my burg

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5 ESV) Here are a few excerpts from Geerhardus Vos, commenting on "a living hope" and the future orientation of Christians...   "Sometimes we are altogether too much concerned with what the present world will say about us –- whether it will regard us as progressive and enlightened and liberal; while we but too seldom consider what would be the historic judgment passed upon us by the church of the former ages if its great figures could gather around us and review the part we take in the making of the history of the present –- whether they would be shamed or gladdened...

"I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me. In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord; in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying; my soul refuses to be comforted." (Psalm 77:1-2 ESV) Twice a month men of the church join together to pray for the persecuted church. Here are the prayer concerns that were printed for this week, as compiled by one of our pastor/elders:   Nigeria,  Aug 7. Fulani herdsmen continue brazen killing of Christians, slaying 17 since July 17, including women and babies. Over 50,000 believers have been martyred, and millions displaces since the violence began.  Pakistan,  Aug 1. Nabeel Masih, a Christian man, 25 yrs old, detained in 2016 in Pakistan (at 16) for "blasphemy" against Islam, has died after years of suffering, imprisonment, and medical neglect.  DR Congo, July 31. A horrific massacre unfolded Sunday in eastern Congo where Islamic State-affiliated jihadists beheaded at least 49 Christians-nine of t...

Here are a couple of excerpts from T. S. Eliot, regarding how a society should deal with its past evils, as well as with affirming the good things inherited...   "Of all that was done in the past, you eat the fruit, either rotten or ripe.   And the Church must be forever building, and always decaying, and always being restored.   For every ill deed in the past we suffer the consequence:    For sloth, for avarice, gluttony, neglect of the Word of God.    For pride, for lechery, treachery, for every act of sin.    And of all that was done that was good, you have the inheritance.    For good and ill deeds belong to a man alone, when he stands alone on the other side of death,    But here upon earth you have the reward of the good and ill that was done by those who have gone before you.    And all that is ill you may repair if you walk together in humble repentance, expiating the sins of your fathers;...

Our reading group just finished studying Four Quartets , the remarkable series of poems T. S. Eliot completed in 1942. Here Eliot explores the riddles of -- and the intersections between -- time and eternity, beginning and end, motion and still-point.   In these poems I was frequently reminded of Ecclesiastes and of Pascal's Pensées . We also saw the influence of Dante upon Eliot's imagery.    I recommend Thomas Howard's Dove Descending (Ignatius, 2006) as a helpful, and not overly analytic guide for understanding Eliot's words and allusions.  Eliot's closing stanza brings together the themes of beginning and end, Eden and afterlife, and the unitary role of fire (which destroys and purifies) and the rose (which is life and beauty).  Both the fire and the rose have the one purpose of returning us to the Garden, that we might "know the place for the first time."    Eliot writes,  "With the drawing of this Love and the voice of this   ...

A great blessing for me since my conversion as a college student many years ago, has been to fellowship in churches which practiced the weekly observance of the Lord's Table (1 Cor 10:21; also called the Lord's Supper, or Communion ). In the Plymouth Brethren tradition this usually takes place in a group setting which allows for spontaneous singing, sharing, prayer, Scripture reading, and periods of silence among those gathered. I've been thinking about how important that time has been to me through the years. Here are some thoughts... WHY THE LORD'S SUPPER (Or, Communion) IS IMPORTANT.  1) This observance should be valued by us because it is important to our Lord . He began the meal as a Passover observance, and then transformed it into a new ordinance, which we call the Lord's Supper, the Lord's Table, or Communion. He longed for the disciples' participation, saying, "I have earnestly desired [ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐπεθύμησα] to eat this Passover with you." ...

"And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought."  (1 Chronicles 28:9 ESV) "Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." (Ephesians 6:4 ESV) As we approach Father's Day, I thought I'd repost a poem I have appreciated through the years.  The author was Merrill C. Tenney (1904-1985), a Professor of New Testament and Dean of the Graduate School at Wheaton College. He wrote this for his two sons. Its sentiment, however, expresses what we desire for all of our children.   A Father’s Gift To you, O son of mine, I cannot give A vast estate of wide and fertile lands; But I can keep for you, long as I live, Unstained hands. I have no coat of arms that insures Your path to eminence and worldly fame; But longer than empty heraldry endures A blameless name. I have no t...

"From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me." (Nehemiah 4:16-18 ESV) The great London preacher, Charles Spurgeon, published a monthly magazine called The Sword and The Trowel; A record of combat with sin and of labour for the Lord. It was published from 1865 to 1892. The cover of the journal had a drawing taken from Nehemiah 4, which included both a trowel (representing the work) and a sword (representing the fight). The sword was necessary to protect what the men with trowels were building. These citizen-soldier-builders would successfully complete the wall aroun...

"A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit." (Proverbs 15:4 ESV) After posting the other day in my newsletter, Afterwords ( "Words fruitful or fatal" ), I was asked by a reader, "Then, is there no room to speak up for truth? Are you saying that we shouldn’t express our thoughts? It seems we would be committing a sin of omission if we don’t speak clearly against evil."  Indeed, we are to speak truthfully about good and evil! The problem is, according to the Bible, many of us don't know how to do that in a godly way, at the right time, and without pride or self-righteousness or vindictiveness. It's difficult to speak truth in a way (and time) that invites repentance and healing. For example, we go amiss... ...when we are uninformed, or misinformed, or make a hasty accusation: "The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools." (Proverbs 15:7) ...when we are too selective in the truth we sha...