Happy New Year!

[admin]

I am so excited about this Church Year. I can't wait to crack open the new annual (http://www.tumi.org/migration/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=847&catid=55&Itemid=374) in the morning. Blessings to you all as we take this spiritual journey together. Dan

[ryancarter]

I must say, for the first time, I am really excited about the new church year. I guess there is something to the whole reorientation around the life of Christ! Happy Advent!

[Don Davis]

I agree about the wonder and mystery of the cycle of the unfolding drama of God's saving work in Christ. As Webber suggests, God narrates the world for us; our intent is not to innovate on this story but to allow its power and grace to penetrate us, and for us by faith to participate with Christ as we identify with his amazing tale of sacrifice and deliverance. As Tolkien suggests, in the story of God in Christ legend and truth fuse--the wonder of fairy stories meets the hard, unassailable fact of verifiable history. In the telling of the tale--from Advent to Pentecost to his return--we embrace that narrative which has formed generations who hope in the soon return of Christ. What a story, and what a pilgrimage!

Happy New Church Year to all pilgrims walking in the way of the Master!

Don

[ryancarter]

Don,
Recently, I was reading through an epic story. I found myself jealous of the larger than life characters, relationships, and plots. The next Sunday at church, our celebration of the the great story reminded me that I am a player in the grandest and greatest drama, the true drama of the Lord!

[Don Davis]

Greetings, dear brother!

That's a cool recognition, Ryan! I believe that our fascination with scientific rationalistic approaches to our Story has resulted in many people missing the epic sense of God's unfolding drama; Christianity is more like the Lord of the Rings trilogy than a mechanics manual. Unfortunately, this kind of reductionistic, fragmented approach to theology, worship, spirituality, and mission has harmed us greatly in communicating to others the wonder of the mystery of God's divine visitation in Jesus of Nazareth. This story, greater than all others, needs to be retrieved and contextualized in the city. This is precisely the Institute's intent: to help urban disciples, pastors, and congregations retrieve the Great Tradition, arguably the most narrative-shaped expressed of Christian thought and practice.

We simply have to help people see its glory, its majesty, its wonder. This begins with us, truly, and our ability to see God's saving acts with all the adventure, drama, and excitement as any great epic narrative. The difference, of course, is that ours (like Tokien said) is true. Myth and history join into Gospel.

Glory hallelujah, his truth still marches on!

Don

[Terry Cornett]

The Advent of Our God
Word by Charles Coffin. Translated from the Latin by John Chandler

The advent of our God
Our prayers must now employ,
And we must meet Him on His road
With hymns of holy joy.

The everlasting Son
Incarnate deigns to be;
Himself a servant's form puts on
To set His people free.

Daughter of Zion, rise
To meet thy lowly King,
Nor let thy faithless heart despise
The peace He comes to bring.

As Judge, on clouds of light,
He soon will come again,
And all His scattered saints unite
With Him in Heaven to reign.

Before the dawning day
Let sin's dark deeds be gone;
The old man all be put away,
The new man all put on.

All glory to the Son
Who comes to set us free,
With Father, Spirit, ever One,
Through all eternity.

[Don Davis]

Thanks, Terry, for the majestic poem by Choffin; Latin is simply one of the most rhythmic and noble languages when spoken correctly (I never got the full hang of it reading Latin in graduate school).

It seems to me that only poetry can adequately express the power, wonder, and glory of the incarnation of the eternal Son of God into the world, as well as the promise of his soon return to redeem creation under his reign.

These two stanzas especially moved my heart:

The Advent of Our God
Word by Charles Coffin. Translated from the Latin by John Chandler

Daughter of Zion, rise
To meet thy lowly King,
Nor let thy faithless heart despise
The peace He comes to bring.

As Judge, on clouds of light,
He soon will come again,
And all His scattered saints unite
With Him in Heaven to reign.

As King and Judge, the once-lowly Nazarene will return in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Only poetry does this justice; what mystery that the lowly babe of the first advent is the same conquering Lord of the second advent! From humble child to Lord of all--may it ever be.

Thanks again for this wonderful piece. O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord.

Don