U2: Magnificent
March 26, 2009
U2 performing ‘Magnificent’ on Late Night with David Letterman earlier this month:
Lyrics:
Magnificent
Magnificent
I was born, I was born to be with you
In this space and time
After that and ever after I haven’t had a clue
Only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
I was born, I was born to sing for you
I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise…
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar
Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The Magnificent
Flannery O’Connor: mercy in extremis
March 26, 2009
Ralph C. Wood of Baylor University has written a splendid short piece in honor of Flannery O’Connor’s birthday (b.1925). Best paragraph this:
The key to comprehending Flannery O’Connor’s life and work is to remember that, in her lexicon, divine grace is never synonymous with human graciousness. On the contrary, it is often abrupt and rude and disrespectful of ordinary proprieties, for the skin of human resistance is exceedingly thick. When asked why her characters meet such violent self-awakenings, O’Connor replied that it’s because their heads are so hard. Grace must wound before it can heal, she declared, and her fiction is filled with both woundings and healings. O’Connor wittily consoled readers that, while a lot of folks get killed in her fiction, nobody gets hurt. In her unsentimental reckoning, there are states of thriving but damnable life far worse than a grisly but saving death.
Dew of Hermon in Fort Lauderdale
March 24, 2009
Back in January I blogged re: the possbile merger of Coral Ridge PCA and New City EPC in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with New City Pastor Tullian Tchividjian as pastor of the united congregation. You can read about the approval of the merger and the call of Coral Ridge to Tullian here.
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
A word from the original Sweet Dropper
March 13, 2009
This is from Richard Sibbes‘ The Bruised Reed:
Christ’s work, both in the church and in the hearts of Christians, often goes backward so that it may go forward better. As seed rots in the ground in the winter time, but after comes up better, and the harder the winter the more flourishing the spring, so we learn to stand by falls, and get strength by weakness discovered—virtutis custos infirmitas (weakness is the keeper of virtue). We take deeper root by shaking. And, as torches flame brighter by moving, thus it pleases Christ, out of his freedom, in this manner to maintain his government in us. Let us herein labor to exercise our faith, so that it may answer Christ’s way of dealing with us. When we are foiled, let us believe we shall overcome; when we have fallen, let us believe we shall rise again. Jacob, after he received a blow which made him lame, yet would not give over wrestling (Gen. 32:25) till he had obtained the blessing. So let us never give up, but, in our thought knit the beginning, progress and end together, and then we shall see ourselves in heaven out of the reach of all enemies. Let us assure ourselves that God’s grace, even in this imperfect state, is stronger than man’s free will in the state of original perfection. It is founded now in Christ, who, as he is the author, so will he be the finisher, of our faith (Heb. 12:2). We are under a more gracious covenant.
U.S. now taking no embryonic prisoners
March 11, 2009
Below are links to three good opinion pieces on President Obama’s March 9 executive order allowing federal funding to be used in embryonic stem cell research.
- Yuval Levin of the Ethics and Public Policy Center on four myths about embryonic stem cell research.
- Mark Bates, pastor of Village Seven PCA in Colorado Springs, Colorado (and a man who used to be my pastor) on the convergence of Orwell and Huxley in the policy change.
- John Mark Reynolds with a brief critique that displays a sanctified use of sarcasm.
Sweet counsel 03.10.09
March 10, 2009
REMIND
Bible Conference: March 27-29: Wilson Benton will be here to speak at 6:00 pm on Friday and Saturday nights, and in the Sunday services. We will also get to visit with Wilson during the Sunday School hour in a combined youth and adult class. On Saturday there will be a men’s breakfast with Wilson and a ladies’ event with Pam Benton. The bulletin and church web site contain times and other details.
Dr. Wilson Benton currently serves as interim pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. In October 2006, Dr. Benton retired after serving 21 years as Senior Pastor of the Kirk of the Hills in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Benton received his B.A. and B.D. degrees from Belhaven College and Columbia Seminary respectively, and his Ph.D. in Systemic Theology from the University of Edinburgh. Wilson and his wife Pam (daughter of our own Claude Woodward) have three children and seven grandchildren.
RECAST
- Worship: Glorifying the Triune God according to his Word through forms that blend ancient traditions and current local styles. Magnifying the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in praise, prayer, preaching and the sacraments.
