Gloria in Excelsis Deo - Advent 4

Some of you might have chuckled when you saw this heading - well you might I am very late Advent 2020 has been and gone and we are into the first week of the Christmas season. I wondered if I should simply scrap the idea and give it another shot next year, but I did have something to share, so here is my thought for Advent Four - better late than never. 

My intention in these blogs has been to look at the Scriptures in the lectionary prescribed for reading on each of the Advent Sundays, and to draw something from them that speaks to me and I would like to share with you.  One of the reasons that this blog has been so slow in coming is that when I looked at the texts for Advent Four I knew what it was that had gripped my attention right off the bat, but it is such a huge thing it was hard and took time for me to get it to together. I cannot promise that I will manage to do so but I will do my best.

25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from[a] faith— 27 to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

The Letter to the Romans is divided into two sections. The first eleven chapters are full of doctrine, teaching about God and our relationship with God. The last five chapters are about how as we as Christians need to live, in light of those truths taught in the first part.  At the end of the first part, as he does here at the end of the second part, Paul, pretty much puts in writing what he must have done when He was writing the letter - He "explodes" in a proclamation of praise to God. The technical term for these sections is called a doxology. A doxology is defined as 'a liturgical formula of praise to God' - seems a bit clinical and restrained to my mind - I actually think that I would rather call it a song of praise. 

Let's look at the Song of Praise at the end of that first part:

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and[a] knowledge of God!

    How unsearchable his judgments,

    and his paths beyond tracing out!

34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?

    Or who has been his counselor?”

35 “Who has ever given to God,

    that God should repay them?"

36 For from him and through him and for him are all things.

    To him be the glory forever! Amen.

 

To be honest I don't think I can add much to what appears in both of those songs, so I shan't. 

There are way too many of these in the Bible to look at and study every one, but as this is the Christmas season, I would like to look at one of the songs of praise that is associated with the Christmas story. We are told in the Gospel of Luke that a host of angels, that simply means a whole lot of them, like a squadron or a huge choir, appeared to some shepherds who were on the hillside near Bethlehem, and they heard the Angels sing this song:

Glory to God in the highest

And on earth, 

Peace to men (people) on who His favour rests.

This is where the Christmas Carol Gloria in Excelsis Deo comes from. 

Psalm 29:1-2 I think, helps me unpack the idea of what it means to praise God. 

Here it is: Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings,

    ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;

    worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.

The word "Ascribe" means  to give a reason for something.  I ascribe the pain in my foot to the pebble in my shoe (not really - just an example)  

So what does it mean to ascribe glory and strength to the Lord? We cannot, in one sense give ANYTHING to God, much less Glory or strength God has all the glory, God has all the strength, we cannot improve God - that is for sure. 

To ascribe glory means to give Him what He alone deserves. We don’t add a measure to His glory, but we reflect back to Him the glory that He inherently has - Sean Cole

.https://wcww.southplattesentinel.com/2018/10/16/ascribe-to-the-lord-the-glory-due-his-name/

 Some people struggle with the idea that God expects us to worship Him. They think that that is very egotistical to require us to worship Him. Surely, they reason, if he was that great, he would not need us to worship Him. It is not so much that God needs us to praise Him, so much as we need to praise God, our praising God benefits us. As Sean Cole, we reflect back to Him, the Glory that he inherently has. God cannot be improved upon, but we certainly can be and there is something in this worshipping of God that builds us up. 

To think of God as egotistical is to think of God as a human. Yes, people who demand to be praised, who admit to no failing or imperfection, who regard themselves as superior to everyone else, who are arrogant and self-centred are indeed egotistical - and much of the sycophantic praise is either because the people are being fake - and the object of their fake-praise has no idea of what they say when they are out of earshot, or it is genuine praise from sadly deluded individuals - the world has seen many such individuals - some who openly claimed to be gods, Like Nero and a cluster of other Roman Emperors, or put themselves forward as God's man of the hour - either in politics as a national leader, or as a religious leader. Hitler was such a person, so I believe was Stalin.  I could name people I think fall into that category in the religious sector, but I shall hold my peace on that. And I think we can think of contemporary politicians who fit the egotistical bill, but again, for the sake of neutrality, I will refrain from mentioning names. 

