Bryan Sherwood

The Beauty of the Gospel

2009-11-14T15:10:13-05:00

I've started reading Tim Keller's book The Reason for God. I'm barely past chapter two but found it to be exceptionally well-written and beautiful. Then again, the gospel is beautiful. Resurrection is beautiful. Let me try and share a few excerpts from Keller's chapter entitled How Could a Good God Allow Suffering?

From page 32 . . .

The Biblical view of things is resurrection - not a future that is just a consolation for the life we never had but a restoration of the life you always wanted. This means that every horrible thing that ever happened will not only be undone and repaired but will in some way make the eventual glory and joy even greater.

From page 33 . . .

Just after the climax of the trilogy The Lord of the Rings, Sam Gamgee discovers that his friend Gandalf was not dead (as he thought) but alive. He cries, "I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself! Is everything sad going to come untrue?" The answer of Christianity to that question is--yes. Everything sad is going to come untrue and it will somehow be greater for having once been broken and lost.

And he closes with a quote from C.S. Lewis . . .

They say of some temporal suffering, "No future bliss can make up for it," not know that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory."

There's a lot of hope in those words. It's as Matthew 19.28 says: Jesus replied, “I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Jesus will return and one day the world in all of its brokenness and decay will be renewed, revitalized and healed. What a beautiful message!

I'm a Mac Guy

2009-11-12T07:01:08-05:00

I've been a computer user of one kind or another for many years. My first real computer was an "IBM compatible" 386sx running at 16 mhz. I eventually upgraded it to a 486! I owned that computer back in 1990 or 1991 (I forget). I've owned many computers since then mostly made by Dell and Apple. Heather and I purchased our first Apple computer three years ago, an iBook G4. What a great computer. Outside of baptizing it with a cup of coffee and having to replace the keyboard due to my own clumsiness, I've had no other problems with this machine. It's simply just worked. No viruses. No spyware. No blue screens.

Since starting grad school, I purchased a Dell Inspiron 1525. I should have had my head examined. It's been a terrible experience. I'm not sure who to blame - Dell or Microsoft. They tend to blame each other. I call Dell complaining that I once again have programs/files that seem to be corrupted for no apparent reason. Of course, they reassure me it's not their hardware. Of course, I don't even bother trying to get support from Microsoft. So far, I've formatted the hard disk at least four or five different times to "fix" the problems I have. That's Dell's answer to everything - reformat the hard drive and reinstall everything AGAIN. I've seriously thought about taking a hammer to this computer.

So, yes, I'm a Mac Guy. I make no apologies.

And if anyone out there would love to buy me something, I'd take one of these or one of these!

Pax.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom

2009-11-11T06:48:30-05:00

Almighty God, you have given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common supplication to you; and you have promised through your well-beloved Son that when two or three are gathered together in his Name you will be in the midst of them: Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen.

A Prayer of St. Chrysostom is a beautiful prayer. It's taken from the Eastern liturgy of St. Chrysostom and was translated into English for use in the Prayer Book by Thomas Cranmer. In other words, this prayer has been around for a while. It's been prayed by the church down through the centuries. Today, it comes at the end of both Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer.

I particularly like the last sentence of the prayer: "Fulfill now, O Lord, our desires and petitions as may be best for us; granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the age to come life everlasting. Amen." (emphasis mine) I'm quite happy to pray those words. Many times our desires and petitions may not be the best thing for us. We may not recognize that now but it's often true. And so, as the divine office begins to come to a close, those words are very fitting.

I'm glad this prayer remains with us. It's beautifully written and is full of good stuff.

Saint Leo the Great, Pope, Doctor

2009-11-10T08:19:22-05:00

Almighty God, you have surrounded us with a great cloud of witnesses: Grant that we, encouraged by the good example of your servant Saint Leo, may persevere in running the race that is set before us, until at last we may with him attain to your eternal joy; through Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

O God Come to My Assistance . . .

2009-11-08T20:09:24-05:00

The last couple of weeks have been . . . challenging. School this term has been more difficult than ever. I seem to be having trouble learning all this new material at the rate it's being given. It's much like drinking from a fire hose. I'm sure you can relate.

Of course, life marches on. Although my new job is wonderful, it requires me to be fully engaged and is pretty tiring for an introvert like me. It's easy for me to feel pretty overwhelmed with work, school, and life. I debated tonight about whether I should teach my class at 2 p.m. at church and then leave after it was over to give me more time to study and prepare for my 9 p.m. grad school class meeting. I chose not to do that but instead stayed for Mass. I think that was the right choice but it was difficult to clear my mind from all these pressures to focus on the liturgy. Anyone who knows what it's like to be anxious can understand how all these "pressures" in life spike my own anxiousness to levels that are painful.

