The Failure of Secularism, and Its Successes

I have just finished reading a chapter in Rowan Williams' book Faith in the Public Square, entitled "Has secularism failed?"  Reading this work is part of my recently begun PhD program, as I attempt to gain a broader understanding of Charles Taylor and his model of a 'social imaginary.'  Taylor is now most know for his major work A Secular Age which sets out to tell the story of 'how we got here' in the 21st century.  As such, Williams' chapter could be read as a score card for our secular age, an evaluation which reinforces many of Taylor's own critiques and comments of the world we experience.

Sermon for Saint Joseph

A sermon for Saint Joseph’s Day, preached at Evensong on Wednesday, March 19th at Holy Spirit Anglican Church, San Diego.

                From very early on in the Christian Church, Christians began to remember the lives of the great saints who had gone before them.  On specific days, which marked the death of a saint, or a special event in their lives, the church held special services to remind themselves of these holy men and holy women.  Doing so gave them a sense of continuity with the earliest believes and a conviction that the faith for which they were struggling, either externally against persecution or internally against their own sin, was worth it.  Others had trod this path before, they were not alone on the pilgrim way following the savior, and they could take heart that glory truly did lie ahead.  As one contemporary worship hymn has put it, “As saints of old still line the way, Retelling triumphs of His grace, We hear their calls and hunger for the day, When, with Christ, we stand in glory.”  Today, March 19^th, we pause and remember the Saint Joseph, the step-father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we listen to his tale of God’s grace that we might be encouraged and hunger for the day of Christ.

I Am Seeking My Brothers, Reflection on Genesis 37:12-24

The Joseph story continues in the Daily Office reading today, moving on from the first reports of Joseph's dreams to his brothers' act of betrayal.  As I read and re-read these twelve verses the scene of the man who found Joseph wandering in the fields struck me as a bit odd.  What function do these few verses have in the narrative?  Couldn't Scripture have just summed up by saying Joseph's brothers weren't where they were supposed to be, but he eventually found them in Dothan?  However, an important line which comes from Joseph's interaction with the unnamed man is his motivation; "I am seeking my brothers."

Who made him to rule over us? Reflection on Genesis 37

Genesis 3:1-11 begins the 'Joseph Cycle', the narrative of the last son of the patriarch Israel (Jacob).  The story is somewhat familiar to many due to the popular play Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat.  The story begins by describing Joseph's beloved status as the favored son and his gift of dreams.  Both of these things reveal a deep jealousy in the family and serve to illuminate the brokenness of Israel and his son, and even Joseph himself.

Daily Office Reflection, March 8th, 2014: Why do we fall?

Well, you can see that I continue to be a sinner, in desperate need of God's grace, despite my renewed commitment towards improving my spiritual life in Lent.  Seems no matter how hard I try, I cannot do better on my own.  I'm trying to make daily reflection on the office readings a discipline this Lent, so far, I'm 2 for 4.  

Today's reflection is on Ezekiel 39:21-29.  Once again, I'll be working with the ESV text.  

Daily Office Reflections, March 6th, 2014

As a Lenten discipline this year, I have decided to embark upon a journey with the Daily Office.  The desire to do this comes from my weakness; I have struggled in the past to be faithful to daily prayer and devotion, and when I do manage to take the 10-15 minutes to do it, I tend to briskly read through the lessons in order to move on to another cup of coffee.  I am truly sorry and repent of that, and pray that the Lord would use this season to rekindle in me a hunger and love for His word.

The reading on which I have chosen to write today is from the prophet Habakkuk.  The lesson is Habakkuk 3:1-19.  I will be working with the ESV text, which can be found here.

Ash Wednesday 2014: Our Sins, God's Judgment, and the Way of Repentance

A sermon preached at the noon Ash Wednesday service at Holy Spirit Anglican Church, March 5th, 2014.