However those people are human with human failings - very many of them, and 99% of what is said to or about them is not Friday all.

This is why God is different. Both the Roman doxologies express this truth very clearly. God is above and way beyond anything we can visualise or imagine. God literally IS perfect in every way. God truly is the most wondrous being that exists, and his existence is even more perfect than everything because God is eternal. 

To end off this blog I want to share with you a sung version of the Romans 11 doxology. 

 

Gaudete - Rejoice Third Sunday of Advent

 It's the third week of Advent and I want to share some thoughts about the scripture readings set for the Third Sunday - over the last few weeks I have looked at Psalm 80, and I have reflected on the quality of being patient. 

This week's Advent Sunday has a name, as well as a number. Week One of Advent it is Hope that traps the spotlight, and in week Two, Peace is the theme. This week, the name says it all:

GAUDETE

It means Rejoice, and it comes from the Latin Introit chant, a direct quote in fact from Paul's letter to the Philippians, 

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice! (Phil 4:4)

Some might say that it is easy for the Apostle to say, but he hasn't had to live my life in 2020 - actually I would not be so eager to swap places with Paul - he had a tough life. 

This verse is a command - Rejoice. Can we really rejoice when things seem to be so terrible? Many of you readers would have heard me in my Facebook live chats reading from Henri Nouwen's book Turn my mourning into Dancing that I shared with you at the start of the first Lockdown in April and May of this year. I found a quote by Nouwen on another blog about the difference between joy and happiness.  

"Joy is essential to spiritual life. Whatever we may think or say about God, when we are not joyful, our thoughts and words cannot bear fruit. Jesus reveals to us God's love so that his joy may become ours and that our joy may become complete. Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing — sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death — can take that love away.

Joy is not the same as happiness. We can be unhappy about many things, but joy can still be there because it comes from the knowledge of God's love for us. We are inclined to think that when we are sad we cannot be glad, but in the life of a God-centered person, sorrow and joy can exist together. That isn't easy to understand, but when we think about some of our deepest life experiences, such as being present at the birth of a child or the death of a friend, great sorrow and great joy are often seen to be parts of the same experience. Often we discover the joy in the midst of the sorrow. I remember the most painful times of my life as times in which I became aware of a spiritual reality much larger than myself, a reality that allowed me to live the pain with hope. I dare even to say: 'My grief was a place where I found joy.' Still, nothing happens automatically in the spiritual life. Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. It is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing,  not even death, can take God away from us."

https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/reviews/excerpts/view/14116 

So I am going to focus on one of the Lectionary readings for last Sunday and that is 1 Thes. 5:16-24 and in particular verse 16. 

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil.  23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

 The Greek, if translated directly renders verse 16 as Always rejoice. Placing the evidence on the word ALWAYS. An impossible ask? It depends on what is the reason and the source for the joy. As Henri pointed out, it is actually possible to have both Joy and grief at the same time.  Having joy doesn't require us to always put a "smile on our dial" - joy is not jollity - cheerful and smiling. We should not have to manufacture joy, we should not fake it, as is suggested by Anna to son, Michael in the Musical The King and I - "Whistle a happy time. " 

While shivering in my shoes, I strike a careless pose, and whistle a happy time and no-one will suppose I'm afraid. The result of this deception is very strange to tell, because when I took the people I fear I fool myself as well. (Rogers and Hammerstein; the King and I)

I don't think that God wants us to "make believe" - the joy we have is a real joy, and who needs counterfeits if you can lay your hands on the real thing. Coca-Cola may be very nice refreshing drink, but it is not the "the real thing" - the real thing is what is bubbling up inside our spirits - Joy, If we don't have it, we can't make it. 

When I was a little boy, I think one of the first Sunday School songs I learnt was "Joy, Joy, Joy" - complete with actions of course. Watch this YouTube video of the song. 

