Back by popular demand. Or at least one or two of our church people asked what had become of my weekly Plague Journals, last entry, Week 10, 24 May. Since then we've had three more weeks of lockdown, albeit with some easing of restrictions. After experiments with various kinds of online 'services' we've now settled upon a format that seems to be working OK.
On Sunday mornings at 10.30am we have a Zoom Service that includes a Bible reading, children's talk, song videos, open prayer and a message from the Bible. The reading and talk are recorded for posting online or distribution via CD for people with no internet access. On Sunday evening I do a Facebook 'Go Live Service' with prayer, Bible reading and talk. On Wednesdays we have a Zoom Prayer Time with a Bible Study and time of open prayer.
I had a week off from 25-31 May. We didn't go anywhere, apart from local walks. Mostly we did jobs around the house. We were meant to be staying with friends in North Wales for the week, but... As I was 'on holiday' men from the churches gave the message in our Zoom meetings on Wednesday (Matthew 15:15-28) and Sunday, (Ephesians 3:14-21) which you can find here and here. It was good to be able to sit under the ministry of the word after having spoken twice on a Sunday and each Wednesday since our meetings stopped in mid-March. On Sunday evening we joined the friends at Bradford on Avon Baptist Church for their livestreamed service.
On Wednesday 3 June I spoke on Exodus 33:1-17 and on Sunday 7 June on Psalm 51 and John 7:37-39. Then on Wednesday 10 June on Exodus 33:18-34:9. It never ceases to amaze me how relevant and up-to-date the Bible is, even in these extraordinary times. What a privilege it is to proclaim the Word of God. For sung worship we've been using some of the Evangelical Movement of Wales song videos, recorded at their Aber Conferences. I think they have 99 hymns on YouTube, a good mix of trad and new, see here. You can't beat proper 'in person' congregational singing, but they are the next best thing. Thanks EMW!
Now the theology bit, which some of our church members say they can't always understand. It's not that Robert Letham's Systematic Theology is especially inaccessible, just my reflections on it. As of Week 10 I'd got as far as p. 570 . Now I'm on p. 612, which is the start of Chapter 22 on 'Salvation and the Church'. In many ST's the doctrines and salvation and the church are treated separately, but Letham wisely integrates the two. Chapters 20 & 21 were on 'Christ Our King' and 'Union with Christ'. Excellent stuff in both. Letham's strictures on Van Drunen's Two Kingdoms teaching were thought provoking, especially as I was quite sympathetic to the 2K view (see here and here).
One thing missing from a Letham's discussion of Christ as Prophet, Priest and King is a detailed consideration of our Lord's prophetic role, which is not accorded a discrete chapter. Another lacuna is the relative lack of attention given to the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. This is made good to some extent in the chapter on 'Union with Christ', but still. Reformed STs need a greater focus on the meaning and significance of the resurrection of Christ. Richard Gaffin has done excellent work in demonstrating that in the teaching of the apostles the resurrection as well as the death of Jesus are of central gospel importance. See especially his Resurrection and Redemption, P&R. Similarly with N. T. Wright's massive, The Resurrection of the Son of God, SPCK. Yes, you can't say everything there is to be said about everything, even in a 1000 page volume, but choices have to be made and the resurrection of Jesus is a key doctrine that deserves more than a quick glance. End of theology bit. Not that difficult, was it?
I'm becoming a proper 'Zoom-head' now, despite having never heard of the thing before the coronavirus outbreak. I've been tuning in to the FIEC's helpful webinar series on 'Leadership in Lockdown'. Our Bradford on Avon Ministers' Fraternal last Wednesday was also a Zoom meeting, It was good to catch up with the men and their wives and spend time in prayer together, Andrew Davies spoke very encouragingly on the Pilgrim Fathers, who set sail for the New World 400 years ago, 'All Aboard the Mayflower' . I also signed up to EMW's 'Bala Lite' Ministers' Conference from 15-17 June. More on that in the next journal update.
I wrote to my MP Dr Andrew Murrison last week on a number of matters, including the government's proposals to make divorce easier, liberalisation of Sunday trading laws, the need for clear Covid secure guidance on church meetings and activities, excess deaths in residential homes and the government's botched attempts at getting more children back to school. That was probably enough for him to be getting on with. I look forward to his response.
