Thursday, November 10, 2022

 

Thursday, November 10, 2022


Psalm 25

Jonah 4

Revelation 4


Observance: Leo of Rome, bishop and teacher


After this I looked, and there in heaven a door stood open!


Studying theology can often feel like when one begins to dip their toes into philosophy: complicated words with far too many syllables are thrown around, and they only ever describe either something everyone already knows, or something far too ridiculous for any sensible person to conceive of themselves. Today’s five-dollar theological terms are apophatic and its opposite cataphatic.


To boil them down to their absolute basics, apophatic theology suggests that God and humans are so wildly different that we cannot actually know anything for certain about God. Cataphatic is far more optimistic and describes God in terms of what God is (as opposed to the apophatic way which describes what God is not).


It is fair to say that “natural revelation”, that is, what God tells us about Himself in the material universe, teaches some basic truths: God exists and is all-powerful, He loves us, and He deserves our worship. Anything more than this we need to look at what God reveals about Himself in scripture. Anything not covered in scripture, God has decided we do not need to know. Perhaps we will learn more in the next life; but since God is infinite, the study of God will take an infinity anyway.


Considering what little (but sufficient) information God teaches through natural revelation, we can consider it a magnificent honour for God to decide to reveal even more to us through scripture. Greater even still is the revelation of God in the person and work of Jesus Christ. This God, seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, surrounded by the heavenly host in unceasing worship, condescended to come and “pitch His tent among us” (John 1). His greatest attribute, attested to by the heavenly host, is His holiness: Holy, Holy, Holy. Leaving this place of perfect holiness and dwelling with us, He showed nothing but love in all its various manifestations, culminating in taking the punishment we deserve when He was nailed to the cross.


We care for such little things in comparison: our small minds are filled with small things, like the plant that grows and dies within one orbit of the earth around the sun. God has revealed that He cares for sinners, people who don’t know their right hand from their left, and even their animals! The eternal soul of every human is uppermost in God’s mind when He considers the state of His creation. This wonderful, powerful, loving God has opened the door just for you: step inside, friend, and sit and eat.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Monday, September 12, 2022

  Monday, September 12, 2022 Psalm 33 Habakkuk 1:1-11 Ephesians 1:1-14 In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. The lectionary has taken us from the beloved disciple to one of the most beloved of Paul's epistles: Ephesians. Paul must have loved this church very much: we get a sense of his fondness for them and their shared sense of purpose and worship just from the introduction. In what is likely just an introduction to a letter in the style of the ancient Roman world, Paul has managed to squeeze in the entire, wondrous story of God's work of redemption. Paul has framed it the way it ought to be framed: in a pastoral, encouraging tone. He has three main points here (remember, Paul proceeds logically to build up an argument, unlike John who circles around his main point). First: God intended to save us before the world was formed. Think back to the first l
Read more

“Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.”

  Monday, September 11, 2023 Psalms 28; 29 1 Kings 7:51-8:21 Acts 26:19-32 Observance: Deiniol, bishop (d. 384) “ Short time or long – I pray to God not only you but all who are listening become like I am, except for these chains.” The great many blessings of being under the protection of the blood of the Lamb fill our hearts with joy and peace. To have the Almighty Creator of the universe, the One who sits above the flood, filling the temple of our being with the cloud of His presence is what it truly means to be human. Every day is filled with adventure; every night turns to the rest of the victor. Certainly there are chains: sometimes they are physical chains, the suffering of being a Christian among people who do not love the Lord. Sometimes they are spiritual; the attacks of the powers of the air who try to distract us from the One we love. But they always fall away. Our Rock of Ages always frees us; always brings us out of the pit of despair. A won
Read more

Monday, September 19

  Monday, September 19 Psalm 45 Nahum 1:15-2:9 Ephesians 4:17-28 ...be renewed in the spirit of your minds... It is far too easy to read some of these Pauline lists of virtues and vices and feel like we have gone back to the dark days before the Reformation. The idea that if we behave ourselves then we can call ourselves “good people” is pagan, not Christian. Paul feels very strongly about how Christians behave, he “affirms and insists” upon it. But it is because of what has already happened that we should mind our step, not because of where we are going. Christ's resurrection is many things, but one aspect relevant for Paul's teaching this morning is that it demonstrates to us the radical new reality in which we now live. We too have passed (spiritually) from death to life; therefore, we experience a “renewal of our minds”. Instead of treading water until we die, we live lives. Everything now makes sense: God has spoken, so we have logic. God made us in His im
Read more