tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205805.post115280852062050829..comments2023-10-09T10:54:03.005-05:00Comments on Whitehall: The toxic effects of being the holiest person in a congregationUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205805.post-1153171787456388832006-07-17T16:29:00.000-05:002006-07-17T16:29:00.000-05:00Another factor in this discussion is that the coll...Another factor in this discussion is that the collar represents what the Church says about you. It's not just about my thought concerning myself: and my calling and my walk and my attainments in grace or the lack thereof. It's about the presence of the ordained ministry of Christ in the community. However well I'm doing personally or not (and my own verdict of that is always a problem) the office ordained by Christ is due its proper respect.<BR/>We should also be encouraged that the Church has seen enough grace in us to allow us the priviledge of that office.<BR/>When it comes to our inadequacies and sins, they have always been an element in everyone's calling. I often get distracted during the service with my own sin and feel like a hypocrite - but the Lord has reminded me that he has for quite a long time now known perfectly well how to handle the sins of his servants; my duty is to get on with what he's given me to do. In the words of Baxter: The Lord will have imperfect servants or he will have none. <BR/>Sure, I will continue to examine and seek repentance, etc. But our calling is of grace from beginning to end. The fact that sinners, such as we, are in the office we hold is itself a great testimony to that gospel. <BR/>Again, the clerical garb is about more than my own thoughts about myself or any one person.<BR/>Now, if we can get other people to understand some of this.<BR/>Sorry for the rambling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205805.post-1152931205259393492006-07-14T21:40:00.000-05:002006-07-14T21:40:00.000-05:00Thanks, all. DDX, nice sermon. I might pirate par...Thanks, all. <BR/><BR/>DDX, nice sermon. I might pirate parts of that for this Sunday. :)<BR/><BR/>Continuing Home, perhaps you'd like to share some of the character of the impedimentia you mention. There are testimonials of pastoral experience both good and bad out there, but as often as I've heard priests complaining of the job, I've never heard a single one regret following the call of God. If anything, we tend to feel the mere job gets in the way of our vocation. A vocation is the kind of thing you just gotta try -- it's much better to follow it and fall flat on your face than never to follow it at all. I talk to people in the ordination process often, and many who are doing it as a second career feel like they have had this calling all their lives but for various reasons never had the courage to follow it. Every single one of these folks has regrets that they didn't do it sooner -- but I've never heard a priest regret following his vocation.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00347789123483096164noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205805.post-1152927422278719742006-07-14T20:37:00.000-05:002006-07-14T20:37:00.000-05:00OMG. I am a "PK" (Preacher's Kid). And one of th...OMG. I am a "PK" (Preacher's Kid). And one of the two impediments to my entry into the ministry is my observation of my father's experience.Continuing Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08241314825274530020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205805.post-1152913538435135522006-07-14T16:45:00.000-05:002006-07-14T16:45:00.000-05:00Youuuuuuu said it Johnny Awesome! When Christ lea...Youuuuuuu said it Johnny Awesome! When Christ leaves the foreground of our focus we easily go astray and get caught up in all kinds of anything. This is THE deception that leads to everything destructive.<BR/><BR/>My son, like the prophet Samuel, was committed to the Lord's service from birth but with one proviso: that, unlike Samuel and his mentor Eli, his children would also be "taught of the Lord" and "keep the way of the Lord." <BR/>In leading and teaching others it is impossible, however, to prepare against all possible wrong thinking and error by way of knowledge of error. <BR/><BR/>Those trained to detect counterfeit currency are trained to discern the characteristics of real currency rather than every possible counterfeit. My son was taught to do likewise in spiritual matters. That is, if anything is questionable, take it to the cross. How does it compare to the sciptural version of Jesus' person and death on the cross. That always exposes the trace of poison that turns the otherwise nutritious cornmeal into lethal rat poison. It might have many wonderful and valid truth statements about life and living, morality and justice, etc. But as it approaches the person, words, death and resurrection of Jesus the error will be exposed.<BR/><BR/>Those who "really" know God are excited about Him! Talking about Him is no burden. Sharing His truth with others is exhilerating, charging our batteries rather than draining them. Hypocrisy would be NOT to do it when we are bursting inside but afraid of how we might appear to someone who might be "turned off" or disagree.<BR/><BR/>I also told my son not to be concerned about someone being "turned off" when they are not "on" to start with.<BR/><BR/>Selah, DDXAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205805.post-1152905249820724392006-07-14T14:27:00.000-05:002006-07-14T14:27:00.000-05:00I can still remember a time in seminary when we we...I can still remember a time in seminary when we were being taught about "self care." We were told that sermon writing can become a drag after a while and it's good to delegate responsibilities, take vacation, and etc.<BR/>I asked Fr. Christopher about this and his response was "I love preaching! You will have to fight me to get me out of the pulpit if you want to preach here."<BR/><BR/>In other words, I agree with your opinion entirely. The more deliberate we are about our own relationship with God, and the more we focus on Christ for whom we minister, the easier it is to pastor a church and not feel like a burned-out hypocrite.Amberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17448614578294075721noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205805.post-1152834282961192352006-07-13T18:44:00.000-05:002006-07-13T18:44:00.000-05:00Excellent refelction, Father Thorpus. Thanks.Excellent refelction, Father Thorpus. Thanks.Texanglican (R.W. Foster+)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07490925636491370254noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10205805.post-1152831579350129422006-07-13T17:59:00.000-05:002006-07-13T17:59:00.000-05:00How 'bout a little DDX sermon on that? ...(clearin...How 'bout a little DDX sermon on that? ...(clearing throat sound)...There is a huge difference between BEING holy and ACTING holy. <BR/><BR/>Through faith in Christ we believe that he has made us to BE holy because He is holy. We are repentent of self-will and trusting Him for everything. He says we are thereby in Him and He is in us. Also, we are His personal possession, sanctified for His exclusive use. That IS holiness.<BR/><BR/>Though our actions are not always compatable, holiness is simply something we ARE--regardless of how we FEEL, ACT or DRESS.<BR/><BR/>Hypocrisy is not acting differently than we FEEL or DRESS it is acting differently than we ARE.<BR/><BR/>So...a redeemed person is only "hypocritical" if acting "un-holy". However much we may want EVERYONE to act holy (makes the world a better place?) the unrepentant, unredeemed is no hypocrite to act that way. He or she is faithfully acting as what they ARE when acting self-willed, self-serving, unbelieving, rebellious, etc.<BR/><BR/>Now that brings me to the present distresses of the ECUSA. Shall I just say that words and creeds, hats and robes, rings and titles make no one holy. Such things redeem no one. For all who are not repentent of self-will; not self-humbled and surrendered to Christ; they should be expected to act proudly, self-willed and rebelliously. To do otherwise would be hypocrisy because they ARE exactly that, though they may not FEEL they are. ("Everyone is right in his own eyes.")<BR/><BR/>The answer to the ECUSA dilemma is found in Jesus brilliant question about the Roman denarrius baring the image of Caesar.<BR/><BR/>No redeemed person should stress over holiness. If you're IN Christ you simply ARE holy. No one can make themselves holy or holier. Jesus alone has done it without our help and we can simply rest in that knowledge. No sweat! It's HIS holiness and not ours anyway!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com