- Teaching: Engaging the minds and hearts of members and outsiders with Biblical truth as expressed in our Confession and Catechisms.Equipping our members to bring the gospel to people in their spheres of influence.
- Nurture: Loving one another so that the world will see the difference Jesus makes. Demonstrating “Kingdom-first” living together in all areas of life.
- Reaching: Making room for outsiders through long-term relationships and multiple exposures to the Gospel. Committing ourselves to spend and be spent in local outreach, church planting and world missions.
FPC is committed to excellence in WORSHIP/TEACHING/NURTURE/REACHING, believing that Acts 2:42-47 provides a “thumbnail sketch” of these values at work in the early church. Attending to these values requires outstanding, God-given, committed and qualified leaders. Thus, FPC aspires to be a church that equips people to serve and lead creatively, sacrificially, joyfully, and consistently, motivated by grace rather than guilt.
FPC wants to makes a difference for Christ in Attala County and the world. We believe this happens not just through what God leads us to do corporately (as a church), but also as individuals in our spheres of influence. We believe that every believer has callings from God to show his glory in these spheres of influence. Our vision also compels us to emphasize aggressive effort in church planting and deep involvement in world missions.
Members of FPC are more than members of an organization. They are family. They are fellow disciples of Jesus Christ. They are members of the body of Christ who desire to believe, learn, grow and give. We believe that developing church health will lead to church growth.
Next week, some thoughts on how our VISION and our VALUES get put into actions through VEHICLES of ministry.
REVIEW
The First Wednesdays that was: Last Wednesday night we had a good crowd of ladies for the Women’s Bible Study, led by Maureen Boswell, who had just a few hours earlier been treated for a dislocated finger. I promised her that we would not record the study, nor would we hold her responsible for outrageous comments she might make. While the women were studying together, I led a smaller group of men in a Men’s Forum, in which we watched a video of a sermon John Piper preached last month on 2 Corinthians 1:1-11 entitled, ‘What the Recession is For.”
Here is Piper’s summary of his message:
Now what are some of God’s purposes in this recession? I will mention five:
- He intends for this recession to expose hidden sin and so bring us to repentance and cleansing.
- He intends to wake us up to the constant and desperate condition of the developing world where there is always and only recession of the worst kind.
- He intends to relocate the roots of our joy in his grace rather than in our goods, in his mercy rather than our money, in his worth rather than our wealth.
- He intends to advance his saving mission in the world—the spread of the gospel and the growth of his church—precisely at a time when human resources are least able to support it. This is how he guards his glory.
- He intends for the church to care for its hurting members and to grow in the gift of love.
We had some good discussion afterwards. You can watch, read or listen to the message at here.
REFRESH
I’ll be on a week’s vacation beginning Monday, March 16. Ruth Anne’s injury put an end to ambitious travel plans for the Palmertrees, but I hope to get some landscape work done around the house, enjoy the kids, see a Mississippi State baseball game or two, and take everyone down to Lucedale for a visit with Judy’s parents. Grant and Joe will run things on Sunday, April 22.
After a couple of sermons on our Savior’s death and resurrection on the first two Lord’s Days of April, I’ll preach some sermons that explain and apply the new statements of vision and values for FPC.
ANTICIPATE
Morning Worship: My series Abraham’s God and Mine ends this Sunday. In Genesis 25:1-18 the life of Abraham comes to a close, and God’s blessing transfers to Isaac, Abraham’s “only” son. Abraham was promised many nations and death at a ripe old age. We’ll raise our voices in praise with Immortal, Invisible, God Only-Wise and the new hymn What Manner of Love and For All the Saints.
Evening Worship: Revelation 5 will be in front of us. “Why is worthy to open the scrolls?” is a huge question in Revelation. Chapter 4 showed us worship at the center of the universe. To worship God is acknowledge his awesomeness and out utter dependence on him. But more than that, to worship God means to love and follow the Lamb. This is what we will explore.
Free ESV Online Study Bible
March 4, 2009
You can get free access to the recently-released ESV Online Study Bible. Here’s the press release:
Crossway publishing is pleased to make the ESV Online Study Bible available free–for anyone and everyone–for a limited time through March 31, 2009. For full access and free trial use of all the Online Study Bible features, users can create a login and password at www.esvstudybible.org/online. Email information will not be shared, nor will there be any obligation to purchase. Crossway invites you to share this information with others–with the hope that many will benefit from this online resource and further experience the timeless truth of God’s Word as a powerful, compelling, life-changing reality.
