Jesus said, “The children hinder not”
For they too, God begot
Lead them early, show them the way
So they won’t easily be led astray
For the world’s temptations do abound
But a better way can surely be found
Avoiding things naughty
And sticking to what’s right
Shunning dark deeds
And living upright
Padre
Jesus’ disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray. To this He gave a very simple model:
An address coupled with adoration
And several petitions for needs to meet
Then close with an adoration repeat
The Book of Common Prayer has rendered it in the following translation and format:
Our Father, which art in heaven, (Address)
Hallowed be thy Name. (Adoration)
Thy Kingdom come. (Petition 1)
Thy will be done in earth, (Petition 2)
As it is in heaven. (Petition 2 qualified with the standard to judge it)
Give us this day our daily bread. (Petition 3)
And forgive us our trespasses, (Petition 4)
As we forgive them that trespass against us. (Petition 4 qualified with a standard)
And lead us not into temptation, (Petition 5)
But deliver us from evil. (Petition 6)
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. (Adoration)
Amen.
Padre
I have to confess my sin is not original
For I have done it all before
So oft I have fallen short of the goal
And sinned and sinned some more
But I am still counted as a child of God
Though far from perfect and deeply flawed
But I am forgiven by His grace
So, His mercy I will thankfully applaud
Padre
Romans 7
“Lord, tell my sister to lend a hand.
She will do it if You command.
With over a dozen guest’s meals to be plated
I’m finding it hard to keep everyone sated.”
—
“Martha, your priorities are misplaced,
With all you rushing and all your haste.
Man does not live by bread alone.
True life is when God’s word is known.
So take a moment and lend an ear,
For my message is also for you to hear.”
Padre
Luke 10: 38-42
Ecclesiastes 3: 7
Camels through needles
Planks in eyes
Images absurd
It can’t be denied
But from beneath the surface
The truth does ring
And the images stay with us
That’s the thing
So don’t dismiss the story
As silly or trite
For it may well lead you
To the actions that are right
Padre
I heard on the radio recently that the Church of England is considering ending the referencing of God as He. This apparently is in response to calls from within the denomination’s own clergy. Okay, as a trinitarian I have to first say that God the Son is indeed male. There is not way we can construe that Jesus was anything other than male: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.” Similarly, Jesus addresses the Father as “Father” (Luke 22:42, Luke 23:46) and refers to God as Father over one-hundred-fifty times. God was understood by Jesus’ Jewish audience as being “Father.” The Holy Spirit by virtue of the relationship and essence to and with the Trinity has always been considered male, despite some attempts to find feminine characteristics in the Spirit’s work. God in referring to God’s self, exclusively uses masculine terms in description, and even in most metaphors. Some might cite Matthew 23:37 as a metaphor that does not, or argued that the Spirit is the Wisdom personified in Proverbs 8 as “she” but these are theologically weak as “proof texts.”
If this move is only based on the theological argument that God is a sexless spiritual being, and that a gender-neutral term would be more appropriate, it would nonetheless remains inconsistent with the Bible’s terminology. If it is meant to capture the pluralism of Father, Son, and Spirit as “They,” it would equally fall foul of the essential unity of “the” Trinity (note the term is singular). What I suspect, however, is that the move is meant to jump on the modern “non-binary” bandwagon. Many institutions today wrongly believe that to be inclusive requires abandoning traditional linguistics. Would the removal of masculine pronouns for God actually lead to a flood of people who may presently feel isolated from the church to suddenly say, “Now that’s for me?” Don’t get me wrong, it might. But at what theological cost?
There is one other darker possibility here as well. The modern social trend to brand anything masculine as negative or “toxic.” One of the many reasons God is referred to in the masculine, however, is the functions of the Father. God is a sire, provider, and protector, all of which are traditionally male roles. While society may have changed in that regard it does not mean that an omnibenevolent God does not fill those roles (even if they are now also filled by women in our society [minus sire of course]). Nor does the attribution of God as “He” in the scripture diminish the linguistically traditional feminine attributes of being a nurturer or carer.
I have mused here, there may be arguments which I have not considered. What I am concerned with in the end is we humans trying to make God in our socially determined image rather than honouring Him for the image He Himself has presented.
Padre
“Friend, why do you linger in the shadows so deep?
Come and join us by the fire, on this side of the street.
I think that I know you. I’ve seen your face before.
You were with that Galilean, they just led through the door.”
–
“I do not know of whom you’re speaking. You confuse me with another.”
–
“But, I surely saw you with him; embracing him like a brother.”
–
Again, I must assure you, I do not know that man.”
–
“But surely your accent, like his, is one from Herod’s land.”
–
“I by all that’s holy, swear that man I do not know!”
–
And at that very moment, the cock began to crow.
Padre
Luke 22
Titus 3:4-5 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.”
Strive as we might, to be good
We tend to make a mess of it
More often than we should
We’re full of good intentions
With noble plans well made
But when it comes to keeping them
Our zeal can sometimes fade
So we are not saved
Because of what we’ve done
But by the mercy
Of God’s eternal loving Son
Padre
Hope gives perseverance
And faith it does build
In the face of discouragement
It tells us,”Don’t yield”
Hope reminds that God’s promises, we will see
In our diligent expectation, hope is key
Like when hopeful Abraham – children did receive
Or when Moses and the Hebrews were set free
Let hope then sustain you till victory you achieve
Padre
Thank you for your message Pastor Vince from Romans 5.
Walls of might, a mere facade
For they pale to the might of God
Pharaoh trusted chariots and steeds
Even after witnessing God’s great deeds
Yet, the king did not relent
And to its ruin his army sent
But all the deities of Egypt’s land
Could not preserve a single man
And so they perished in the sea
Allowing Israel’s children to go free
Padre
Exodus 14:26-28
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