Poetry Wednesday

Nativity, from "La Carona" by John Donne:

Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-beloved imprisonment,
There he hath made Himself to His intent
Weak enough, now into our world to come;
But oh, for thee, for Him, hath the Inn no room?
Yet lay Him in this stall, and from the Orient,
Stars, and wisemen will travel to prevent
The effect of Herod's jealous general doom.
Seest thou, my soul, with thy faith's eyes, how He
Which fills all place, yet none holds Him, doth lie?
Was not His pity towards thee wondrous high
That would have need to be pitied by thee?
Kiss Him, and with Him into Egypt go,
With His kind mother, who partakes thy woe.

In All Things Give Thanks

Once, again, I am participating in Rebecca's month of thanksgiving, and today, I am thankful for the works of the Reformers, in particular Luther and Calvin.

Every Tuesday, I try to write something about what I'm learning about in my church history reading, and at the moment, I am reading about the life and theology of Calvin. There is simply too much about Calvin to zero in on just one thing. That being said, the thing that struck me this morning is that Calvin was a very different sort from Luther. Luther was trained in a monastery, and Calvin was trained as a lawyer. I think Calvin's training was part of the reason why he was able to write such a profound work as the Institutes. Legal training indicates a facility with reasoning and argumentation, which would have served him well in presenting his Institutes. Luther wrote a lot as well, but Calvin was known more for being the systematician. Justo Gonzales describes the Institutes in this way:

The entire works shows a profound knowledge, not only of the Scripture, but also of ancient Christian literature - particularly the works of Augustine - and of the theological controversies of the sixteenth century. there is no doubt that this was the high point of the Protestant systematic theology in the time of the Reformation.

Calvin was a pastor and preacher, but he was also an exegete, and what he actually longed to do was retire to a scholarly life. After being banished from Geneva, he spent the years 1538 to 1541 in Strasbourg. Gonzales says:

The three years Calvin spent in Strasbourg from 1538 to 1541 were probably the happiest and most peaceful of his life.

Calvin returned to Geneva eventually and returned to his preaching.

Calvin's dedication to scholarship is part of the heritage that we in the church enjoy today, having access to his commentaries as well as his devotional writing and his Institutes. Luther, as well can be partaken of through his commentaries, devotional writing and his Table Talk. Despite the two men being very different, i.e. Calvin was much more reserved and introverted than was the expressive and often gregarious Luther. It is interesting to see how their personalities and the backgrounds from which they come influenced how they wrote and what they focused on. Despite their different approaches, they both had the same desire to teach and promote Reformed teaching. It is through their writings that we benefit. I am so thankful for these men from whom we learn so much.

In All Things Give Thanks

This morning, I am thankful for simple pleasures.

I was listening to A Celtic Sojourn recently, and the name Cara Dillon came up a few times, and I heard some of her songs. This morning, I stumbled upon her rendition of "She Moved Through the Fair." This woman has a beautiful voice. I just loved it. I have a busy day today, but I took a few minutes to listen to this. Simple pleasures are something to be thankful for.



Join with many of us who are regularly participating in Rebecca's month of thanksgiving.

Where is your Father?

In this chapter of Spiritual Depression, Lloyd-Jones refers to Luke 8:22-25. In the context of this incident in the gospel of Luke, he discusses the fact that some people go through a spiritual depression because they don't put their faith into practice. He first discusses the crisis of faith, the nature of faith, and finally the value of a weak faith.

As he discusses the nature of faith, he makes the point that faith must be applied; it is the nature of faith that it must be applied by us once we have been given that faith. He first establishes that "Faith is a refusal to panic," and then he elaborates:

Having taken that first step, having pulled yourself up, you then remind yourself of what you believe and what you know. That again is something these foolish disciples did not do. If only they had stopped a moment and said: 'Now then what about it? Is it possible that we are going to drown with Him in the boat? Is there anything He cannot do? We have seen His miracles, He turned the water into wine, He can heal the blind and the lame, He can even raise the dead, is it likely that He is going to allow us an Himself to be drowned in this way? Impossible! In any case He loves us, He cares for us, He has told us that the very hairs of our head are numbered!' That is the way in which faith reasons. It says: 'All right, I see the waves and the billows but' - it always puts up this 'but'. That is faith, it holds on to a truth and reasons from what it knows to be act. That is the way to apply faith ... Faith reminds itself of what the Scripture calls the 'exceeding great and precious promises.' Faith says: 'I cannot that believe that He who has brought me so far is going to let me down at this point. It is impossible, it would be inconsistent with the character of God.' So faith, having refused to be controlled by circumstances, reminds itself of what it believes and what it knows.

In the past number of weeks, I have been reminded of the necessity to know certain things in order to apply my faith. It is a crucial truth to understand.

There was so much in this chapter that could have shared. You just have to read the book for yourself.