I've learned it's a short trip from anxiety to depression. After all, these guys are related, so to speak. I've figured out that anxiety drives my depression. When life moves so fast that I feel unable to keep up, it's easy for me to get really anxious about all that I've not been able to do and yet must be done. Once the waves of anxiety start crashing in, I begin to feel rather helpless and find myself in a downward spiral toward darkness. That's not a good place to be.

I don't recommend any of the above. :-) Yet, it's very much a part of my life. And so I continue to pray "O God come to my assistance." He doesn't leave me alone and somehow, I'm able to go on.

Consecration of William Thompson

2009-11-04T21:00:22-05:00

AnglicanTV was present for the consecration of William Thompson. From the Western Anglican website:

On Saturday, October 31, 2009, on the Eve of All Saints’ Day, bishops, clergy and laity from around the United States, Canada and Uganda gathered in Newport Beach for the ordination and consecration of William Avery Thompson as first Bishop of the Diocese of Western Anglicans. The service was held at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church.

Because I'm kind of a liturgy nerd, I love watching moments like these. The cantor isn't half bad either!

Happy All Saints Day!

2009-10-31T22:00:33-04:00

Tomorrow the church remembers the saints who have gone before us. I particularly like this rendition of the Litany of the Saints sung by Brother Loarne and Ronan from the Pantasaph Friary in North Wales.

The collect from The Book of Common Prayer for All Saints Day:

Almighty God,
who hast knit together thine elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of Your Son, Christ our Lord:
Give us grace so to follow Your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living,
that we may come
to those ineffable joys
that thou hast prepared for those
who unfeignedly love thee;
through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
who with thee and the Holy Spirit liveth and reigneth,
one God, in glory everlasting. Amen

The Future of Anglicanism: Reasons to be Hopeful

2009-10-28T16:05:17-04:00

As you probably know, there's been quite a bit of news generated around Pope Benedict's recent announcement. I've read quite a few articles and blog posts about this news. Some predict Anglicanism is basically finished. I don't follow that line of thinking . . .

There is no doubt that the Anglican Communion has its own set of challenges to deal with. I get that. I don't know how things will eventually turn out but I remain hopeful about the future of Anglicanism.

I remain hopeful because I see Anglicans planting churches and spreading the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. My parish, Saint Patrick's Anglican Church, is a six year old church plant. I look around and I see other Anglican churches being planted around Kentucky and Ohio. I read about the mission of the AMiA and I am encouraged by its desire to reach the 150 million people who have yet to respond to the Gospel of our Lord in the US and Canada. Say what you will but there is a LOT of church planting going on. I believe this has to be good for the Kingdom and for the future of Anglicanism.

I'm hopeful because I see new Anglican Christians growing in the faith and taking seriously the call to holiness. Our parish is full of people who are interested in ancient spiritual practices like praying the office or lectio divina. Spiritual practices have proved immensely helpful to me so I'm really happy to see a parish that regularly teaches its people about how to live as Christians. Anglicanism isn't afraid to tap into ancient spiritual practices.

I'm hopeful because I believe Anglicanism is uniquely positioned to reach many Protestants who are looking for something that connects them to the ancient church. Worship in an Anglican Church looks quite different than what many Protestants have experienced. There are priests in vestments, incense (if you're fortunate!), lengthy Scripture readings, the Eucharist, and lots of written prayers and responses. None of that is by accident. I like how Mark Galli describes it in his wonderful book called Beyond Smells and Bells:

In an individualistic culture, the liturgy helps us live a communal life. In a culture that values spontaneity, the liturgy grounds us in something enduring. In a culture that assumes that truth is a product of the mind, the liturgy helps us experience truth in both mind and body. In a world demanding instant relevance, the liturgy gives us the patience to live into a relevance that the world does not know. Its counter-intuitive nature makes the liturgy appear culturally strange at first, but in fact it's more like an intriguing story, full of mystery, that not only attracts but shapes our perceptions and our lives. (p. 11).

I've grown to love and cherish Anglicanism. God has used it to change my life. For that, I'm grateful. I don't believe one has to be Anglican to be Christian but I do believe that Anglicanism is a wonderful way to live out one's Christianity. May God bless its future.

Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt, purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen.

Nuts and Bolts of Anglican Liturgy

2009-10-24T08:22:46-04:00

Some of you have already seen this via InternetMonk's blog. However, for those of you who haven't, this video is definitely worth watching as Fr. Eric from St. Peter's Anglican Church explains Anglican liturgy. Check it out. I bet even some of my Roman Catholic friends might learn a thing or two!

The Nuts and Bolts of Anglican Liturgy from St. Peter's Anglican Church on Vimeo.