Life on Mars? (Part Two)
Posted: March 25, 2016 Filed under: The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: conversion as movement into a new culture, David Bowie "Life on Mars?", Ephesians 1: 7 - 10, ethic of being, John 8: 3 - 11, Life on Mars?, Recapitulation, Recapitulation as theology of atonement, the basis of existence, the source of relationship, Welcoming the alien and the exile, Welcoming the disaffected into the Church Leave a comment
“Is there life on Mars?”, asks the late David Bowie. Bowie’s question isn’t about the prospects of extraterrestrial life on the fourth planet from the sun. Bowie’s question can be rephrased in this way: “Is there rational, meaningful life on Earth?” Many of Bowie’s songs were about those who were misfits, the disaffected, and the lonely, wandering outcasts of the greater, “normal” society around them. We have this before us in the first verse of “Life on Mars?”, Read the rest of this entry »
“Save the Babies and the Whales” or being Pro Pan-Life
Posted: December 19, 2015 Filed under: The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: Advent, ethic of being, preservation of God’s creation, pro pan-life, St. Paul Leave a commentThis is not meant to be a seasonal posting. It has nothing to do with the “Happy Holidays” But, this posting is written in the last half of December, 2015. The Advent, or Nativity Fast, is in its final days. During Advent, Christians of liturgical and sacramental traditions are preparing for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The Nicene Creed informs us: “…who for us and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and made man…” The Creator of life was made manifest in the form of a baby. Christ came to give us life — new, redeemed life. He is the Giver of light and life and in this coming season I pray we extend our Lord’s light and life to all and all things. I pray we become advocates of life. Read the rest of this entry »
To Become, You Must Do
Posted: December 1, 2015 Filed under: The Eucharist and Living the Eucharist | Tags: ethic of being, St. Paul, transformation Leave a comment
St. George the dragon-slayer
An axiom is set forth: “to do you must become, to become you must do.” An axiom is a proposition. The worth of it is self evident. I have used this axiom in sermons, papers, and as a guide for my own life for many years.
Let’s look at its first half: “to do you must become…” This involves an initiation. The initiation for the Christian is baptism. St. Paul informs us:
Therefore, we were buried together with him through baptism [dia tou baptismos] into death, in order just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, that also we might walk in newness of life (Romans 6: 4).
Father Irenaeus Williams 