Sunday Quotes!

Last Sunday we looked at the "Magnificat" - Mary's Song - from Luke 1:46-55. Here it is, and (as a bonus) I've also tossed in John Piper's thoughts about this amazing song.

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,

as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Piper said, “[Mary] sees clearly a most remarkable thing about God: He is about to change the course of all human history; the most important three decades in all of time are about to begin. And where is God? Occupying himself with two obscure, humble women—one old and barren, one young and virginal. And Mary is so moved by this vision of God, the lover of the lowly, that she breaks out in song—a song that has come to be known as the Magnificat.”

The Santa Claus Slap!

I know most people don't read long posts, but this is by far my absolute favorite article that I have ever read about Santa Claus. Seriously, it is that good. So go ahead and read the whole thing... you'll love it too!

Slappy holiday
Why not take the Santa Claus tradition a little further?
Gene Edward Veith

Santa Claus had his origins in St. Nicholas, the fourth-century bishop of Myra in present-day Turkey. Known for his generosity and his love of children, Nicholas is said to have saved a poor family's daughters from slavery by tossing into their window enough gold for a rich dowry, a present that landed in some shoes or, in some accounts, stockings that were hung up to dry. Thus arose the custom of hanging up stockings for St. Nicholas to fill. And somehow he transmogrified into Santa Claus, who has become for many people the secular Christmas alternative to Jesus Christ.

But there is more to the story of Nicholas of Myra. He was also a delegate to the Council of Nicea in a.d. 325, which battled the heretics who denied the deity of Christ. He was thus one of the authors of the Nicene Creed, which affirms that Jesus Christ is both true God and true man. And unlike his later manifestation, Nicholas was particularly zealous in standing up for Christ.

During the Council of Nicea, jolly old St. Nicholas got so fed up with Arius, who taught that Jesus was just a man, that he walked up and slapped him! That unbishoplike behavior got him in trouble. The council almost stripped him of his office, but Nicholas said he was sorry, so he was forgiven.

The point is, the original Santa Claus was someone who flew off the handle when he heard someone minimizing Christ. Perhaps we can battle our culture's increasingly Christ-less Christmas by enlisting Santa in his original cause. The poor girls' stockings have become part of our Christmas imagery. So should the St. Nicholas slap.

Not a violent hit of the kind that got the good bishop in trouble, just a gentle, admonitory tap on the cheek. This should be reserved not for out-and-out nonbelievers, but for heretics (that is, people in the church who deny its teachings), Christians who forget about Jesus, and people who try to take Christ out of Christmas.

This will take a little tweaking of the mythology. Santa and his elves live at the North Pole where they compile a list of who is naughty, who is nice, and who is Nicean. On Christmas Eve, flying reindeer pull his sleigh full of gifts. And after he comes down the chimney, he will steal into the rooms of people dreaming of sugarplums who think they can do without Christ and slap them awake.

And we'll need new songs and TV specials ("Santa Claus Is Coming to Slap," "Deck the Apollinarian with Bats of Holly," "Frosty the Gnostic," "How the Arian Stole Christmas," "Rudolph the Red Knows Jesus").

Department store Santas should ask the children on their laps if they have been good, what they want for Christmas, and whether they understand the Two Natures of Christ. The Santas should also roam the shopping aisles, and if they hear any clerks wish their customers a mere "Happy Holiday," give them a slap.

This addition to his job description will keep Santa busy. Teachers who forbid the singing of religious Christmas carols—SLAP! Office managers who erect Holiday Trees—SLAP! Judges who outlaw manger displays—SLAP! People who give The Da Vinci Code as a Christmas present—SLAP! Ministers who cancel Sunday church services that fall on Christmas day—SLAP! SLAP!

Perhaps Santa Claus in his original role as a theological enforcer may not go over very well in our contemporary culture. People may then try to take both Christ and Santa Claus out of Christmas. And with that economic heresy, the retailers would start to do the slapping.

Copyright © 2009 WORLD Magazine
December 24, 2005, Vol. 20, No. 50

Sunday Quotes!

On the third Sunday of Advent we looked at Zephaniah 3:17, "The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

Here are some quotes from the sermon:

"The Bible has been called the greatest story ever told. It could also be called the greatest song ever sung. It’s a song of a Warrior-King who is intent on winning back his beloved from her false suitors and exulting over her with loud singing.” Reggie Kidd

“Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God is a Singer… God composes a song with us in mind, and sings it to us.” Randy Alcorn

One last quote by John Piper - it's a bit long, but well worth reading!

“Can you imagine what it would be like to hear God singing? A mere spoken word from his mouth brought the universe into existence. What would happen if God lifted up his voice and not only spoke but sang! Perhaps a new heaven and a new earth would be created. What do you hear when you imagine the voice of God singing? I hear the booming of Niagara Falls mingled with the trickle of a mossy mountain stream. I hear the blast of Mt. St. Helens mingled with a kitten's purr. I hear the power of an East Coast hurricane and the barely audible puff of a night snow in the woods. And I hear the unimaginable roar of the sun 865,000 miles thick, 1,300,000 times bigger than the earth, and nothing but fire, 1,000,000 degrees centigrade, on the cooler surface of the corona. But I hear this unimaginable roar mingled with the tender, warm crackling of the living room logs on a cozy winter's night. And when I hear this singing I stand dumbfounded, staggered, speechless that he is singing over me – one who has dishonored him so many times and in so many ways. It is almost too good to be true.” John Piper

A "Holiday" Post You Should Read...

Father Paul Edgerton (pictured with his wife, Christie, and son, Isaac) is a priest in the Reformed Episcopal Church and is currently planting The Church of the Redeemer in Wilson, NC. He also happens to be a friend of mine. He recently wrote a blog post about Advent and Christmas, and clearly he is no fan of what he calls "ambiguous holiday stuff". It was so intense that I had to read it twice just to let it sink in. Here's a sample:

"And, well, blame it all, it ain’t Christmas yet. It’s Advent. Yes, Advent. Purple doesn’t look good with red, folks. And the clash between Advent and the culture’s preemptive Christmas melee is more than just a clash of colors. While the world dreams up or sneers about the possibility of Peace and Joy and Hope and Family, we Christians are taking some time out instead for recognition that not a stinkin’ bit of it is at all even remotely possible for us on our own terms and in our own power or certainly by our own gift-giving."

Click here to read the whole thing.

JI Packer, "I am no Gandalf"

I'm a huge JRR Tolkien fan. If you don't believe me just drop by my office and have a look at the huge Middle-Earth map hanging on my wall (a gift from Autumn!). His books are in my all-time favorite category. I'm also a JI Packer fan. His writings have shaped my theology deeply. I still remember reading Knowing God for the first time. This is why when I came across an article from World Magazine that mentioned both Tolkien and Packer - I just had to share it:

When theologian, teacher, and writer Dr. J.I. Packer reached his 80th birthday on July 22, 2006, his home church in Vancouver, British Columbia—St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church—honored him with a special celebration.

One after the other, friends from church and colleagues from nearby Regent College, where he has taught for three decades, spoke of Packer's impact on the evangelical movement and themselves. Several, referring to the great mentor in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, called Packer their own Gandalf.

But Packer, when it came his time to speak, gently protested. "I am no Gandalf," he said, his normally strong and clear voice choked with emotion. "I'm much closer to the lowly Sam."

This is just one more reason why I appreciate Packer - he is brilliant and very humble.