tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71078872024-03-17T23:03:43.446-04:00Not Another Episcopal Church BlogAn unsanctioned, underground forum from a blogger in the Upstate of South Carolina.Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.comBlogger1935125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-25859922021781623552024-03-17T00:00:00.049-04:002024-03-17T00:00:00.239-04:00The Order of Melchizedek<p>This Sunday's reading from Hebrews 5:5-10 hearkens back to Genesis,</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b> So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,</b></p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>‘You are my Son,</b></p><p><b> today I have begotten you’;</b></p><p><b>as he says also in another place,</b></p><p><b>‘You are a priest for ever,</b></p><p><b> according to the order of Melchizedek.’</b></p></blockquote><p><b></b></p><p><b>In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.</b></p></blockquote><p>Who was Melchizedek? Go back to Genesis 14:17-20, NIV,</p><p><b></b></p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b>After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand." Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.</b></blockquote><p></p><p>Melchizedek seems to be the first priest of God, and he was a king. His order is mentioned in Psalm 110:4,</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><b>The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."</b></blockquote><p></p><p>In researching how this applies to Jesus, I came across this comment in a discussion group, </p><p></p><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;">"...the name Melchizedek, like most Biblical names is also a regular word, in this case two words «Melech-Tzadik», meaning roughly «King-Priest». The significance of Jesus belonging to the order of king-priests, or holy-kings is that he, as the Messiah would ultimate replace both kingly and priestly orders existing at his times, by combining the two in himself."</blockquote><p>Agreed.</p><p>I hope that clears things up.</p><p style="font-weight: bold;"> </p><p></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-28720815064402012492024-03-13T00:00:00.001-04:002024-03-13T00:00:00.236-04:00When Does Life Begin?<p> The <a href="https://publichealth.jhu.edu/2024/the-alabama-supreme-courts-ruling-on-frozen-embryos" target="_blank">recent decision</a> by the Alabama Supreme Court that frozen in vitro blastocysts (approximately 58 cells), commonly called embryos but perhaps better termed pre-embryos, have personhood has led to considerable debate about everything except the underlying problem of determining when does human life begin. </p><p>I am not going to solve that problem here today, but I am reminded of a joke. </p><p>A major disaster occurred and thousands of people showed up at the Pearly Gates all at once. The angel in charge decided to process the priests, ministers, and rabbis first in hopes that they would be easy to judge. The angel brought three forward and told them that they would have to answer a simple question correctly or go back to the end of the line. First up was the Catholic priest, and the angel asked him, "When does life begin?" The priest answered, "I know that one. It is at the moment of conception." "Wrong, go to the back of the line," said the angel. Next up came the rabbi to whom the angel asked the same question. The rabbi responded, "I know this. It is at the moment the baby takes its first breath after leaving the womb." "Sorry, go to the end of the line," said the angel. The protestant minister was next, and after hearing the same question and the last two wrong answers said, "For me it was after the dog died and the kids moved out." The angel laughed and said, "Nice try but back you go too." The angel looked at the line of people and asked if any mere Christians were there. One couple came forward. The angel looked at them, glanced down at the Book of Life, and asked, "When does life begin?" The man and woman looked at each other, nodded, and replied, "Lord knows." The horns blew, the Pearly Gates swung open, and they entered into their heavenly reward.</p><p>Okay I added the couple to the joke.</p><p>From a scientific standpoint, the blastocyst should be considered a potential baby (or babies if twins or more form after implantation). In the course of in-vivo fertilization, implantation, and development of the placental blood supply a lot of things can and do go wrong. Only the Lord knows how many failed conceptions occur in the course of an individual woman's reproductive years, but scientists believe it is a high number. </p><p>Oral contraceptives and intrauterine devices prevent implantation. Do they run afoul of Alabama law?</p><p>I think the Catholic Church was right back in the 1960's when they warned us that the birth control pill would open us up to all sorts of potential problems down the road. The least of which is that we now play God with reproduction, and this becomes obvious in the case of in-vitro fertilization although most obvious in the case of elective abortion. </p><p>At the present time there is no universal consensus as to the answer posed by our hypothetical angel in the joke above. The Alabama Supreme Court ruling sounds like the judgement that I myself might make if I were to sit in a human court, but the mere Christian answer is probably the best one that I could come with if my soul was on the line.</p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-85885119884787344892024-03-10T00:00:00.047-05:002024-03-10T00:00:00.180-05:00The gift of God<p> This Sunday's reading from Ephesians 2:1-10 is packed so study it well.</p><p></p><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;">You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.</blockquote><p>As Protestants, we tend to focus on being saved by the grace of God and brought into faith, and we are not saved not by good works. We sometimes have to remind our Roman Catholic brethren that true good works will be done because of faith. </p><p>I once knew a man named Dieu-donne Guidry whose name in Cajun French means "God's gift". While he was a great man, and to his mother he was God's gift, we know that the real gift God gives us in His loving grace.</p><p></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-90715988602081386202024-03-06T00:00:00.001-05:002024-03-06T00:00:00.141-05:00Episcopal News Service Site Deemed Dangerous by Norton <p> The other day I heard that the Episcopal Organization was going make disciplinary charges against its bishops more transparent. I thought the Episcopal News Service had the report so I tried to go to that site, but my Norton anti-virus program blocked me with the following warning, </p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">!