Friday 21 March 2008

Easter

What's the big deal about this?

I'm thinking that we should keep the public holiday, no question there because I'm Australian and I love public holidays. But leave the celebration to the Roman Catholics, who seem to link the liturgical year to the beatific vision in a misguided analogical attempt to read the details of heaven into the tealeaves of our present experience.

Well, at least our own Peter Jensen managed to score a media victory by actually getting death and supernaturalism into his Easter message.

"We will be joining them, but they will not be joining us"

he said about dead people.

That's true, isn't it? We all die, and after that we face the terrible judgement of God. Either standing naked before his throne, or clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

Col. 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.


It is quite an extraordinary coup to get ABC radio to quote something they just don't understand—death and all that goes with it.

Meanwhile the bit quoted from Roman Catholic bishop George Pell was something about water conservation.

8 comments:

Murray said...

Do you get "Matthias points" from your employer for posts like this, Gordo? Save up enough of them and you get a "Prominent Anabaptists" teatowel, or something?

So, there's no Christmas at the Cheng household then? Too liturgical for fundies like you?

p.s. I'm in Sinney soon - wanna catch up for a coffee so I can set you straight on a few things?

Gordon Cheng said...

Sure Muzza, contact me via facebook.

Anonymous said...

I'm all for canning the religious part of easter. Who needs it? I only went to church today because my husband's the minister...

[name withheld for denominational reasons]

Gordon Cheng said...

Hey anonymous, that reminds me of a joke. Shoot me an e-mail at Matthias Media and I'll tell you!

Al Lukabyo at Dundas did a great job of the kids talk today, though.

byron smith said...

Why does the liturgical year need to be linked to the beatific vision? Why can't it just be a good and well-tested teaching and discipleship method that moves through the gospel story in a regular pattern so that the congregation is not subject to the whims of the minister's hobby horses? (We've now got blogs for them!)

Anonymous said...

I like the liturgical year, each year it presents the truths of the Gospel
*starting with (normally -this year is an exception) the Annunciation (God intervening in a new way showing His son is different (Unto which of the angels said He at any time..go on you can sing it)
then Palm Sunday -Christ proclaimed as King and Messiah by Gods ancient people the Jews
then Maundy Thursday, the gift of the Lords Supper to strengthen and revive us, to remind us of God's great grace to us
then Good Friday where we all of us including we who proclaimed him as king are shown as the weak people we are (even his Apostlese ran away and betrayed him, Nicodemus was a secret follower and so on) and where he took our sins upon himself
then Easter Day where he rose to show that death and sin are defeated
then Ascencion day where he goes to prepare a place for us
then Pentecost
but I could go on but why bother, its all Papist isnt it, makes me wonder why Cranmer kept it in the prayer book along with the rememberenace of the saints

If this is part of the Sydney Anglicans approach then I am sorry its not for me.

Gordon Cheng said...

Cranmer became more and more Protestant as time went on. He was quite Protestant by the time he got to 1552, a might fine prayer book revision if I may say so. He envisaged further change, as you will get if you read the original preface as recorded in the 1662 Prayer Book. Unfortunately he eventually got so Protestant that he was burned, but it all redounded to the praise and honour of God in the end.

I believe our continuing Reformation does great honour to the principles that Cranmer lived by.

Anonymous said...

Ok Mr Cheng
Cranmer revised but what I am trying to say is the Christian year brings before us all the events in our salvation. What's wrong with that