Be a story teller

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

John 1:1

If you ask most people “Where is the Christmas story in the Bible ?”, they will invariably turn to Luke, chapter 2. There you will read all about the circumstances of Christ’s birth. But is that the “Christmas Story” ? It certainly is the story of what happened at Christmas. It accurately describes the events surrounding Christ’s birth. But there is little theology in the account which we traditionally read from Luke’s gospel. In Luke we learn two things that are important to us as Christians. First, in verse 11, the shepherds are told “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord”. We learn that the child born that day in Bethlehem is indeed our savior. Second, in verse 14, the angels declare “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” . From this, we learn something that is both extremely profound yet highly misunderstood. Entirely too many people misunderstand the phrase, “and on earth peace, good will toward men” , to mean that because of Christ’s birth, there will be peace on earth for mankind – no more war, no more pestilence, no more violence between men – and that “good will” will be the watch word of the day. Of course we know that is not true. Look around you, pick up a newspaper, turn on CNN or Fox News and you run the risk of having your entire Christmas ruined by what you see and hear. Did the angels lie? No, of course not. The “peace” that the angels are talking about is peace between man and God; the “good will” is the coming to fruition of the will of God that the relationship between man and God be reestablished, that enmity between man and God be put aside. It represents God’s desire that the relationship be based on mans understanding and appreciation of his created existence and of his need for God’s love and guiding hand to fulfill the purpose for which he was created. It calls for peace and good will between man and God, not between men. That is why we call Christ the “Prince of Peace.” How do we know that this is what the angels were talking about? Well, we can look to the other “Christmas Story” … the gospel of John.

In the opening chapter of this gospel we read a clear account of why Christ came into the world. We read of man’s sinfulness, his need for a savior, his inability to save himself, his inability to recognize the very means of his own salvation from himself.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

And again …


He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.


These are profound statements, and are as true today as when John wrote them just under 2000 years ago - nothing much has changed. Despite the “Christmas story”, men still dwell in darkness in numbers far surpassing those for whom the Christmas story has pointed the way to a new life in Christ. Unlike Luke’s Christmas story, this one is full of theological truths which should never go unnoticed. It establishes clearly the eternity of Christ in the Trinity, the creation of the world by God’s hand, the creation of life itself by Christ, the continued refusal or inability of fallen man to perceive and receive God as the source of all that is, the absolute reliance upon God for salvation, and the eternal truths of election and predestination to eternal life. All of these truths are accomplished and fulfilled by the power of God only because of his love for us and his creation, and not because of anything that we have done to deserve it. Christ came into this world because of our sinfulness, not to make us feel good. This is the true story of Christmas, it is about intervention, reconciliation, salvation and truth. The Christmas story is a thing to be pondered in wonder and a privilege to be cherished by the church. Christ, fully God, fully man, is born at Christmas and by his power alone, we too are reborn as sons and daughters of God and brother and sisters with Christ. The story of shepherds and angels and the journey to Bethlehem and the lowly birth are wonderful things indeed, but there is a greater wonder in Christmas that we should never forget …

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Remember, Christ was not the only thing that came into the world at Christmas .. salvation came into the world through him … that is the real story of Christmas. This Christmas, after you have read Luke’s story, don’t forget to read John’s also.

Merry Christmas, blessed New Year … thanks be to God.

Bishop Del

How do you keep Christmas ?

There has been about as much contention and controversy surrounding the celebration of Christmas in the Anglican church as there has been controversy between Protestant and Roman Catholic. There seem to be several sources for this friction .. some of it historically accurate and some of it fictional. There are very good reasons to accept both sides of the argument and that creates a real dilemma for modern Christians. Some of the issues and questions surrounding Christmas are ...

Christmas is an adaptation of a pagan holiday. Why do we celebrate the “birthday” of the Lord on a day or even in a season (winter) in which it is almost certain he was not really born? How does this distortion of the facts reflect on our claims to truth as Christians?

Christmas wasn’t even recognized by the early Church. To the early church, and indeed, even to this day in the Eastern Church, Easter was and is the most important event in the Christian “celebrations” (derived from the word to “remember”, not to “party”). Easter has a message of hope, joy, victory. Christmas on the other hand reminds us that our Lord was born to die a terrible death for us sinners. Why should we be “joyous” about that event? Christians didn’t observe Christmas until sometime in the third century, apparently right after Constantine the Great (I) converted to Christianity and made it the dominant (though unofficial) religion of the Roman Empire.

Early American settlers despised and banned the holiday. Puritan settlers in the New England area were dead set against celebrating Christmas, and in Massachusetts it was actually banned by law. It had been banned in the Old World too. In Scotland and later in England it was legally banned by the Puritans while they had brief control of the two Parliaments. However, the ban was lifted in Great Britain upon the restoration of the monarchy. In the New World, there was constant friction between the English and the Puritans over the issue of Christmas and the traditions practiced during the holiday that had come over from England.

“Christmas” is named for a Roman Catholic tradition. The word “Christmas” is derived from “Christ’s Mass”. If a “mass” is historically a re-sacrificing of Christ for the atonement of sin, then aren’t we furthering a theological principal which we don’t believe in? Protestants believe that Christ was sacrificed “once for all”. Aren’t we being hypocritical by joining in a Roman Catholic holiday?