</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-size: large;">This site contains deceptive content</span></b></p><p><b>Web Shield has detected a variety of phishing items on static.addtoany.com that might attempt to trick you into installing harmful software on your computer and revealing your sensitive personal information, such as passwords, bank account information, etc.</b></p></blockquote><p> How true.</p><p>If you want to see who is under investigation right now, go to the <a href="https://www.episcopalchurch.org/pastoral-development/title-iv-for-bishops/current-cases/" target="_blank">Episcopal Organization's pages here</a>.</p><p>This is the current list,</p><ul class="kb-table-of-content-list kb-table-of-content-list-columns-1 kb-table-of-content-list-style-disc kb-table-of-content-link-style-underline" style="background-color: #f7f7f7; box-sizing: border-box; color: #404040; font-family: gill-sans-nova, sans-serif; font-size: 1.15rem; line-height: 1.2em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; margin: var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem) 0 0 0; padding-left: 1.75em;"><li><a class="kb-table-of-contents__entry" href="https://www.episcopalchurch.org/pastoral-development/title-iv-for-bishops/current-cases/#bishop-prince-singh-abusive-behavior" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1em; transition: color 85ms ease-in 0s;">Bishop Prince Singh (Abusive Behavior)</a></li><li><a class="kb-table-of-contents__entry" href="https://www.episcopalchurch.org/pastoral-development/title-iv-for-bishops/current-cases/#bishop-prince-singh-improper-behaviordioceseofrochester" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1em; transition: color 85ms ease-in 0s;">Bishop Prince Singh (Improper Behavior–Diocese of Rochester)</a></li><li><a class="kb-table-of-contents__entry" href="https://www.episcopalchurch.org/pastoral-development/title-iv-for-bishops/current-cases/#bishop-john-howard-discrimination" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1em; transition: color 85ms ease-in 0s;">Bishop John Howard (Discrimination)</a></li><li><a class="kb-table-of-contents__entry" href="https://www.episcopalchurch.org/pastoral-development/title-iv-for-bishops/current-cases/#bishop-john-howard-financial" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1em; transition: color 85ms ease-in 0s;">Bishop John Howard (Financial)</a></li><li><a class="kb-table-of-contents__entry" href="https://www.episcopalchurch.org/pastoral-development/title-iv-for-bishops/current-cases/#bishop-paulgordon-chandler" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1em; transition: color 85ms ease-in 0s;">Bishop Paul-Gordon Chandler</a></li><li style="margin-bottom: 0px;"><a class="kb-table-of-contents__entry" href="https://www.episcopalchurch.org/pastoral-development/title-iv-for-bishops/current-cases/#presiding-bishop-michael-curry-bishop-todd-ousley" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 1em; transition: color 85ms ease-in 0s;">Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Bishop Todd Ousley</a></li></ul><div><span style="color: #404040; font-family: gill-sans-nova, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.4px;"><br /></span></span></div><div>PB Curry huh?</div><div><br /></div><div>Poor Bishop Howard, his Title IV complaint alleged discrimination against LGBTQ clergy. </div><div><br /></div><div>I wish I had filed Title IV complaints about my former Episcopal bishop for failure to guard the faith after he decided to allow same-sex blessings just to see how quickly my complaint would have been squashed in comparison to how seriously complaints from LGBTQ clergy are taken.</div><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-81140872242934221582024-03-03T00:00:00.038-05:002024-03-03T00:00:00.128-05:00Cœli enarrant (The Heavens Explain)<p> Psalm 19 is called Cœli enarrant after the first line of the first verse. Enarrant means "explain" or "describe" which I think is a better way to represent what looking at the night sky can do for a person. </p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>1 The heavens declare the glory of God, *</b></p><p><b>and the firmament shows his handiwork.</b></p><p><b>2 One day tells its tale to another, *</b></p><p><b>and one night imparts knowledge to another.</b></p><p><b>3 Although they have no words or language, *</b></p><p><b>and their voices are not heard,</b></p><p><b>4 Their sound has gone out into all lands, *</b></p><p><b>and their message to the ends of the world.</b></p><p><b>5 In the deep has he set a pavilion for the sun; *</b></p><p><b>it comes forth like a bridegroom out of his chamber;</b></p><p><b>it rejoices like a champion to run its course.</b></p><p><b>6 It goes forth from the uttermost edge of the heavens</b></p><p><b>and runs about to the end of it again; *</b></p><p><b>nothing is hidden from its burning heat.</b></p><p><b>7 The law of the Lord is perfect</b></p><p><b>and revives the soul; *</b></p><p><b>the testimony of the Lord is sure</b></p><p><b>and gives wisdom to the innocent.</b></p><p><b>8 The statutes of the Lord are just</b></p><p><b>and rejoice the heart; *</b></p><p><b>the commandment of the Lord is clear</b></p><p><b>and gives light to the eyes.</b></p><p><b>9 The fear of the Lord is clean</b></p><p><b>and endures for ever; *</b></p><p><b>the judgments of the Lord are true</b></p><p><b>and righteous altogether.</b></p><p><b>10 More to be desired are they than gold,</b></p><p><b>more than much fine gold, *</b></p><p><b>sweeter far than honey,</b></p><p><b>than honey in the comb.</b></p><p><b>11 By them also is your servant enlightened, *</b></p><p><b>and in keeping them there is great reward.</b></p><p><b>12 Who can tell how often he offends? *</b></p><p><b>cleanse me from my secret faults.</b></p><p><b>13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;</b></p><p><b>let them not get dominion over me; *</b></p><p><b>then shall I be whole and sound,</b></p><p><b>and innocent of a great offense.</b></p><p><b>14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, *</b></p><p><b>O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.</b></p></blockquote><p>Sometimes when I am outside stargazing, I like to think that the Earth on which I am standing is upside down, and I am looking down into space with my feet held to the ground by what scientists call gravity. </p><p>That's when I appreciate what the heavens are describing.