remarkable pieces of ancient poetry and they have several themes in common that help us understand Christmas.
All three focus on the Lord’s victory over evil. For example: “proclaim the good news of his salvation” (96:2) “A fire goes before him and burns up his enemies on every side” (97:3) and “With his right hand and his holy arm has he won for himself the victory” (98:2). The coming of the Son of God as the Son of Man means the end of Satan’s deathly and deceptive sway over humanity. The true King of Creation has been born and he will drive out the false god of this world.
All three call us to worship. For example: “Sing to the Lord a new song” (96:1) “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous” (97:12) and “lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing” (98:5). The birth of the Word of God as the man Jesus Christ calls us to worship, celebration, and song. In fact, the Lectionary provides three sets of scripture readings for the Nativity of the Lord because it is based on the assumption that we will gather for worship on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. What else would the Church be doing? As a holy priesthood in Christ (1 Peter 2:5) we join with the heavenly chorus of angels to proclaim the Savior’s birth.
All three call all of humanity, and the whole creation to worship. For example: “Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples; ascribe to the Lord honor and power” (96:7) “let the earth rejoice” (97:1) and “Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands” (98:5). The Creator’s entrance into his creation as the Last Adam, who undoes the sin of humanity and makes the whole creation new, is an event that calls heaven and earth, the sea and the mountains, and the whole of humanity to shout for joy and sing with praise.
In the birth of Jesus we see that the plan of God is moving forward. Evil is being conquered, the Kingdom is growing, and one day the heavens, the earth, and all people will be raised up in the newness of resurrected life because of who Jesus is. For now, in this time between his first and second Advent, we do not yet see all people praising him or the whole earth rejoicing at his presence. But the ancient words of his servant Israel, preserved in Psalms 96-98, remind us to never give up hope, love, joy, or peace, because the Lord of hope, who is Love, and whose Spirit is Joy – the one who is the King of Peace – has been born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem and in his birth the rebirth of the whole cosmos has begun.
~ Jonathan Stepp
Sermon: We Believe in the Body of Christ, Part 9B
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Church, Gospel, Perichoresis, Sermons, Trinity |
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So, who is the Church AND what is the difference between the Church and the World if Everyone is already Included in the Love and Life of God the Father, Son and Spirit, through Jesus and by Grace? The last few messages in this series on the Nicene Creed are an attempt to clarify some good Gospel answers to that question.
Christmas: A Cultural Exchange – of Sorts!
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Gospel, Perichoresis, Relationships, The Plan of Adoption, Trinity |
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Our youngest daughter is thrilled and apprehensive about her involvement in her local high school’s cultural exchange program. That’s understandable considering the fact the she will fly 14 hours away from our home in America to China for two entire months, staying with a “strange” family, eating “strange” food, and visiting “strange” places – including her temporary high school that contains 20,000 students! I’m sure you can see how our entire family is thrilled and apprehensive – thrilled by the educational opportunity, adventure and travel abroad, and apprehensive about her safety, the cost, (did I mention the cost? Yowsa, we signed up to pay what?!?! Ha-Ha!)
Of course, this exchange program also involves a young person from China coming to stay in our home for two months and taking in all of the “strangeness” of American culture, and being thrilled and apprehensive, too! Imagine calling our American culture “strange”! hmmpf! (Tee-hee…)
As we sat in one of the many meetings last night, thoroughly discussing the details and careful preparations for the exchange, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between this high school cultural exchange and the cultural exchange of the Gospel emphasized at Christmas – AND THE VAST AND ASTONISHINGLY AWESOME DIFFERENCES!
Some similarities between a high school cultural exchange and the Son of God given to us at Christmas in Jesus are:
None!!!
Because, in the first instance, it would have never crossed our minds to think of anything this good apart from God thinking it up and sharing it with us! HaHa! Second, the high school cultural exchange is temporary – only two months, and God was not just interested in visiting with us temporarily and then going back home – ever. At Christmas we are reminded that God was interested in making our flesh His home, sharing His Life and Love with us forever as we are! Plus, it’s one thing for God to get to us, but how are we going to get to Him – the created life to the uncreated Life? As the Apostle John writes, “No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.”
In other words, we CAN’T get to God apart from God Himself so we need the “impossible” to happen if we are going to get all of the goodness of God! We need someone who can be both God AND man. We need One who can share the things of man with God and who can share the things of God with man so that there is real, abiding, eternal union and cultural exchange with God and Man forever!
In fact, much of the early Church fathers speak of the coming of the Son of God into our humanity as an exchange.
As reaffirmed on a Wikipedia article entitled “Divinization”:
According to Jonathan Jacobs, there were many and varied appeals to divinization in the writings of the Church Fathers.] As what he asserts is “just a small sample”, he lists the following:
- St. Irenaeus of Lyons stated that God “became what we are in order to make us what he is himself.”
- St. Clement of Alexandria says that “he who obeys the Lord and follows the prophecy given through him . . . becomes a god while still moving about in the flesh.”