Christmas has become completely commercialized. Christmas has become a holiday of office parties, drinking, excessive gift giving, plays, Holiday on Ice, celebrity “Christmas Specials” (funny thing ... most celebrities don’t believe in Christ yet are willing to make money on him) and Santa Clause. A lot of people lay the blame entirely at the feet of Macy’s Department Store. The fact is, Christmas has been that way for hundreds and hundred of years .. probably as many years as it has been celebrated. Here is what Increase Mather, a Puritan preacher in Massachusetts wrote about Christmas in the late 1600s ...

"The generality of Christmas-keepers observe that festival after such a manner as is highly dishonourable to the name of Christ. How few are there comparatively that spend those holidays (as they are called) after an holy manner. But they are consumed in Compotations (drinking parties) , in Interludes (quasi-religious plays), in playing at Cards, in Revellings, in excess of Wine, in mad Mirth ..." Sounds a lot like the criticisms of Christmas that we have today doesn’t it ? So .. what’s a Christian supposed to do? Where does a Protestant go to “keep” Christmas?

Let’s start with a basic principal of philosophy. What a tradition represented at one time does not necessarily mean that it represents that same tradition today. Just look at the view that our founding fathers had of the Constitution, and what view of the constitution most law makers have today? Not the same at all is it! Christmas is a time of joy. Not the carnal revellry type of joy of previous generations but rather great spiritual joy. That joy is a recognition that where once all God’s people (Israel) were under the law and unsuccesfully sought their righteousness there, they are now free from its bonds of failure by the promised fulfillment of a savior. In Christ, God has lavished upon us the greatest gift that one can give ... eternal life. And God paid the most precious price that a father could pay to purchase that gift for us.. the very body and blood of his only begotten son. So we should “make merry” .. as men let out of prison, not as men seeking to fulfill their many carnal pleasures and lusts. We owe it to other Christians to recognize them and remind them at this time of year just who they are by declaring “Merry Christmas” to one and all. Just as we ministers preach the gospel to all Gods creation in the sure and certain hope that it will fall upon the ears of those who were chosen before the foundation of the world, we owe it likewise to one and all to remind them of Gods special gift to us.

As we work our way through the season of Advent we should ponder these many issues of Christmas and by doing so we will find the true spirit of Christmas and the right ways of celebrating what it really means. Don't wait for someone else to give you the answers to the questions above, do the work yourself ... you’ll be a better Christmas Keeper if you do. Let your hearts be merry, God has chosen you to be his children. And just as he has lavished the most magnificent of gifts on his children, so we should do the same to others .... in the same spirit. Not because we are somehow obligigated to do it, not because we are seeking their approval, not because we will get anything in return .. but simply because we love the brethren.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

This is the reason that we keep Christmas. To remind us of God’s love. In closing tonight I’d like to share with you John Donne’s great poem “Nativity”. I think it captures what Christmas is really all about. For those of you not familiar with Donne, he was the Rector of St Paul’s Cathedral, London and was a product of the English Reformation. Much of his poetry deals with divine subjects.

Immensity cloistered in thy dear womb,
Now leaves His well-belov'd imprisonment,
There He hath made Himself to His intent
Weak enough, now into the world to come;
But O, for thee, for Him, hath the inn no room?
Yet lay Him in this stall, and from the Orient,
Stars and wise men 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.

On the Morning of Christ's Nativity
This is the month, and this the happy morn
Wherein the Son of Heav'n's eternal King,
Of wedded Maid, and Virgin Mother born,
Our great redemption from above did bring;
For so the holy sages once did sing,
That he our deadly forfeit should release,
And with his Father work us a perpetual peace.
That glorious Form, that Light unsufferable,
And that far-beaming blaze of Majesty,
Wherewith he wont at Heav'n's high council-table,
To sit the midst of Trinal Unity,
He laid aside, and here with us to be,
Forsook the courts of everlasting day,
And chose with us a darksome house of mortal clay.

Say Heav'nly Muse, shall not thy sacred vein
Afford a present to the Infant God?
Hast thou no verse, no hymn, or solemn strain,
To welcome him to this his new abode,
Now while the heav'n, by the Sun's team untrod,
Hath took no print of the approaching light,
And all the spangled host keep watch in squadrons bright?
See how from far upon the eastern road
The star-led wizards haste with odours sweet:
O run, prevent them with thy humble ode,
And lay it lowly at his blessed feet;
Have thou the honour first thy Lord to greet,
And join thy voice unto the angel quire,
From out his secret altar touched with hallowed fire

Be Thankful ..