Privileges

O Lord God,

Teach me to know that grace precedes,
accompanies, and follows my salvation,
that it sustains the redeemed soul,
that not one link of its chain can ever break.
From Calvary's cross wave upon wave of grace
reaches me,
deals with my sin,
washes me clean
renews my heart,
strengthens my will,
draws out my affection,
kindles a flame in my soul,
rules throughout my inner man
consecrates my every thought, word,work,
teaches me thy immeasurable love.
How great are my privileges in Christ Jesus!
Without him I stand far off, a stranger, an outcast;
in him I draw near and touch his kingly sceptre.
Without him I dare not lift up my guilty eyes;
in him I gaze upon my Father-God and Friend.
Without him I hide my lips in trembling shame;
in him I open my mouth in petition and praise.
Without him all is wrath and consuming fire;
in him is all love, and the repose of my soul.
Without him is gaping hell below me,
and eternal anguish;
in him its gates are barred to me by his precious blood.
Without him darkness spreads its horrors in front;
in him an eternity of glory is my boundless horizon.
Without him all within me is terror and dismay,
in him every accusation is charmed into joy and peace.
Without him all things external call for my condemnation;
in him they minister to my comfort,
and are to be enjoyed with thanksgiving.
Praise be to thee for grace,
and for the unspeakable gift of Jesus.

From The Valley of Vision

In All Things Give Thanks

It's another day for participating in Rebecca's month of thanksgiving.

I went to a funeral this morning. It was for my husband's uncle, my mother-in-law's older brother.

He had been sick on and off, and was in his 80th year. Whereas some 80 year olds are quite hale and hearty, he was not, suffering throughout the past fifteen years with lung ailments. He was the oldest of my mother's siblings, and when I first knew her, she was not really all that close to him. In recent years, with his illness, and her background in nursing, there were occasions where she was able to re-connect and get closer. It was really she and her sister-in-law who cared for him in his last years. Recently, after a surgery, my mother-in-law was the one who went to feed him daily.

I am thankful for my mother-in-law. She is a beautiful example of service. The way she cares for her siblings is a tremendous encouragement to me. Her devotion to her family is a beautiful example. I was so thankful that all three of my children were at the funeral today to hear her share about her memories of her brother and how she felt honoured to be able to care for him over these past few years. She is truly a godly woman, and I am thankful for her example.

Total Twitter

Some people really ought to stop taking themselves so seriously.

In All Things Give Thanks

Today, I am thankful for this little town where I live.

I had to make a shopping trip today so that I could get to an Old Navy store. That means going into the city, about a forty minute drive. The traffic in and around the mall was crazy. I am so glad that I don't live in a bigger city anymore. When my husband and I were first married, we lived in a suburb of Toronto, and I worked right downtown, which meant taking the train into work. I always felt like I was on a cattle drive as I got off the train each morning and followed the masses out of the station.

I don't mind visiting the city, and I did manage to get what I needed at Old Navy, but I was glad to get home.

Thanks again to Rebecca for hosting this month of thanksgiving!

Labourers in the Vineyard

That is the title of a chapter of Spiritual Depression, so entitled because Dr. Lloyd-Jones examines the parable of the labourers in Matthew 20:1-16. From this passage, he points out to the reader that often the unhappy Christian is so because he is far too concerned comparing what he gets with what others get, that he begins to view God as "unfair." In this parable, the labourers who came at the end of the day received a the same wage as those who worked from the beginning of the day. Certain of the workers grumbled because they saw this as unfair. The reality is, however, that in the Kingdom of God, things work differently.

Lloyd-Jones suggests a way to combat this tendency we have:

Do not think in terms of bargain and rights in the Kingdom of God. That is absolutely fatal. There is nothing so wrong as the spirit which argues that because I do this, or because I have done that, I have a right to expect something else in return... To think in terms of bargains and to murmur at results, implies a distrust of Him, and we need to watch our own spirits lest we harbour the thought that He is not dealing with us justly and fairly.

If you strike a bargain with God, well then it is almost certain that you will just get your bargain and no more... but if you leave it to His grace, you will probably get more than you ever thought of. Of the Pharisees our Lord says: 'Verily they have their reward,' They do these things in order to be seen of men; they are seen of men and that is what they wanted and that is all they will get, they will get no more.

I know this may be disparaging my sex, but I have found that women often have a much more heightened sense of comparison between themselves and others. Try working in a women's ministry group some time, and you will see it there. It is a challenge; at times we are to be less self-focused and more on the needs of others, but when it comes to our attitudes and in work situations, we need to worry less about others and more about ourselves. It is not easy, this Christian life, and yet I would not have any other.

In All Things Give Thanks

This morning, I am thankful for feedback.

One of the students who was in our youth group graduated last year and went away to a bible school in Florida. For a graduation gift, I gave him the book Just Do Something. Last night, when I checked my e-mail, I noticed he had "tagged" me on Facebook. For those who don't know what that means, it is like mentioning someone by name, with a link in a "tweet," if you are using Twitter. If you still have no idea what I mean, I do apologize. He basically put as his Facebook status that he was thankful for God showing him things, and he added a thank you to me by name.

I was curious, so I asked him if I was in trouble, and he told me that he'd had a great day and it was in part because of something he read in the book I gave him. That was encouraging to me.

This year in our youth group, I have been frustrated and discouraged at the apathy among the students. They seem to want nothing more than to be entertained and coddled. It has been difficult to engage their attention in anything meaningful, it seems. I have often wondered if it is something we are doing wrong. To know that something I did with one of the students was useful makes me feel better; we don't always know when things are being retained. This young kid felt like telling me and had a way. Maybe there is more going on inside the kids, but they just aren't telling us.

It was a nice way to end the day, however.