</p><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-87769385227936320472024-02-28T00:00:00.038-05:002024-02-28T00:00:00.149-05:00Not Even Variable Geometry Can Hold the Anglican Communion Together<p>The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, should know that the Anglican Communion that he inherited is not going the same Anglican Communion that he hands over to his successor. Separation of the orthodox from Canterbury is inevitable barring a miracle such as seeing the Organization (that calls itself a Church) of England, the Episcopal Organization, and the Canadian Anglican Organization all repent and don sack cloth and ashes. Still, the Archbishop tries to hold things together. This time he looks to something called "variable geometry" which was not something you studied in High School math class. Maybe the creators of "Transformers" use it, but should religious organizations?</p><p><a href="https://www.anglicanfutures.org/post/variable-geometry-the-new-good-disagreement" target="_blank">Anglican Futures</a> gives a timeline of Justin Welby's prior attempts to put into words a way forward and this newest iteration, </p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b> Yesterday, he chose to look to the political sphere for a new solution, which he intends to put to those Primates of the Anglican Communion who are willing to meet with him in Rome in April.</b></p><p><b>“There”, he said, “we will look at what the communion could do to remain in a variable geometry of unity, but also an unvarying commitment of love in Christ. Those two expressions vary in geometry of unity and unvarying commitment of love in Christ offer us all a way forward in holy obedience to God".</b></p></blockquote><p><b></b></p><p><span style="white-space: normal; white-space: pre;"> </span></p><p>I had to search for what this new term means over at "<a href="https://www.feelingeurope.eu/Pages/variable%20geometry.html" target="_blank">Feeling Europe</a>",</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>"Variable geometry may not only refer to ways to alter the shape of an aircraft's wings in flight in order to alter their aerodynamic properties but also to a concept for multi-speed Europe, a proposed strategy for European integration, next the forms of multi-speed Europe and Europe a la carte."</b></p><p><b>"'Variable-geometry' Europe is the term used to describe the idea of a method of differentiated integration which acknowledges that there are irreconcilable differences within the integration structure and therefore allows for a permanent separation between a group of Member States and a number of less developed integration units. DI is considered to be a tool to achieve common aims and policies in politics, social fields, economy, legislation and institutional issues to strengthen sovereignty or to enhance effective capacity."</b></p></blockquote><p>Back to Anglican Futures to sum it up, </p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>The Archbishop of Canterbury assumes that both the progressive and the orthodox understandings of sexuality and marriage can be described as showing “unvarying commitment of love in Christ” and “holy obedience to God”, despite being diametrically opposed to one another. </b></p><p><b>And that is the problem. His quest for unity has led the Archbishop to a position where the ultimate expression of holiness is a Church which holds together completely contradictory positions on fundamental issues, on which the bible speaks clearly. </b></p></blockquote><p>Variable geometry may work great in supersonic aircraft and in science fiction movies, but it won't hold the sinking ship that is the Anglican Communion together. </p><p> </p><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-73444400444952550842024-02-24T00:00:00.030-05:002024-02-24T08:38:09.993-05:00Is the Revised Common Lectionary Antisemitic?<p>I have often commented on the Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) and how the editors delete certain verses from the Sunday and daily Bible readings. This Sunday's reading from Genesis 17:1-7,15-16 has caught my eye before because the omitted sections talked about a subject that might be too touchy for sensitive Sunday pewsitters, and that would be "circumcision". This time I noticed the one other verse, verse 8, that got the ax, and left me wondering about the motives of the lectionary editors. I Genesis 17:1-16 and highlighted in red all of the omissions, but pay attention to verse 8 and see what you think.</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty;* walk before me, and be blameless. 2And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ 3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram,* but your name shall be Abraham;* for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring* after you. <span style="color: red;">8 And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.’</span></b></p><p><span style="color: red;"><b>9 God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 Throughout your generations every male among you shall be circumcised when he is eight days old, including the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring. 13 Both the slave born in your house and the one bought with your money must be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.’</b></span></p><p><b>15 God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’</b></p></blockquote><p> We cannot let the pewsitters hear that God gave "all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding" to his chosen people especially during these times. Were the RCL editors being antisemitic when they cut out verse 8 from the Sunday reading?</p><p>God gave Abraham's offspring the land, but He never said it was going to be easy.</p><p> </p><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-84397214037224452182024-02-21T00:00:00.003-05:002024-02-21T00:00:00.138-05:00Should You Watch "The Chosen"?