 "My sins are all forgiven, I am on my way to heaven". Some might say, it's very simplistic - Hey, it's a children's song! I am not going to get into that discussion now. I think, whether the composer intended it or not, it reflects the truth that Henri Nouwen expressed when he explained that joy comes from knowing that we are unconditionally loved by God and nothing can take that love away - in that sense, we are on our way to heaven! 

When genuine joy is present in our hearts, our lips will praise God. What joy filled young Mary's heart as the realisation grew that she was carrying in her womb the Christ-child, the long awaited Messiah. Now, I do not know to what extent this truth was grasped, but she did understand, it would seem the importance of the child that would be born to her. We should not underestimate the fears Mary must have felt at this stage of being seen as unwed mother, having no idea how Joseph, her betrothed would react to finding out that she was "with child" It was a great mark of shame for a woman to become pregnant when she was not married. But the knowledge that she was bearing this special child was bound to give her the necessary reassurance that everything would work out fine for her. This is why she could sing. 

Luke 1:46-55

Mary’s Song

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has been mindful

    of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

    holy is his name.

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,

    from generation to generation.

51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones

    but has lifted up the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things

    but has sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

    remembering to be merciful

55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,

    just as he promised our ancestors.”

My soul magnifies the Lord - How can we express that in a modern way? - My heart is full to the brim with God and I rejoice in God my saviour. 

We cannot make God bigger than God already is - but we can see the bigness of God - and knowing the bigness of God, we can rejoice, even in very intense and difficult circumstances. The rest of the song talks about God cares about the little people, those who in the world would be labelled as nobodies. 

The reading from Isaiah read in may churches says that God engraves (ratios)  our names into his hands. God's hands are that huge that the names of every person can be tattooed in God's hands. 

I hope that you have enjoyed this discussion - I would love to know from you, if you have time:

1. What were the songs that you were taught as a young child that have stayed with you through the decades. Why is that song special? 
2. Have you ever felt those "mixed feelings of Sadness and joy at the same time? 
3. Do you feel like you are on your way to heaven? Why or why not? 

Second Week of Advent: Patience

Because the Lord is patient with us, we can be patient too.

2 Peter 3:8-15a But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.

Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.

Final Exhortation and Doxology

Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things, strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation. 

Second Week of Advent and we are looking at this text from Second Peter. 

The word PATIENCE stood out to me.  It reminded me that there was a poet called Patience Strong, actually that was her pen-name. Many of her poems had a devotional theme to them. I wondered if Patience had written a poem about patience. I came across the following: 

https://allpoetry.com/The-Faith-That-Moves-The-Mountain

In this poem it links faith to patience. Our instinct is never to sit still and wait, or trust. Our instinct, I think, is to get busy. "Busy doing nothing" as the song says. When I read the first lines of this poem, my mind was taken back to when I was a boy, growing up in Zimbabwe, and my mother telling me that if ever I am out hiking and a mist comes down, such that I cannot see the way ahead, as does sometimes happen very suddenly on Mount Nyangani in the Eastern Highlands (Zimbabwe's highest point), that I should sit down and wait for the mist to clear and not try to press ahead, as there was a high likelihood of getting lost in those conditions. Fortunately, I have never had to rely on that advice, but it is good advice nevertheless, and can be expanded to apply to any kind of progress when visibility is poor. 

Now, I know, sometimes faith means progressing despite the lack of visibility. In fact,some might say to me, but the Bible says, "Walk by faith, NOT BY SIGHT"  (2 Cor. 5:7). But I think that when Patience Strong writes "With Patience watch and wait" she is talking about trusting God's timing. 

