German Reform: vested interests

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The previous post pointed to the broad resentment of German society to the eternal taxation be it from the Church or from the Imperial Courts of the Emperor. There were other economic factors also in view: land, wealth and revenue. But consider the latter category. Perhaps revenue is from the sale of land, animals, crops, or other items; but perhaps revenue is the very stream of taxes causing the resentment – and your class thinks it belong to them. One person’s vested interest may very well be another’s burden. Continue reading →

The Word made flesh

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In today’s gospel, we read from John 6 known as the Bread of Life discourse. And there is much that can be said about this central chapter of John’s gospel that speaks to John’s Eucharistic understanding and teaching. And today I have no doubt that there will be some excellent commentaries on this reading. I have also written about this section of Chapter 6 that you can read here. Continue reading →

Oneness

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This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Easter . In yesterday’s post we considered membership in the flock, but from Jesus’ perspective, as we focused on knowing, being given, and following. Today we consider the oneness of Jesus and the Father which is at the heart of our Christian confession – there is a unique relationship between Jesus and the Father (and the Holy Spirit).  That oneness is expressed in Scripture as a oneness of nature, of will, of knowledge, and many things, all the while being a distinct persona.  Some Christians point to v.30 (The Father and I are one.) are a simple proof text of the uniquely Christian confession.  While this verse is part of the confession, this verse is actually quite limited in what it claims.

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Moving on

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Were it not for the Feast of Sts. Philip and James, the first reading for this week-so-far would have recounted the public ministry of St. Stephen. He had been publicly debating with members of a synagogue and apparently it became so animated that Stephen is hauled before the Sanhedrin by men who falsely state: “For we have heard him claim that this Jesus the Nazorean will destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us” (Acts 6:14) In a way, their claim was true. Stephen had depreciated the importance of the temple and the Mosaic law and elevated Jesus to a stature above Moses. Continue reading →

Coming to believe

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This coming Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Easter . In yesterday’s post we explored the scriptural foundation of shepherd and flock – today we continue that trajectory and its implication: fulfillment of the promised Messiah described in Ezekiel 34. A key element of our Sunday gospel passage is an indication of who is part of the flock of believers. The people know Jesus and they, like folks in every age, want straight answers: Continue reading →

Athanasius

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Today is the Feast of St. Athanasius, a Christian leader from Alexandria Egypt who is remembered as the primary defender of the faith against the teachings of Deacon Arius, also of Alexandria. This is all happening in the 4th century some 300 years after the death and Resurrection of Jesus. It is also in the age when the Christian faith was no longer “illegal” under Roman rule – thanks to Emperor Constantine. Christianity become the official religion of the Roman Empire was still some 50 year away, but the Church was beginning to flourish with its new found freedom from oppression and the threat of the next persecution. Continue reading →