<p> I have not watched "The Chosen", but I have heard from various people who liked it. I have the Bible, and I always said, "The book was better than the movie" whenever it came to comparing the two forms. </p><p>The other day I came across a negative review by Catholic author Leila Miller titled, "<a href="https://www.leilamiller.net/blog/2023/8/19/christology-matters-reject-the-false-jesus-of-the-chosen" target="_blank">Christology matters. Reject the false 'Jesus' of The Chosen</a>." In it she posits that the on screen Jesus is created in our image instead of the other way around. I won't get into the details of her arguments or her anti-Protestant tenor, but her addendum at the bottom sums it up, </p><p></p><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;">"I finally realized why the false 'Jesus' in The Chosen repels me. He's the same guy from my 1970s and 1980s CCD classes. He was the catalyst for so many to flee Catholicism and empty the pews. Gosh, that gee-whiz Jesus loved us all so much! He just wanted us to be happy and “follow our hearts”. He was so inoffensive and groovy that I went on to live many years of mortal sin, just knowing that nice Jesus understood me."</blockquote><p>I once attended an Episcopal church and the revisionist priest installed a picture of a laughing Jesus in the parish hall as one of his first moves to liberalize the congregation. I was probably the only person who objected, and my reasons are echoed in Leila Miller's addendum above.<b> </b></p><p>I don't think I'll be watching The Chosen unless I am called upon to do so by a fan of the show who presents me with a falsehood they learned from watching it and is in need of correction.</p><p></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-83973882379364517782024-02-18T00:00:00.016-05:002024-02-18T00:00:00.131-05:00Bad News/Good News<p>This Sunday's reading from Mark 1:9-15 is a good example of the brevity of Mark's Gospel. He tells us so much with so few words. </p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’</b></p><p><b> And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.</b></p><p><b> Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’</b></p></blockquote><p> I was struck when reading this that Jesus calls for repentance first before belief, and I had to think that so many people miss the need for repentance these days and have changed the intent of the words, "just as I am" to mean that their life does not need transformation. </p><p>I have some more bad news for them. If they come to believe in Jesus and his Gospel, they will discover that they need to repent, and they will be changed.</p><p><br /></p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>Just as I am - without one plea,</b></p><p><b>But that Thy blood was shed for me,</b></p><p><b>And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,</b></p><p><b>-O Lamb of God, I come!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Just as I am - and waiting not</b></p><p><b>To rid my soul of one dark blot,</b></p><p><b>To Thee, whose blood can cleanse each spot,</b></p><p><b>-O Lamb of God, I come!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Just as I am - though toss'd about</b></p><p><b>With many a conflict, many a doubt,</b></p><p><b>Fightings and fears within, without,</b></p><p><b>-O Lamb of God, I come!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Just as I am - poor, wretched, blind;</b></p><p><b>Sight, riches, healing of the mind,</b></p><p><b>Yea, all I need, in Thee to find,</b></p><p><b>-O Lamb of God, I come!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Just as I am - Thou wilt receive,</b></p><p><b>Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;</b></p><p><b>Because Thy promise I believe,</b></p><p><b>-O Lamb of God, I come!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Just as I am - Thy love unknown</b></p><p><b>Has broken every barrier down;</b></p><p><b>Now to be Thine, yea, Thine alone,</b></p><p><b>-O Lamb of God, I come!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>Just as I am - of that free love</b></p><p><b>The breadth, length, depth, and height to prove</b></p><p><b>Here for a season, then above,</b></p><p><b>-O Lamb of God, I come </b></p></blockquote><p>Original Lyrics from Charlotte Elliot, 1835</p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-87842776071888050562024-02-14T00:00:00.001-05:002024-02-14T00:00:00.139-05:00Rome's Rules for Fasting<p>As we ring in a new Lenten season today, here is what I call "Rome's Rules for Fasting":</p><blockquote><strong>The Rules for the Roman Catholic Church:</strong><br /><strong>The Code of Canon Law prescribes </strong><a href="http://catholicism.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=catholicism&cdn=religion&tm=113&f=00&tt=65&bt=1&bts=6&zu=http%3A//www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P4O.HTM" target="_blank"><strong>(Canons 1250-1252):</strong></a><br /><strong></strong><br /><strong>Can. 1250: The penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent.</strong><br /><strong>Can. 1251: Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday.</strong><br /><strong>Can. 1252: The law of abstinence binds those who have completed their fourteenth year. The law of fasting binds those who have attained their majority, until the beginning of their sixtieth year. Pastors of souls and parents are to ensure that even those who by reason of their age are not bound by the law of fasting and abstinence, are taught the true meaning of penance.</strong></blockquote>Growing up, my mother claimed that fish was not meat, so we were permitted to eat fish on Friday. From reading the canons above, it appears that as long as we were under 15 we could have eaten a whole cow and gotten away with it.<br /><br />In the United States, the<a href="http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/canon-law/complementary-norms/canons-1252-and-1253-observance-of-fast-and-abstinence.cfm" target="_blank"> U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops</a> has declared that "the age of fasting is from the completion of the eighteenth year to the beginning of the sixtieth."<br /><br />Not only do I get a pass from jury duty, I no longer have to fast if I don't want to.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiARJKVJgKGMZxEqpOYCccBqOAkVXV0xDGimlQHx4fJub5ilsvu8xL-Sd93vSHRnXCwFCpV466wEtDpOig7s8IU5HYbehFOGHySntIg-cQ4uD8qPqUcdHKeA34EepWYbgy_0Lp/s1600/happy-birthday-bacon-cake.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiARJKVJgKGMZxEqpOYCccBqOAkVXV0xDGimlQHx4fJub5ilsvu8xL-Sd93vSHRnXCwFCpV466wEtDpOig7s8IU5HYbehFOGHySntIg-cQ4uD8qPqUcdHKeA34EepWYbgy_0Lp/s1600/happy-birthday-bacon-cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><blockquote><strong>Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.</strong> </blockquote><blockquote><strong>For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are:</strong><br /><strong>1) Obligatory from age 18 until age 59.