Jesus Christ:
Contemplation and Transformation

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Intro: Most of the New Testament letters were written by Paul

James, Peter and John wrote some of the other letters

Did Jesus Christ ever write any letters? Yes – he wrote us

you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Cor. 3:3)
Helmut Thielicke asked whether God’s message can be read in us or “are we just so much junk mail?” A thought-provoking question, but that was not Paul’s point

– the wonderful work God was doing in the Corinthians was proof of Paul’s ministry
• those believers were his credentials, his letters of reference
– every time I read this chapter, I stop at verse 18
• this may be the most amazing thing Paul ever wrote
• as we look at Jesus, we are changed into the same image

Today’s “Travel Tip” for our spiritual journey: Transformation occurs as we contemplate Jesus

The obvious challenge: how do we see the invisible?

We learn from Paul that we can come at this another way
– we can ask, Why is it we don’t see God’s glory in the face of Jesus?
• Paul’s answer is that either we’re blindfolded or blinded

But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 2 Cor. 3:15-16
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. . . . For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

In An Anthropologist on Mars, Oliver Sacks tells the story of “Virgil”
– after being blind for forty-five years, Virgil had surgery to remove cataracts from his eyes
• at first, it seemed like a miracle that he could see again
• but the gift of sight exposed him to an entirely alien world
◦ he found both distance and motion to be confusing
◦ he could identify letters, but not read words

Oliver Sacks explained that “his eyes seemed . . . to be incapable of the easy movement, the scanning, that is needed to read.”

◦ also, he could not see the difference between his dog and cat, until he felt them
– sight is not simply a matter of having normal healthy eyes Continue reading →

Jesus Christ:
Theological Reflection On the Person

Paul, called s an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother,
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus, that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:1-10

Intro: Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is theologically rich

Not a theology of abstract concepts, but of truth that is meant to be lived
– he gives an explanation and outline for celebrating Communion (11:20-34)
• he provides more information of the church as a living organism than anywhere else (ch. 12)
• he describes how a charismatic church is to conduct its meetings (ch. 14)
• he includes a lengthy discussion on the fact of resurrection (both Jesus’ and ours; ch. 15)
• and nothing else in any of his writings matches Paul’s lyrical exploration of love in chapter 13
– the highlighted words above indicate the way Paul filled the letter’s introduction with Jesus
• this was obviously intentional,– he could have used a pronoun more times than just in verse 5

Paul wanted to make clear that Jesus was the agent of God’s work in their lives
– in Jesus they were:

• v. 2, made holy (“sanctified”), prepared to encounter God in worship
• vv. 3-4, given access to grace – Jesus is the “conduit” of God’s grace (Ro. 5:1-2)
• vv. 5-6, spiritually enriched and their Christians lives stabilized
• vv. 7-8, equipped for service and held through life “to the end”
• v. 9, kept in relationship with him, secured by God’s faithfulness
• vv. 16-25, saved by the power of the cross, in which God’s wisdom and power are revealed

– verses 30-31 are a summation of this first chapter

But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption . . .

• then in chapter 2, verses 1-16, we learn that Jesus opens the door to the Spirit
• this may seem like a lot, but it’s only the tip of the theological iceberg

Last week we reviewed Jesus’ role as the designer, guide and provider of our spiritual journey
– today I want to stress the necessity and value of theological reflection on Jesus 
• last week’s talk was intentionally relational; this week’s is intentionally rational
Continue reading →

Jesus Christ
The Author and Perfecter of the Spiritual Journey

Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15 

Intro: A couple weeks ago, I received an invitation to attend a conference outside the U.S.

– it seemed impossible until I learned that transportation and accommodations would be provided
• that’s better than I have it here at home!
– how do we poor-in-spirit people have any hope of making this spiritual journey?
• everything is provided by our Lord Jesus

Christian mystics have sometimes lost sight of Jesus
– a few got themselves trapped in trying to explain spiritual phenomena
• some created road maps and models of how people moved toward God in prayer by degrees
• for them, progress came by stages, such as an ascent up a ladder or mountain
– some probed so deep into mysteries, their references to Jesus became unintelligible
– more recent examples come from those who try to appeal to universal elements in all religions

The Book of Hebrews encourages us to fix our eyes on Jesus Christ
– Why? Because he is the “author and perfecter of faith” (12:2)
• this reveals the place Jesus occupies in our spiritual journey
• Jesus is the alpha and omega of our walk with God
◦ he is in charge of our progress, growth and development start to finish
– we have come to last of our “Travel Tips for the Spiritual Journey”
• and here we find that Jesus Christ is the foundation on which it is built (1 Cor. 3:11)
• he is the way, truth and life that ultimately brings us to God
◦ we travel with him, for him and to him

