theologia cruce tagged posts

Broken by the church

If your church is giving you grief, watch this….

Isaiah Rising

Michelangelo,_profeti,_Isaiah_01

 

The time for lamenting has come to an end.  Take up the Gospel and follow……

Re-Reading

Augustine_Lateran

I have been re-reading to be fortified for the world to come.  Soon there will be more to say.  For now…

SDG

St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

466px-KellsFol291vPortJohn

Merciful Lord, we beseech Thee to cast the bright beams of Thy light upon Thy Church; that it, being instructed by the doctrines of Thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John, may attain to the light of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigheth with Thee and the Holy Ghost; ever one God, world without end.  Amen.

SDG

St. Stephen, the First Martyr

343px-Saint_Stephen_11cent

 

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stoned them which are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, enven as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Grant, O Lord, that  in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of Thy truth we may stedfastly look up to heaven and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of Thy first martyr, Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to Thee, O blessed Jesus, who standed at the right hand of God to succor all those that suffer for The, our only Mediator and Advocate, who livest and reighnest with the Father and the Holy Ghost; ever one God, world without end. Amen.

SDG

Oratio, Meditatio, Tentatio: 20141204

gillray-thegout

 

Conundrum:

Micah 7:6

For a son dishonors his father, a daughter rises up against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law– a man’s enemies are the members of his own household.

Matthew 10:36

‘…a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’

1 Timothy 3:4

He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect.

Pray…Meditate….Suffer…

SDG

 

This one made me laugh with Job like joy…..

 Over at Dalrock, Cail Corishev makes the following observation:Jesus_wept

 “When did Christians start believing that God is a happiness vending machine, where you put the right behaviors in the slot and out pops the good life? Is my Bible the only one with the book of Job in it? If that book doesn’t scream loud and clear that God owes you nothing and you can’t expect to be rewarded in this life for living right, you really weren’t paying attention.”

SDG

Needs to be repeated…..

Back in 2013, The Outlaw Monk posted:

keep-calm-preach-law-and-gospel

Get over yourself! Realize that Christ’s mission was to save the whole world, not just you. As a follower of Christ your commission is to help the poor and feed the needy, not to go around telling people how great your life is because of Jesus. Instead of preaching your personal testimony, preach the Gospels and the good things that Christ did for all of us—that is the definition of evangelism.

SDG

The most despicable of men

Given what passes for Christian churches in these united States, it is not surprising that Christians In Name Only (CINO) get their religious entertainment fix each week are shocked to see the condition of the church in Palestine, Russia, north Africa, and etc.  Most but not all of these areas are where one find the church of Jesus Christ.  As Martin Luther wrote:

“The church is offensive to the wise and counted with criminals.  This is the lot of the church because this was the lot of Christ, the Head of the Church.”

The results of this distance between the church of Jesus Christ and what passes for it here in these united States is of great magnitude.  But this also has a great impact upon the those within each.  In these united States the message is one of “power, wealth, peace, honor, wisdom, and righteousness.”  CINO preachers cover the remnant with “slander, bitter hatred, persecution, and blasphemy.”  This is license for the CINO to treat the remnant with “contempt and ingratitude.”

Robert A. Kelly has pointed out that the fact that the CINO,

“…who carry out the persecution of and inflict suffering on Christ’s people are the agents of the devil does not mean that they are obviously and outwardly wicked people.  Some are, but most are often the most outwardly pious, upright, and religious people.  They are full of holy zeal to protect God and morality from assault.”

And so it is and so it will be.  But what about those who deliver Christ’s words of “affliction, shame, persecution, death, etc.”  Well, for the most part they are out of step with the new and the enlightened.  They are “the most despicable of men” and thus the source of the church’s glory.

SDG

Weekly Q&A – 20140614

Choose one of the following theologies and explore how they are emphasized both in historic liturgical forms (i.e., the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours) and in the German Lutheran Messe: theologia cruces, sola fide, the Real Presence of Christ.

My interest in this question stems from the fact that we have only one theology, that of the Cross.  Particulars such as sola fide and the Real Presence of Christ are part and parcel of the Theology of the Cross (theologia cruces).  Critical to this is that in his writings, specifically the Heidelberg Disputation, Martin Luther focuses three theses (19, 20 & 21) on defining who is and who is not a theologian.  Only later does Luther set forth the Cross as “our theology.”  Thus, it is that theologia cruces defines the theologian, but also the praxis of our theology in liturgy forms.Cross at Mission San Jose, San Antonio, Texas

The medieval Mass retained many elements of the theologia cruces, including the penitential Kyrie, the laudatory Gloria, the confessional Credo, the laudatory Sanctus and the penitential Agnus Dei.  Because these parts of the Mass remained focused on Christ’s work and our creaturely position, Luther kept them in the Messe.  As such these should remain as part of any modern liturgical forms.

All liturgical forms should remain focused upon ‘suffering and the Cross.’  Recently, two threats to the Lutheran liturgical form of proclamation have returned, these are the ‘decadent pietism’ identified by Forde and ‘functional Arminianism’ identified by Curtis.  These threats can be qualified as personal affirmation (of oneself and of others) and ‘making a decision for Christ.’  Each are a danger to true worship and are a degradation of the liturgy.

As theologians of the Cross and responsible liturgists, we should be on guard against these threats as we consider what is included and excluded from our services.  Over the years older hymns (chorales) and modern hymns that focus on God and His Christ as the actors and we as the passive recipients of His actions can and should continue to be included.  Modern and camp meeting (gospel music?) songs should be view critically before inclusion as they tend to affirm us and reinforce our own idolatry.

We must continue to teach and preach that all of us should be very cautious of what is brought into our congregations.  Very few, if any, resources found at the local ‘Christian’ bookstore have been seriously vetted as meeting the standard of ‘suffering and the Cross.’  All pastors and teachers should use the theological analysis that was discussed in class.  Although our class focus was on hymn analysis, these points seem to be a good starting point for what should or should not be included in the liturgy.  The points were: 1. Is the form about God’s grace and thanksgiving?; 2. Does the form include works righteousness?; and 3. Is the Cross central in the form?

Additionally, one could add that the forms should be true and beautiful.  Ultimately, those historical and modern liturgical forms that give all might, majesty, dominion, power, and all the glory of our salvation to God alone, have and will stand the test of time.  No other forms are more important and far-reaching than standing firm in the theologia cruce.
SDG