About Me...what is an 'evangelical-catholic?'

Elk Grove Village, IL, United States
I was born & raised in rural mid-Michigan (M-go blue!). Life & work have taken me to many different places. God has too, as I've come to learn that faith is a pilgrimage. I very much resonate with the label 'EVANGELICAL-CATHOLIC.' I was raised Baptist, but found myself drawn to the Sacraments & Liturgy of the Church. I appreciate very much the words of the Augsburg Confession: "...nothing has been received among us, in doctrine or in ceremonies, that is contrary to Scripture or to the church catholic." Evangelical-catholic is a term of self-designation used by Christians coming from a broad spectrum of theological perspectives and commitments, ranging from Lutherans, Anglicans, and various Evangelicals yearning for greater catholicity .....to faithful Roman Catholics longing for an evangelical renewal of the Church. Perhaps beneath the apparent denominational differences there lies a common...groaning of the Spirit of God, who is seeking to draw the members of Christ’s mystical body into a communal life that is both fully catholic and fully evangelical. One can always hope and pray!

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Thoughts going in, Sunday Jan 13th


Luke 3:15 The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. 16 John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." 21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

            This week the traditional Epiphany themes continue. Last week we had the first of 3 of the standard themes--the Magi following the star. This week we have the second standard theme--the baptism of Jesus. Next week we'll have the third standard theme--the first public miracle, the changing of water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana.
            What this means is that as important as the passage from Luke 3 is.... we will ideally understand its importance within the context of what EPIPHANY is all about. Epiphany is about understanding God's Spotlight; it's about understanding that an extraordinary person has broken in to our ordinary world; it's about understanding that because of this, extraordinary things will happen in our ordinary world.
            When I first began looking at this brief passage, Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the common man" came to mind. Something similar appears to be on Luke's mind when he tells us in vs 21 When all of the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. In other words, Jesus is baptized as a common man. Jesus stands as one of us and one with us. Often times we encounter a situation in life where the boss's son (or daughter) comes to work at the company, but they're not really there to work; they get assigned cushy tasks; they get to take an extra long lunch break; they come and go as they please; the regular rules don't seem to apply to them. And then after a minimal time out where the real work is done, they end up getting their own office on the executive floor. We should take note that this is not the story of Jesus. He stands, in vs 21a, in full solidarity with the people... as the common man.
            And before moving on, let's not discount what this means too quickly. The book of Hebrews (chapter 4) tells us that we have a savior who fully understands all that it means to struggle through this human life--first and foremost with temptation and spiritual weakness, but also with doubts, fears, grief, etc. etc. We have a God who KNOWS not only what we're going through but who also KNOWS what it feels like to be us. All of this comes into focus at the Lord's baptism. He came to be the common man.
            But the story doesn't end there.... because something unique happens to him. 21b And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." Luke's point seems to be that while Jesus came as one of us and one with us... as the common man... he also came with a decidedly uncommon task. A lot of people were baptized that day... no doubt... some of them were very good. John the Baptist himself was a very good man; a great prophet. So good, and so great... that Luke tells us that the people were waiting/watching expectantly ... thinking that ANY MINUTE NOW John was going to claim to be the Messiah. But as good of a person as John was, and as good as  the people being baptized may have been, none of them were the recipients of this SPOTLIGHT MOMENT of hearing God's voice and being anointed with the Spirit. Only Jesus was.
            I think the point is pretty simple. As nice as it may be that God came to be with us and experience all that it means to be fully human, .... as nice as it is that God knows what it's like to be the common man....it would all wear off pretty quickly if we still found ourselves lost in our sins, unredeemed, and out of relationship with our Creator. Luke's point seems to be that Jesus starts out in full solidarity WITH us, but then steps forward to do something singularly unique... something only he can do. Earlier in Luke's Gospel the angel announces that the child will have a special mission; at his baptism, the child has grown up... and fully embraces this mission.

cheers,

TM
            
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