Holy.

Holy.



There is only one word. There is only one truth.



Holy.



He is.



He is Holy.



We can spend, no waste, all of our lives simply begining to want to think about his Holiness, and be fortunate to fail. The smoke fills the temple, and when we turn towards the temple, we can't help but be affected by it.



Nothing in Him is apart from His Holiness.



All that we know; all that we can't know is in His Holiness.



Justice is really just another way of saying God is Holy.



Love is an expression of the fact that God is Holy.



Grace exist because He is.



Holy.



He is Holy.



Holy.



Wholly what I am not. Wholly what I don't deserve. Wholly what I need.



Holy.



He is Holy.



Holy.



Soundtrack: Unchanging, Chris Tomlin

thanksgiving

I took Sacramental Theology with Dr. Robert Stamps and Dr. James Hart the second week of August. Luckily we had a paper in that class, so I won't bore you with ALL of my geeked-out thoughts and reflections from the material. However, it affected me and my understanding of who we are as Christians and what it means to worship the triune God in a continuous wave of inspiration. I find that this paradigm shift continues to bring new light to scripture, the activity of worship, and the way I frame my thoughts about God. Expect to continue to hear about this class over the next few months.

We read Alexander Schmemann's For the Life of the World. He said, " When man stands before the throne of God, when he has fulfilled all that God has given him to fulfill, when all sins are forgiven, all joy restored, then there is nothing else for him to do but to give thanks. Eucharist (thanksgiving) is the state of perfect man. Eucharist is the life of paradise. Eucharist is the only full and real response of man to God's creation redemption and gift of heaven. But this perfect man who stands before God is Christ."

Is that what you are thinking when going forward at communion? Are you thankful? Are you ever mindful of the cross? What would the church look like if we stopped trying to make worship about us? Why are we so preoccupied with the musical aspect of worship? What would happen if we became preoccupied with the proper way to celebrate the Eucharist? How would that attitude of thanksgiving permate the way we live our lives the rest of the week? Is it possible that our misunderstanding of the sacraments has led to a decline in the faithfulness of Christians? How does a low view of the Eucharist affect our theology? Grace requires a response, and thankfully we have a guide in how to respond to God’s grace through the sacraments. As we, the body of believers, respond the good news appropriately go forth, the faithful are strengthened and the lost drawn to Him.



Soundtrack: Priceless Treasure, Charlie Hall and Give Thanks to the Lord, Wesley Praise Band



Backpack:
Worship, Community & The Triune God of Grace; James Torrance
The Sacraments in Protestant Practice and Faith; James F. White
For the Life of the World, Alexander Schmeman
The Altar's Fire; Daniel B. Stevick

awareness of his presence

A friend told me a story this week. She said that she saw a couple planning to marry on a morning talk show. When they were pulling together childhood pictures for the obligatory slide show for the rehearsal dinner, the bride noticed something quite unexpected. There in the background of her posing at Disney World stood her now groom to be. The man with whom she would spend the rest of her life stood feet away from her long before she had the emotional, sociological, or developmental capacity to understand who and what he would be to her. How amazing. I can't help but relate this to our spiritual lives. How often do we find ourselves unable to recognize how our Great God is meeting us. He meets us in the ordinary. He meets us in the extraordinary. Every place that we don't expect him to be, he is there.

Please don't read that I consider her husband to be her savior, but instead see her unawareness of his presence. May we pause and confess our inabilities to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in situations that feel mundane and secular. May we learn to see the kingdom come!

Soundtrack: Been there before, Hanson

no where I'd rather be...

I drove up to my house tonight, and there it was. Sigh. The most beautiful sight I could hope to see... the twelve most important people in my life were all playing in my parents' front yard. They were laughing and enjoying one another, and then to top it off family member number 13, Allie- the 23 month old saw my car and she stopped what she was doing to clap. She was applauding my arrival, the completion of our little clan. Joy comes sometimes in the smallest of moments, but that was one of mine: My family enjoying the rare opportunity to spend mindless time together is more beautiful than I can describe. God hard wires us to want to be close to the ones we love. It's one of the tools he uses to help us understand the mystery of the Trinitarian relationship to which we are invited.

Sound track:
Zip a Dee Doo Dah, Bing Crosby.