There are serious questions about the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown. Claims that ministers were just 'following the science' are disingenuous when scientists disagree on how to proceed. It also seems that some scientific modelling was deeply flawed, especially the model championed by the disgraced Neil Ferguson. His model massively overinflated the likely number of deaths in Sweden in the absence of lockdown. That same model when applied to the UK was a factor in the government imposing a tight lockdown here.
In the end, as the saying goes, advisers (even scientific advisers) advise, but Ministers must decide. It is the job of politicians to weigh up scientific advice, economic factors, the impact of measures on people's mental health, pressures on family life, disruption of education and so on. That is why we elect them to wield power, to make informed policy decisions that will help promote the common good, while maintaining our basic freedoms.
The easing of lockdown and the gradual reopening of businesses are moves in the right direction, but the government should now step back from micromanaging people's lives. By all means let Ministers issue Covid secure guidance for various sectors to follow. People should maintain social distancing and the most vulnerable should be protected. But it is time the government started to treat us as responsible adults who are capable of making our own decisions on who we see and where we go. And that includes going to church, as well as the High Street.
Cley Hill from Saturday's walk
I wrote to my MP Dr Andrew Murrison last week on a number of matters, including the government's proposals to make divorce easier, liberalisation of Sunday trading laws, the need for clear Covid secure guidance on church meetings and activities, excess deaths in residential homes and the government's botched attempts at getting more children back to school. That was probably enough for him to be getting on with. I look forward to his response.
There are serious questions about the government's response to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown. Claims that ministers were just 'following the science' are disingenuous when scientists disagree on how to proceed. It also seems that some scientific modelling was deeply flawed, especially the model championed by the disgraced Neil Ferguson. His model massively overinflated the likely number of deaths in Sweden in the absence of lockdown. That same model when applied to the UK was a factor in the government imposing a tight lockdown here.
In the end, as the saying goes, advisers (even scientific advisers) advise, but Ministers must decide. It is the job of politicians to weigh up scientific advice, economic factors, the impact of measures on people's mental health, pressures on family life, disruption of education and so on. That is why we elect them to wield power, to make informed policy decisions that will help promote the common good, while maintaining our basic freedoms.
The easing of lockdown and the gradual reopening of businesses are moves in the right direction, but the government should now step back from micromanaging people's lives. By all means let Ministers issue Covid secure guidance for various sectors to follow. People should maintain social distancing and the most vulnerable should be protected. But it is time the government started to treat us as responsible adults who are capable of making our own decisions on who we see and where we go. And that includes going to church, as well as the High Street.
Cley Hill from Saturday's walk
3 comments:
You're correct on both points about the ST.
However, I refer the reader to chapter 6 (Scripture) in the short section on the prophetic office - actually it's a difficult topic to handle as Christ is more than a prophet since he has no need to say 'thus says the Lord' as he is the Lord - so the section on his deity under the trinity takes care of that!
On the resurrection correct - but I have a longish section on the ascension which, it could be argued is even more significant than the resurrection - as the author of Hebrews tends to think, moving as he does from the cross straight to the presence of the Father in following the high priestly ritual.
One other item - the resurrection is also covered in eschatology, where in discussing 1 Corinthians 15, I point out that Paul connects it to ours.
I'm not sure that my first comment got through.
You are of course correct that there is no dedicated section on the prophetic office of Christ apart from a brief paragraph. However, that section refers the reader back to chapter 6 on the doctrine of Scripture, placing that under the prophetic office. Moreover, Christ is more than a prophet since he is the Lord himself, which is considered in chapter 2 on the trinity.
Again, there is no specific chapter on the resurrection of Christ. However, there is an extended discussion of the ascension in the chapters on the high priestly and kingly offices, and the theme is taken up again under eschatology in a consideration of 1 Corinthians 15 where the resurrection of Christ is linked by Paul with our own. It is also discussed in relation to the connection between baptism and regeneration (where Paul does) since regeneration is a new creation and resurrection in union with Christ in his death and resurrection.
Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad you are finding it useful. All the very best, Bob.
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