</strong><br /><strong>2) <em>When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal. Two smaller meals may also be taken, but not to equal a full meal.</em></strong><br /><strong>3) The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards (</strong><a href="http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-resources/lent/catholic-information-on-lenten-fast-and-abstinence.cfm" target="_blank"><strong>also from USCCB</strong></a><strong>).</strong></blockquote><p>Our ACNA priest is not into fasting, so I am on my own if I hope to lose those pounds I put on from Thanksgiving through Fat Tuesday.</p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-78120006481327419562024-02-11T00:00:00.001-05:002024-02-11T00:00:00.212-05:00A time to be silent and a time talk<p> In this Sunday's reading from Mark 9:2-9, three of Jesus' followers witness the Transfiguration,</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’ Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.</b></p><p><b> As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.</b></p></blockquote><p>A remarkable story to be sure. What if Peter, James, or John had testified about the Transfiguration earlier? I suspect that they would have been crucified at Golgotha alongside Jesus. </p><p>Then where would we be?</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-19525298564123520302024-02-06T00:00:00.001-05:002024-02-06T00:00:00.156-05:00Got Religion<p> This month we say goodbye to an old friend and resource, the GetReligion blog. I can't say enough good things about those pages that highlighted the religion ghosts in reported news. They helped open a lot of eyes, but probably did little to change the tone of journalism's current residents towards religion. </p><p>For details please read the following two posts,</p><p><a href="https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2023/12/28/getreligion-will-close-on-february-2-the-20th-anniversary-of-this-blogs-birth" target="_blank">GetReligion will close on February 2, the 20th anniversary of this blog's birth</a></p><p>and</p><p><a href="https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2023/12/29/why-we-did-what-we-did" target="_blank">Farewell, after 20 years: Why we did what we did</a></p><p>I got religion news from the GetReligion blog. </p><p>Where will we get it now?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-34910928796454279862024-02-04T00:00:00.001-05:002024-02-04T00:00:00.148-05:00Jesus at Simon Peter's House<p> This Sunday's reading from Mark 1:29-39 brought back memories of our trip to "Capharnaum the town of Jesus" as they like to call it these days. </p><blockquote><p><b>As soon as they left the synagogue, they entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a fever, and they told him about her at once. He came and took her by the hand and lifted her up. Then the fever left her, and she began to serve them.</b></p><p><b> That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him.</b></p><p><b> In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, ‘Everyone is searching for you.’ He answered, ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do.’ And he went throughout Galilee, proclaiming the message in their synagogues and casting out demons.</b></p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p>We visited the presumed site of the synagogue as well as Simon Peter's house. A church had been built over the house, but it was destroyed in the seventh century by the Persians. Now the old house walls have been exposed for us. </p><p><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXifQ8tKnumn_yzy-9cRXq13nH420QbfP8XNcGG2mOixnx2A6OaQkDfgde-1PvTNUK357PiAwJ64f_IrrsPfscaa3i9qkSiE6juAZL97etEB8Nn-b9yaNiXGK1x007H2kufcuiG3asf0mnZL3Ljh7NPZbqT842_rxpZ-8KIlAuyj_lT4VvF_4/s4032/IMG_9061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkXifQ8tKnumn_yzy-9cRXq13nH420QbfP8XNcGG2mOixnx2A6OaQkDfgde-1PvTNUK357PiAwJ64f_IrrsPfscaa3i9qkSiE6juAZL97etEB8Nn-b9yaNiXGK1x007H2kufcuiG3asf0mnZL3Ljh7NPZbqT842_rxpZ-8KIlAuyj_lT4VvF_4/s320/IMG_9061.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfCZlc1VMBVxY7ge2ROkPHg9-Y25D30rpi1aLILzlGlvh41MJBZKsIHDU50ZNYApoW_Ugcuw6z63L-r1aER5NmpviArrtgm0kaRU-b0j10yXB1PD8mLtjVj2X3b6PNvpJS4Oum7hJohkraaOVdTumI_Cu6_V082KiY30s1d2C8gHYPjpK3jL8/s4032/IMG_9063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfCZlc1VMBVxY7ge2ROkPHg9-Y25D30rpi1aLILzlGlvh41MJBZKsIHDU50ZNYApoW_Ugcuw6z63L-r1aER5NmpviArrtgm0kaRU-b0j10yXB1PD8mLtjVj2X3b6PNvpJS4Oum7hJohkraaOVdTumI_Cu6_V082KiY30s1d2C8gHYPjpK3jL8/s320/IMG_9063.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>As for deserted places to which Jesus might have gone, there are plenty of those in the vicinity.</p><p><br /></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-39811003554868393032024-01-31T00:00:00.005-05:002024-01-31T00:00:00.357-05:00Meanwhile in England: "You are not allowed to sing church songs outside of the church grounds"<p>Dame Vera Lynn once sang, "There'll always be an England", but I am starting to doubt the Lady.</p><p>From <a href="https://anglicanmainstream.org/christian-singer-clashes-with-police-over-street-performances-in-the-centre-of-london/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=christian-singer-clashes-with-police-over-street-performances-in-the-centre-of-london" target="_blank">Anglican Mainstream</a>,</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>"A Metropolitan Police special constable has reprimanded a popular Christian singer, claiming she couldn’t sing ‘church songs’ outside of church grounds.</b></p><p><b>The Daily Mail reports that Harmonie London, a gospel singer with over 300,000 YouTube subscribers, frequently treats passersby to worship music during her performances on London’s busy Oxford Street. When she protested that she was allowed to sing, the officer insisted that such songs required authorisation from the church.</b></p><p><b>The singer posted a video of the officer laughing and sticking out her tongue as she walked away. "</b></p></blockquote><p><b></b></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nUeoW52PKpU" width="320" youtube-src-id="nUeoW52PKpU"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>If only we could sing with <b>Harmonie London and</b> Dame Vera this song to the constable, <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/nKA-ItmI3ng" width="320" youtube-src-id="nKA-ItmI3ng"></iframe></div><br /><p>"...and England shall be free. If England means as much to you as England means to me."