- St. Athanasius wrote that “God became man so that men might become gods.”
- St. Cyril of Alexandria says that we “are called ‘temples of God’ and indeed ‘gods’, and so we are.”
- St. Basil the Great stated that “becoming a god” is the highest goal of all.
- St. Gregory of Nazianzus implores us to “become gods for (God’s) sake, since (God) became man for our sake.”
Referring to such declarations by the Fathers, the Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church says that the central tenet of deification is that, through the incarnation of his Son, God has called human beings to share God’s own life in the Son. It quotes Athanasius: “The Word became flesh … that we, partaking of his Spirit, might be deified” (De Decretis, 14); and Cyril of Alexandria: “We have all become partakers of Him, and have Him in ourselves through the Spirit. For this reason we have become partakers of the divine nature” (In Ioannem, 9).
In his book “The Mediation of Christ”, p.64, Thomas F. Torrance clarifies that, “The Greek Fathers used to speak of that experience as theopoiesis or theosis which does not mean ‘divinisation’, as is so often supposed, but refers to the utterly staggering act of God in which he gives himself to us and adopts us into the communion of his divine life and love through Jesus Christ and in his one Spirit, yet in such a way that we are not made divine but are preserved in our humanity.”
Wow!
At our cultural exchange meeting last night, one of the American hosts spoke of how awkward the first two weeks of having a Chinese student in their home was, but that at the end everyone was crying and saying “I love you” to each other as the student headed back home! How sad! BUT what the Gospel says to us at Christmas (if we are willing to listen) is that the cultural exchange of God giving Himself to us and ourselves to Him in his Son, Jesus, and by the Spirit, is Love, Relationship, Fellowship, Communion and Conversation that will never end! How Glad!
Torrance again, “Because in Jesus Christ human nature is perfectly and indivisibly united to God the Creator, he constituted in his humanity the ontological source and ground of the being of every man and woman, whether they know him or not, but to those who receive and believe in him he is the One in whom and through whom they may be born anew as sons and daughters of the heavenly Father”. I’m receiving Him (Who has already received us!) this Christmas, how about you?
~ Timothy J. Brassell
Sermon: We Believe in the Body of Christ, Part 9A
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Church, Gospel, Perichoresis, Sermons, Trinity |
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So, who is the Church AND what is the difference between the Church and the World if Everyone is already Included in the Love and Life of God the Father, Son and Spirit, through Jesus and by Grace? The last few messages in this series on the Nicene Creed are an attempt to clarify some good Gospel answers to that question.
Rudolph and the Bullies
Filed under: By Nan Kuhlman, Christian Living, Love, Relationships | Tags: bullies, bullying, Dan Pearce, I'm Christian unless you're gay, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Single Dad Laughing
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“All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names. They wouldn’t let poor Rudolph join in any reindeer games.” (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)
Even when it comes to a time of year that’s known for its holiday cheer and goodwill to all men, bullying rears its ugly head. Take a look at the holiday classic, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Because Rudolph was different from the other reindeer, he wasn’t included in their festivities and games. Santa Claus and even Rudolph’s own family declined to stick up for him, and as a result, he ended up running away. Although it’s never called bullying in the show, it’s clear to see what happens when others are excluded for being different from the norm.
It’s easy to commiserate with Rudolph. After all, everyone has felt unacceptable and excluded at some time in their lives. But how often do we find ourselves in the position of the other reindeer, bullying and excluding others, or in the position of Santa and Rudolph’s family, where we fail to stick up for those who are being bullied?
I recently read a blog post by Dan Pearce, whose Single Dad Laughing blog has reported 14 million page views and over 75,000 comments since its inception in July 2010. The post was titled “I’m Christian, unless you’re gay?” (http://www.danoah.com/2011/11/im-christian-unless-youre-gay.html) and its message was convicting. Although the title made it sound as if it was about the tendency of many Christians to judge and condemn homosexuals, the post was actually more about our need to feel right about ourselves, even if the way we do that is by labeling others as wrong. It was about how we look down on others who may look differently, act differently, or believe differently from us. The post pointed out how we feel threatened by anyone who isn’t like us, and how we retaliate by bullying, in a loving way, of course. Just like the other reindeer.
Those other reindeer were harassing Rudolph to get him to conform, even though he physically couldn’t. They thought they were being helpful in their correction, excluding him from their games until he shaped up and wore the uncomfortable black fake nose so he would look like everyone else. The result was that Rudolph felt so alone and unloved that he ran away. The saddest thing is that many people feel just like Rudolph felt, unacceptable and excluded. Unfortunately, some take even more drastic measures than Rudolph did.
This Christmas season, we have an opportunity to respond another way to those who are different from us. We can remember that we are all “misfit toys” in need of restoration and care. And since each person is precious and unique in the eyes of the Triune God, our Christmas wish should be for the ability to see others the way that the Father, Son, and Spirit see each person. Bullying would cease, and we would experience true peace and goodwill to all.
~by Nan Kuhlman