We catch up with Jesus after his baptism and temptation

Galilee was not only a body of water, but also a large district surrounding the lake
– there were a few big cities in Galilee and lots of smaller towns and villages
• the Jewish communities were connected by their familial and social networks
• as a result, news traveled fast through the gossip mill
(Bruce Malina, Social Science Commentary on the Gospels, pp. 45-46)
– not long after Jesus’ ordeal in the wilderness, people hearing about the rabbi from Nazareth
• he was announcing that the long-awaited time had finally come, kingdom of God had arrived
• people needed to adjust their entire lives to the new reality; they had to believe in it that much

One day as Jesus walked the shore, he saw two men throwing a large net into the lake. Perhaps he stopped and watched the burly brothers for awhile, casting and hauling, tossing the good catch onto a swath of burlap, then casting and hauling again. My guess is that if you and I were there looking for followers, we would have walked on. These men were not the type we would be interested in recruiting. Their career was wrong and they simply did not have the right look. Continue reading →

Virtue Reality

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:28-30

Intro: No one person had more influence in deepening my life in Christ than Fr. Romuald

A Benedictine monk, living in a hermitage on the coast of central California
– our last conversation, two weeks before his death, meandered through several topics
• when we discussed Christian maturity and helping others along, he stated flatly:
“The virtues are fundamental to spiritual direction”
– this idea goes back at least as far as John Cassian (360-435 AD)
• he outlined “eight principal faults” at the heart of all sin
◦ each fault can be counteracted by its opposing virtue
• the point is this: A well-formed life in Christ has moral definition
◦ if my religion does not make me a good person, it is not Christian

Rather than teach a practice of the virtues (pl), I prefer to stress virtue
– that is to say, a distinct pattern of spiritual formation expressed in attitude, word and deed
• the sort of thing Paul had in mind when he listed the “fruit of the Spirit”
– virtue is not about pulling out a good deed when it’s needed
•it is a way of life – a life transformed in Jesus

I used to get irritated with my Calvary Chapel colleagues exclusive emphasis
– “Teach the Word” — meaning, verse-by-verse Bible teaching
• the truth is, few of them actually “taught” scripture
◦ they would read a verse or two, then preach, seasoning their sermons with personal opinions
• the “mature” Christian was a person who quoted Bible verses to support their doctrines
– I felt that we should be giving more emphasis to developing Christian character
• I was running into too many angry, hostile and self-righteous Christians
◦ knowing scripture without transformation results in distortion and misuse (cf. Mt. 4:5-6)
• we have not seen how we have empowered people with personality disorders
◦ an abusive person, will use scripture to abuse; a con artist will use it to pull scams; etc.

Virtue is about the struggle against our lower nature and unhealthy (unholy) thinking

There is a “gateway virtue” that leads to all virtues

Francois Fenelon, “All the saints are convinced that sincere humility is the foundation of all virtues.”
Abbot John Chapman, “All progress in virtue is progress in humility”

To the church fathers, pride was worst sin and the source of all sins

God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. . . . Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will exalt you. (Jas. 4:6, 10) Continue reading →

Cross My Heart

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.
You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 2:20-3:1; 6:14

Intro: I was twenty-two years old, traveling home from Israel with two friends

We a had three-day lay over in Switzerland and hoped to find our way to L’Abri
– while on a train winding its way through the Alps
• I opened my Bible to the gospel I had been reading
◦ I had come to the story of Jesus’ crucifixion
– perhaps it was I had a real-world perspective of the sites of Jesus’ sorrow, trial and suffering
• but I found myself being drawn into the story
◦ I was not merely reading it, I was experiencing it
• here was Jesus, this person that I knew and loved
◦ I knew his goodness, kindness, wisdom, generosity with healing–a wonderful man
◦ as he was dying, his grief and pain came so close that it broke my heart
• the story was so old and I had heard it so many times,
◦ I was surprised me that it could move me to tears

[shifting gears . . .]
Paul was upset with the Galatians

Without getting into the details, they had been sucked into rule-based religion
– that was not the message Paul delivered to them
• he had publicly portrayed Jesus Christ–crucified
◦ his death served to provide imperfect, sinful people like us new life in God
• “portray” translates a Greek word that was used for putting up posters
(like “missing person” signs families sometimes tack up in cities)
◦ the Galatians had been given a clear picture of Jesus’ death
◦ it was part of Paul’s “gospel,” that Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3)
– we cannot complete our spiritual journey without a compelling vision of Jesus’ crucifixion
• one place where this is most likely to occur is in Communion
(also referred to as Eucharist or The Lord’s Supper–cf. 1 Cor. 11:26)

A lesson from Christian history

In Mysticism, Evelyn Underhill noted, “For the Christian mystics, the sacraments and mysteries of faith have always provided [a fulcrum]; and these often play a large part in the production of their ecstasies. For St. Catherine of Siena . . . the reception of Holy Communion was the prelude to ecstasy.”
Simone Weil, “There was a young English Catholic there from whom I gained my first idea of the supernatural power of the sacraments because of the truly angelic radiance with which he seemed to be clothed after going to communion.” Continue reading →