</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>I give you a toast Ladies and gentlemen</b></p><p><b>I give you a toast Ladies and gentlemen</b></p><p><b>May this fair land we love so well</b></p><p><b>In Dignity and freedom dwell</b></p><p><b>While worlds may change and go awry</b></p><p><b>There'll always be an England</b></p><p><b>While there's a country lane</b></p><p><b>Wherever there's a cottage small</b></p><p><b>Beside a field of grain</b></p><p><b>There'll always be an England</b></p><p><b>While there's a busy street</b></p><p><b>Wherever there's a turning wheel</b></p><p><b>A million marching feet</b></p><p><b>Red, white and blue</b></p><p><b>What does it mean to you?</b></p><p><b>Surely you're proud</b></p><p><b>Shout it loud</b></p><p><b>Britons awake!</b></p><p><b>The Empire too</b></p><p><b>We can depend on you</b></p><p><b>Freedom remains</b></p><p><b>These are the chains</b></p><p><b>Nothing can break</b></p><p><b>There'll always be an England</b></p><p><b>And England shall be free</b></p><p><b>If England means as much to you</b></p><p><b>As England means to me</b></p></blockquote><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-59466515052744856402024-01-28T00:00:00.091-05:002024-01-28T00:00:00.131-05:00On attending a same-sex wedding<p>This Sunday's reading from 1 Corinthians 8:1-13 was mentioned at the recent Mere Anglicanism conference when talking about living in a secular world and being asked to do things that might compromise our Christian faith. We were told to stand firm. I suggest this passage is applicable to the question of attending a same-sex wedding.</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that ‘all of us possess knowledge.’ Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.</b></p><p><b>Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‘no idol in the world really exists’, and that ‘there is no God but one.’ Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.</b></p><p><b>It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. ‘Food will not bring us close to God.’ We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling-block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.</b></p></blockquote><p>So basically, while it would not harm my faith to attend a same sex wedding like <br />Paul would not be shaken if he ate meat sacrificed to an idol, I will never attend such a thing because of the harm it may do to others by sending a message that I was approving of the "marriage".</p><p>Carl Trueman (one of our speakers) at<a href="https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2024/01/can-christians-attend-gay-weddings?fbclid=IwAR1OKzBqLFh6vPls09igE5vyGr1O8UuFwm2FvRpiUe8wAiw4V7aoYlJX-ak" target="_blank"> First Things </a>put it this way, </p><p></p><blockquote><b>"There are also obvious reasons why a Christian should never attend a gay wedding. Many wedding liturgies, including that of the Book of Common Prayer, require the officiant to ask early in the service if anyone present knows any reason why the couple should not be joined together in matrimony. A Christian is at that point obliged to speak up."</b></blockquote><p></p><p></p><blockquote style="font-weight: bold;">"In short, attending a gay wedding involves remaining silent when one should speak. It involves a concession on bodily sex that undermines any attempt to hold fast to the importance of the biological distinction between men and women. And it involves approving of a ceremony that makes a mockery of a central New Testament teaching and of Christ himself. That’s a very high price tag for avoiding hurting someone’s feelings. And if Christians still think it worth paying, the future of the Church is bleak indeed."</blockquote><p>Indeed, I have already declined to attend a same-sex wedding<b> </b>involving a family member. </p><p>No harm done.</p><p></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-13281372395451417202024-01-24T00:00:00.397-05:002024-01-24T00:00:00.131-05:00Mere Anglicanism 2024: "To disagree and love at the same time"?<p> Last week I attended the 2024 Mere Anglicanism conference in Charleston, South Carolina. I enjoyed listening to the speakers who, for the most part, stuck to the theme of "Speaking the Truth in Love: The Church and the Challenge of the new Morality". There was some drama and controversy and some not so loving words which left everyone with questions about the problems Anglicans in America may face and how they can discuss them openly.</p><p>First, let me say something about each speaker's presentation in order .</p><p>1) D.A. Carson: "The Scriptures and God's framework for human flourishing".</p><p> He focused on Isaiah chapter 3 and Colossians 3. Isaiah tells us of God's judgement due to rebellion and poor leadership. God takes away "flourishing" but promises hope of a return to Him. In Colossians flourishing is the putting aside of earthly things. We are dead and risen.</p><p>2) Carl Trueman: "Who am I? Defining Identity and Self in an Age of Faulty Anthropology".</p><p>What does it mean to be human? Who we are is more important than what we are, but it should be the other way around as we are God's creatures who have,</p><p>a) rejected our limits and are committed to overturning the limits of the past. </p><p>b) rejected teleology (things move towards an end) because our end should be to glorify God and worship Him forever, but instead we want to decide our own ends.</p><p>c) rejected our natural obligations to others. The obvious example is seen in marriage, sexual activity, and child rearing. </p><p>How should the Church respond? By recovering teaching, liturgy, and community.</p><p>3) Calvin Robinson: "Critical Theory: Antithetical to the Gospel?" Feminism is the gate through which the attack on patriarchy and heteronormativity enters the Church. "Priestesses" (his term) in the Church of England and the need for equal numbers vs male priests resulted in a liberal Church, a compromised Church, and acceptance of Marxism (which had as one of its goals a revolution against religion). Critical theories are another name for Marxism. </p><p>4) Sam Allberry: "Why our bodies and what we do with them matter"</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>1 Corinthians 6:13 "13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.</b></p></blockquote><p>In the Bible your body is you. Now we are whatever we want. "We are fearfully and wonderfully made", and the body is for the Lord, and because God dwells in us, our bodies are the temple of God.