Sweet counsel 03.03.09
March 3, 2009
Whence the name ‘Sweet Counsel’? It has a connection both to my blog “The Sweet Dropper” (sweetdropper.com) and to Psalm 55:14. The Psalm is a lament about betrayal at the hands of a friend. In v.14 the singer looks back at the friendship and remembers how “We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng.” I’ve seized on that image of walking together in fellowship in God’s house by grabbing that name to describe what I want to do with these weekly updates.
REMIND
First Wednesdays: Remember that Wednesday the night for Women’s Bible Study, led by Maureen Boswell, on Tim Keller’s book The Prodigal God. The turnout has been great for that excellent study. While the women are studying together, I will lead a Men’s Forum, in which we will seek greater biblical perspective on the current financial crisis through teaching and discussion.
Bible Conference: March 27-29: Wilson Benton will be here to speak at 6:00 pm on Friday and Saturday nights, and in the Sunday services. We will also get to visit with Wilson during the Sunday School hour in a combined youth and adult class. On Saturday there will be a men’s breakfast with Wilson and a ladies’ event with Pam Benton. Sunday’s bulletin will contain times and other details.
Dr. Wilson Benton currently serves as interim pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee. In October 2006, Dr. Benton retired after serving 21 years as Senior Pastor of the Kirk of the Hills in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Benton received his B.A. and B.D. degrees from Belhaven College and Columbia Seminary respectively, and his Ph.D. in Systemic Theology from the University of Edinburgh. Wilson and his wife Pam (daughter of our own Claude Woodward) have three children and seven grandchildren.
RECAST
- gospel-driven: Jesus and his work set us free from guilty fears and religious pride to worship and serve; the good news of free grace in Christ enables us to reach people in all walks of life, to experience personal transformation, and to glorify and enjoy God now and forever.
- pursuing: placing high priority on worship; seeking to grow in grace; becoming more of a “mission” church than a “receptor” church; moving toward the mess of people’s lives with grace and truth.
Next week, some thoughts on our VALUES, or why you’re about to hear the letters WTNR all the time.
ANTICIPATE
Morning Worship: I’m preaching Genesis 24, in which Abraham send his most trusted servant back to the homeland on a mission to find a good wife for Isaac. This is the passage on which Jim and Jane Baird spoke to our men and our women back at the end of January. I’ll be emphasizing the role of prayer and action in that story: God’s unseen hand of providence that moves the story along showing that God is faithful to Abraham and Isaac, and that God answers prayer and can be trusted to provide even when he has not spoken but has been spoken to in prayer. Among the hymns we’ll sing are Lift Up Your Heads (Psalm 24) and Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder.
Evening Worship: I’ll bring the fifth message in the series The Unveiling: the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Chapters 4-5 show us John’s vision of the glory and significance of worship that centers, gathers, reveals, sings, affirms the Lamb of God.
Siege of Leningrad: then and now
March 3, 2009
Eight years ago this month I had the privilege of lecturing for two weeks in a seminary in St. Petersburg, Russia. St. Petersburg, even under a winter’s worth of snow, is the most breath-taking city I have visited. We had opportunities to visit the art museums (the Hermitage and the Russian Museum), a couple of palaces of tsarist-era nobility (including the one where Rasputin was murdered), the “Catherine” summer palace at Pushkin, the conservatory where Tchiakovsky, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich studied, and the imposing 19th-century cathedrals. But the place that gripped me most was the State Museum of Defense and the Siege of Leningrad (typical colorless Soviet-era name). This small underground museum documents both the heroism and the suffering of the citizens of Leningrad (its Soviet name) as they held on for almost three years with the Germans at the door. Though much smaller than its original layout, thanks to a Stalin purge of much of the collection, it still has lots of eerie exhibits documenting the 900-day WWII German siege of the city, when people were eating sawdust cakes, or bran fried in motor oil, or pets or each other. A few grim photographs appear in various WWII history books.
Last week I was made aware of a site where photographer Sergei Larenkov has posted digitally superimposed images from the 900-day siege over current photos of the same locations. He has produced eerie and thought-provoking shots, which bring those black-and-white events to life.