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Col 3:15

One of the great prayers of our Book of Common Prayer is our "General Thanksgiving". It was written by an English Bishop of Puritan leanings during the reign of Elizabeth I and is based upon a private prayer which she composed, supposedly upon the English victory over the Spanish Armada. When read carefully you can see clearly that it is built upon the doctrine of God in his three fold activity as Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer. We say this prayer in unison at every Morning Prayer Service while on our knees before God. Kneeling before God in prayer with our fellow man is one of the joyous benefits of being a Protestant Episcopalian. It has become traditional with me to always read aloud in Church one of the other two great proclamations of Thanksgiving at this time of year. The first is from the pen of the George Washington, our first President. The second is from the pen of William Seward, Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and was used by Lincoln to declare a "National Day of Thanksgiving and Praise." In each of the Presidential proclamations you can see the same theme of God's three fold activity being declared, and the reader being strongly encouraged to not only be thankful for God's creation, but also for our gift of freedom and to be mindful to render not only thanks, but praise as well.


I have included all three "Thanksgivings" here for you to enjoy. As an interesting note, I would like to call your attention to George Washington’s proclamation. It was issued in the year 1789, the year in which the Protestant Episcopal Church was established out of the Church of England. Good ol' George was a member of our church and we are very thankful for his service to us and the nation and to God for our life, our salvation, our country and our freedom. You can not reads this and then buy into the lie that Washington did not believe in God. On this Thanksgiving day, men of God should print these prayers and proclamations and read them to their families at the dinner table before they offer thanks to God for the bounty of their feast and their many blessings during the past year - no matter how tough it may have seemed. I'll bet you can't do it without a tear somewhere at the table ... perhaps it will be your own.

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A General Thanksgiving from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer.

ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies, we thine unworthy servants do give thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us, and to all men; [*particularly to those who desire now to offer up their praises and thanksgivings for thy late mercies vouchsafed unto them.] We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all, for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we beseech thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we shew forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives; by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen.

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General Thanksgiving

By the PRESIDENT of the United States Of America

A PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favour; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a DAY OF PUBLICK THANKSGIVING and PRAYER, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

NOW THEREFORE, I do recommend and assign THURSDAY, the TWENTY-SIXTH DAY of NOVEMBER next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed;-- for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish Constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted;-- for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge;-- and, in general, for all the great and various favours which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also, that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions;-- to enable us all, whether in publick or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us); and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

GIVEN under my hand, at the city of New-York, the third day of October, in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine.

(signed) G. Washington

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By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

for William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

Be Informed .... Christian Learning

Throughout this blog I will be encouraging people to “be” something that is of value to the Gospel. We are not here to point out what is wrong with everyone else’s religion but to point the way to an active participation in the Christian life for the sake of Christ and others. With that in mind, this week I want to encourage everyone to “Be Informed".

Christianity is not a religion for the intellectually lazy. You can of course approach it that way, but you will find that it is less fulfilling, less challenging, and lacking in personal growth. The word “ignorant” appears 16 times in the New Testament. Six of those time we are informed by Paul and Peter that they are concerned for our ignorance. Don’t take this as an insult against your intellectual capacities and think that ignorance is equivalent to stupidity. There is a big difference between the two. You can be smart and still be “ignorant”. “Ignorant” just means that you don’t know something. It also means that there is always more for you to learn. What Paul and Peter are telling us each time they tell us that they “would not have you ignorant” is that even though we have been given faith and have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it is not enough for us to just sit back and rest on that fact, waiting  for death and heaven and our real Christian life to appear. Christianity requires us to live a life full of study, understanding, learning, and growth, and then it requires us to share what we have learned with those around us. Christ was a teacher. You can be one too. It's not a matter of having the gift for teaching (although it helps), it's a matter of preparation and action. If you are informed, you can inform ... just share what you learn, whenever you can, with whomever will listen. Some of my best teaching moments have been on the back patio on a Sunday afternoon with neighbors who haven't seen the inside of a real church in years. You will find that people truly are hungy for the Word.

Christianity encourages an interaction among the brethren to inform and support and encourage each other so that the Gospel light shines forth clear and sharp in our lives and not dim and flickering .. blazing up and dimming with the ebb and flow of our emotions. Where this Christian brotherhood and support is strong and vibrant, the Gospel is heard effectively. But effective Christianity is Christianity that is quickly and forcefully challenged by Satan ... the Father of Lies. It is only by Truth that he and his minions are overcome. That’s why it is so important that Christians have not only spiritual strength but intellectual weapons as well, so that they can “quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Eph 6:15).

So, what specifically can you do? First and foremost, read the scriptures. Read something every morning and read something every evening before going to bed. Never ever neglect your daily scripture reading. Then read something that explains the bible. I will be posting a suggested reading list shortly. It’s not easy reading. Christ didn’t have it easy and in this world you won't either.

In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
(John 16:33)

 Despite what you hear on television, Christianity is not a life of ease, and prosperity and achievement. Those are things of the world. It is instead a life of peace, fulfillment, and hope .. real hope, not the kind peddled in Washington, DC. Some of the finest men I ever knew never saw the inside of a college classroom and never earned more than six dollars an hour in their whole life, but they were good Christians who have gone on to a reward of immense richness. They didn’t know economics and physics and chemistry and couldn’t read Greek, but they knew their English bible and they knew it well. As informed Christians, they pointed the way to Christ for many a fallen sinner. They weren’t rich, but they weren’t ignorant. Make a resolution today to “be informed”. It is a life long task; it is never boring, and you’ll be a better witness for Christ.