</p><p>5) Rebecca McLaughlin: "Right Thinking: Gospel truths in a culture subscribing to a secular creed",</p><p>Many secular claims are Christian based, help people to see that. She talked about her own same-sex attraction, overcoming it and being married with children, and how she faced protestors and tried to work with same sex couples. </p><p>6) Amy Orr Ewing: "Face to Face: speaking the truth in love in relationship".</p><p>Conversational evangelism is biblical and historical. </p><p>How to deal with difficult questions? Start with love of the other person. Be clear about where you come from (follower of Jesus), ask empathetic questions to learn what drives them (example: injustice which points to God's imprint on us so we see injustice as wrong), be aware of their trauma, listening, lose your fear of their rage, "the battle is God's" , be proactive, and be persistent in prayer.</p><p>7) John Dickson: "Gospel Hospitality in a Fractured World".</p><p>Jesus is the epitome of Gospel hospitality. He loved outsiders and ate with sinners. At table fellowship, Jesus expected his grace to transform. Our fractured world has lost the moral imagination to disagree and love at the same time.</p><p>After these talks, there was a panel discussion, and that is where the controversy happened. Instead of being seated on the panel and given a chance to explain how his talk was appropriate to the topic to which he was assigned as planned, Fr. Calvin Robinson was told to not join the panel discussion. Organizers say that he was "disinvited" (Calvin Robinson's term) because he did not address the topic, an explanation that has left many wondering if there was anything else involved. </p><p>I have my suspicions, but looking at my notes, Fr. Robinson did address the topic. I think his conclusions and the use of "trigger" language such as "priestesses" led the Bishop to advise Fr. Miller to disinvite Calvin Robinson, a man who everybody should have known can cause controversy. </p><p>I wanted to see how the panel would interact with Fr. Robinson. I would have liked to have heard an open discussion about the elephant in the room, women's ordination, which remains a source of disunity in the Anglican Church in North America. That would have provided us all with a real life example of "Speaking the Truth in Love" face to face. To have him at the table would show "Gospel hospitality". Alas, it was a missed opportunity to "disagree and love at the same time."</p><p>As for Fr. Calvin, he too has a thing or two to learn about "Speaking the Truth in Love". He should have known that the use of the word "priestess" is offensive to female priests and is to some of them regarded as bad as using the "n" word to refer to a black person (I hope he did not understand this beforehand). He will hopefully learn to approach things more carefully as he grows and matures in Christ.</p><p>One other criticism of the panel discussion is that one panelist concluded that attending a same sex wedding might be okay if everyone there understood that you were clearly opposed to same sex marriage, and no one on the panel spoke up in opposition to that stance.</p><p>I know that the organizers have received this feedback.</p><p>I pray they do better next time. </p><blockquote><p> </p></blockquote><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-28923162874358431252024-01-21T00:00:00.021-05:002024-01-21T00:00:00.311-05:00Fishing for people<p> This Sunday's reading from Mark 1:14-20 continues the Epiphany trend of Sunday lessons about Jesus' early ministry.</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’</b></p><p><b>As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake—for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, ‘Follow me and I will make you fish for people.’ And immediately they left their nets and followed him. As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.</b></p></blockquote><p> How many heard the call but failed to follow Jesus? Based on today's statistics, probably a lot of them closed their ears and walked away.</p><p>Jesus, give us the courage to keep fishing for men.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-34440910623416964092024-01-17T00:00:00.001-05:002024-01-17T00:00:00.137-05:00What is the leading cause of death worldwide?<p> According to the <a href="https://www.worldometers.info/" target="_blank">Worldometer</a> site it is abortion. At the time I wrote this, there were 2,625,743 deaths this year and 1,934,546 abortions this year. </p><p>And it is only January.</p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-59191891649335254852024-01-14T00:00:00.031-05:002024-01-14T00:00:00.206-05:00A Sure Bet<p>This Sunday's Psalm reading in churches using the Revised Common Lectionary is Psalm 139:1-5,12-17, Domine, probasti.</p><p><br /></p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>1 Lord, you have searched me out and known me; *</b></p><p><b>you know my sitting down and my rising up;</b></p><p><b>you discern my thoughts from afar.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>2 You trace my journeys and my resting-places *</b></p><p><b>and are acquainted with all my ways.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>3 Indeed, there is not a word on my lips, *</b></p><p><b>but you, O Lord, know it altogether.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>4 You press upon me behind and before *</b></p><p><b>and lay your hand upon me.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>5 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; *</b></p><p><b>it is so high that I cannot attain to it.</b></p><p><b>darkness and light to you are both alike.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>12 For you yourself created my inmost parts; *</b></p><p><b>you knit me together in my mother's womb.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>13 I will thank you because I am marvelously made; *</b></p><p><b>your works are wonderful, and I know it well.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>14 My body was not hidden from you, *</b></p><p><b>while I was being made in secret</b></p><p><b>and woven in the depths of the earth.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>15 Your eyes beheld my limbs, yet unfinished in the womb;</b></p><p><b>all of them were written in your book; *</b></p><p><b>they were fashioned day by day,</b></p><p><b>when as yet there was none of them.</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>16 How deep I find your thoughts, O God! *</b></p><p><b>how great is the sum of them!</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>17 If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; *</b></p><p><b>to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.