I believe that one of the reasons the Apostle Peter wrote this letter was because the people he was writing to were beginning to think that Jesus would never come back, that they were growing impatient with God's seeming "slowness". He reminded them that the Hebrew Scriptures said that to God a thousand years is like a day, and a day is like a thousand years - meaning that God works on a very different concept and scale of time, and so, what seems to us like a very long time, may be to God but a moment in time. Peter was saying that God was holding back from bringing the inevitable judgement to give humans the maximum opportunity to realise that they need God and repent - turn around. Peter assures them, that Jesus definitely will come again. I wonder what was making the believers become despondent, and lose hope? Could it have been the amount of persecution that they were experiencing because they had become followers of the Way? Were they, like many of the psalmists, and prophets, wondering why they were finding things so hard going, whilst the "wicked" seemed to enjoy their lives and their ill-gotten gains. A commentary I read said that the believers were beginning to live sinful lives, and this is why Peter urges them to live lives of holiness and righteousness. While it is true that we are not perfect and we all blow it from time to time, I think that it is not too much to expect our inclination and desire should be towards holiness and righteousness. Let's not become impatient with God's "slowness" because God's "slowness" is actually His patience towards us. 

If God is patient with us, we should also be patient with one another. Patience is listed as one of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. We are told in 1 Cor 13 that Love is among other things, patient. 

I will admit, that my patience is regularly tested by people who flout the regulations to wear a mask indoors and on public transport, or when they do, they don't wear them over their nose and mouth, if not on their chins, they are wearing them with their nose and nostrils uncovered. It frustrates me, because these rules are meant to limit the spread, and it is spreading way to fast. I feel impatient with people who moan about the vaccine and question its safety or efficacy. 

I want to scream at them, if I am completely honest, so maybe, reading this text is for me to remember that God is patient with me, so I need to be patient with people I find frustrating. 

I am also, for different reasons, frustrated with people who use the Bible to justify homophobia. I am impatient with the long and tedious process in the Church of England of looking at the "issue of sexuality and gender expression" that has now become the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) intuitive. Many others have grown impatient with the Church of England in this regard and have decided that they are voting with their feet and leaving.  I understand why they are doing that, but I have made the decision that I will try and work with LLF materials and processes, and put across the message that As LGBT people we did not choose to be LGBT, and that our faith and trust in God is just as valid as those who criticise us. And that we should be welcome in churches in just the same way as anybody else, regardless of whether or not we're in a relationship, whatever our marriage status is, or how we identify. This inclusivity - radical inclusivity - needs to exist not only in a few forward thinking parish churches, but at every level of the Church from the parishes to the archbishops to the diocesan and general synod. I am choosing to remain hopeful, and hard as it is, patient, that ultimately, that true inclusion will be standard in my denomination. I am totally aware of the many logical reasons why others are sceptical of that outcome coming about. 

About 16 years ago I wrote a poem entitled Nevertheless in which I referred too many ways in which modern Christians were being persecuted but that despite the bad treatment, Jesus was calling us to Nevertheless Never-the-less, to  continue to Love them.  It's very easy to lose heart in tough situations, and to become resentful of the people who treat us badly or unfairly. But, hard as it is, and I am not pretending that it's easy, or that I always manage to achieve this, we are called to "patient endurance" and to love our enemy and bless those who persecute us. I know the bar is set very high, but with God's patient help, we can achieve that. 

Restore us, Lord God almighty, make your face to shine upon us, that we may be saved.

This blog is to share what I had wanted to share by video on Wednesday but couldn't due to some technical snags.  So here is a slightly edited version of what I wanted to share with you. 

This is for the first Wednesday of Advent.

Starting with a word of prayer:

Give us ears to hear, O God and eyes to watch, that we may know your presence in our midst during this holy season of joy as we anticipate the coming of Jesus Christ.

The reading for today is Psalm 80. 

Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock. You who sit enthroned between the cherubim, shine forth before Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. Awaken your might; come and save us.  

Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.  

How long, Lord God Almighty, will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people?  You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears hby the bowlful.  You have made us an object of derision to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us.  

Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.  

You transplanted a vine from Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.  You cleared the ground for it, and it took root and filled the land.  The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches.  Its branches reached as far as the Sea, its shoots as far as the River.  Why have you broken down its walls so that all who pass by pick its grapes?  Boars from the forest ravage it, and insects from the fields feed on it.  Return to us, God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine,  the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself.  Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish.  Let your hand rest on the man at your right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.  Then we will not turn away from you; revive us, and we will call on your name. 

Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved. (Psalms 80:1‭-‬19 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/psa.80.1-19.NIV)

Wow - what an interesting Psalm. I wonder what stood out to you. For me it was the refrain similar but not identical that appears three times in the psalm. 

Restore us, O God; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Restore us, God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

Restore us, Lord God Almighty; make your face shine on us, that we may be saved.

There's so much we could say about this psalm but I will touch on that refrain, in its four parts. 

Restore us

The psalmist is asking God to turn the people back to Himself. The word used is related to the word for repentance. Repentance is an action that we as humans need to do, but here the psalmist is asking God to turn us around, to bring us back to where we should be - with God. 

O God; God almighty; Lord God almighty

With each repeat of the refrain, the writer adds a bit to his description of God. First time, it's just "O God", then he adds "almighty" - which means the all-powerful God. Finally he says Lord God almighty - not only is God all-powerful but God is Lord, God is in control, a truth that gives us reason to be hopeful. And Hope is the theme for Week One of Advent. 

Make your face to shine on us

This phrase reminded me of the Aaronic blessing that God instructed Aaron to and his sons to say when they pronounce a blessing on someone. It goes like this:

The LORD bless you and keep you

The LORD make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you.

The LORD turn His face towards you and give you peace.

(Numbers 6:24-26)

He blessing is self-explanatory but I would point out that these are the words God prescribed to be used for a blessing - the implication being that that is exactly what God wants to do - God wants to make His face shine upon you and me. 

That we may be saved.

I think many Christians have a very specific and narrow understanding of the word saved. People tend to think about being "saved to eternal life" , that is that it is all about where we will go after we die. Their whole theology is based on getting people "saved". It was a worldview that I subscribed to myself for many years. While we definitely can look forward to a time when all the bad will be done away with all the hurt and sadness, all poverty and all materialism will not blight our existences, our future hope does not mean we ignore where we are in our lives at this time, imperfect as it is. We can cry out to Lord God almighty to save us from 

• COVID 19 and all its effects

• Climate Change

• Knife and gun violence

• Terrorism

• Abuse of children and vulnerable adults

• People trafficking and modern slavery

• Poverty

• Racism, religious intolerance, homophobia and transphobia.

• Many other things. 

God would want to save us from these things and God would use us to save us from those many things.

If we read the psalm, we see many situations which the Psalmist is praying to be saved from. What situation are you asking God to save you from? 

I believe we don't have to wait until we go to heaven to have God shine His face upon us but as we prayed at the start we can experience God's presence with us and the God's face shines on us a lot more often than we're aware of or acknowledge. 

To conclude I want to share with you the closing of the Compline service.

In peace we lay down and sleep

For You alone Lord, make us dwell in safety

Abide with us Lord Jesus

For the night is at hand and the day is now past.

As the night watch looks for the morning

So do we look for You, O Christ.

Restore us again, O God of hosts

Show us the light of your countenance

And we shall be saved

Bless and Keep us, this night and always

Amen

 

Advent Poem 2019

Start off with the End in mind
Whilst the End doesn't justify the means -
The End really does give the means meaning.

Advent - four weeks to look forward to the End
In the End, the King is coming!
Everything will be alright,
in the End.

That's real HOPE.
We look forward to everlasting JOY
Where PEACE is the rule and
LOVE is our guide in life.

The End is not the end —
it's a new beginning.
It can happen at any time,
And King is forever your friend.

World without End
Amen

Waiting

The following poem comes out of an evening service which was called "Creative Prayer" -

Waiting....

"Please hold on...."

Fingers drum on the tabletop.
Eyes, first glancing then staring at a wristwatch.
Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick.
Seconds stroll by.

Ears hearing muzak on its umpteenth loop
A sigh.
Teeth gritted 
Heart racing.
Tension building
Anxiety rising with each passing second.

"Oh Lord, how long must I wait?"
One hand reaches for a little book on the table
A Gideon's New Testament
Fingers flick through the pages...
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
Patience
Long....suffering
Endurance

"I want to give that person a piece of my mind!"
But the fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy,
Peace
Contentment
Calmness

"I can put you through now; sorry for the delay."
"I'm not"