</b></p></blockquote><p> I think some of the lessons taught in this Psalm will not be mentioned by revisionist preachers in their sermons today. In fact you can bet on it. See if you can guess what I am talking about. They will probably talk about racism instead. </p><p><b></b></p><div><br /></div>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-67700516386792685982024-01-10T00:00:00.001-05:002024-01-10T00:00:00.133-05:00Vatican Clarification: a 15 second Blessing is not heretical<p>Following up on Pope Francis clearing the way for same-sex blessings, the Vatican posted a clarification. </p><p>From <a href="https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/vatican-says-gay-blessings-can-only-last-15-seconds-following-global-leaders-protests?utm_source=Premier%20Christian%20Media&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=14290239_daily%20news%2008%20January%202023&dm_i=16DQ,8IAF3,V93L0Q,Z6LH6,1" target="_blank">Premier Christian News</a>,</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b> The Vatican's doctrinal office released a five-page statement emphasizing the brevity of the blessings, lasting around 10 to 15 seconds, with a focus on seeking peace, health, and other positive outcomes for the couple. </b></p><p><b>The clarification stressed that allowing priests to perform such blessings is neither heretical nor contradictory to the Church's traditions.</b></p><p><b>Acknowledging the varying attitudes towards homosexuality globally, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith emphasized the need for "pastoral prudence." It recognized that in countries where laws criminalize homosexuality, openly blessing gay couples could lead to persecution, imprisonment, or even threats to life.</b></p></blockquote><p>This pig still does not fly. </p><p>Faithful Roman Catholics should fly. </p><p> </p><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-73854625514667977772024-01-07T00:00:00.001-05:002024-01-07T00:00:00.194-05:00Epiphany: Stars don't stop after they rise!<p>The reading for Epiphany is from Matthew 2:1-12 which tells us of the travels and arrival of the wise men.</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:</b></p><p><b> “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,</b></p><p><b> are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;</b></p><p><b>for from you shall come a ruler</b></p><p><b> who is to shepherd my people Israel.” ’</b></p><p><b>Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.</b></p></blockquote><p>The wise men followed a star that rose as stars do but then stopped over Bethlehem. That is not normal behavior for a star. Planets do show <a href="https://starwalk.space/en/news/what-is-retrograde-motion" target="_blank">retrograde motion</a>, but that can only be discerned over several days, and when a planet in retrograde motion rises, it keeps on rising normally and does not stop. </p><p>The star of Bethlehem could not have been a normal star, planet, or comet as has been suggested by many. It must have been something else, something out of the ordinary.</p><p>I'll chalk it up to a miracle.</p><p><b></b></p><p><br /></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-45826527007804797702024-01-03T00:00:00.001-05:002024-01-03T00:00:00.298-05:002024<p>2023 was quite a year. We saw the LGBT+ agenda move forward in the Organization of England formerly known as the Church of England in the form of the blessing of same sex couples, and we had the Roman Catholic Organization give a pass to "blessings" of same sex persons. We also saw 7,300 United Methodist churches leave the denomination because the American United Methodist Organization's endorsement of the LGBT+ agenda. </p><p>As I sit and finalize the 2023 books for our small ACNA parish church, I am encouraged by the numbers which show a nice increase, and I am happy to see new faces in the pews and at Bible study. </p><p>While the world is in turmoil as it always will be, I am looking forward to doing what I can to spread the Word in 2024.</p><p>His name is Jesus. </p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-24537175233845243012023-12-31T00:00:00.039-05:002023-12-31T00:00:00.313-05:00John's prologue<p>This Sunday's reading of John 1:1-18 is the prologue of his gospel, and in it we see his major theme of light versus dark and a developed theology as to who Jesus is.</p><p><b></b></p><blockquote><p><b>In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.</b></p><p><b>There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.</b></p><p><b> He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.</b></p><p><b> And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. (John testified to him and cried out, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who comes after me ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” ’) From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known.</b></p></blockquote><p> </p><p><b></b></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-16142052591238176262023-12-27T00:00:00.001-05:002023-12-27T00:00:00.260-05:00Christmas canticle selections<p> I think we all need a musical interlude this Christmas, so I give you the Christmas canticles which I have sung in various choirs over the years. The haunting Benedictus by Karl Jenkins is a must listen.</p><p><br /></p><p>Magnificat anima mea Dominum</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/K9YRn0BVmWM" width="320" youtube-src-id="K9YRn0BVmWM"></iframe></div><br /><p>The Benedictus </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ibwxzxER_pY" width="320" youtube-src-id="ibwxzxER_pY"></iframe></div><br /><p>Nunc Dimittis</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qwyqJoTmPCM" width="320" youtube-src-id="qwyqJoTmPCM"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Gloria</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wXx_1pZV8tE" width="320" youtube-src-id="wXx_1pZV8tE"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7107887.post-58441368813470311982023-12-24T00:00:00.011-05:002023-12-24T00:00:00.219-05:00One good gift for Christmas from the CofE<p> This new version of The First Nowell is about the only good thing to come out of the CofE this year. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yb8JCkFI2vw" width="320" youtube-src-id="yb8JCkFI2vw"></iframe></div><br /><p>Pray for the remaining defenders of the Faith in the CofE.</p><p>Happy Christmas everyone!</p>Undergroundpewsterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10182191422663119484noreply@blogger.com2