and we have seen his glory
Pause
for Reflection
Rationale
Warning
Introduction
A
Physician Describes the Crucifixion
This Gospel Song says it all! I am struck by the tenacity of the singer. As much as he has sought Jesus ... for a mighty long time ... without success, he still persists! The implication is that there is no apparant evidence of Jesus around. That’s a frightful indictment on us as a Church, a Faith Community, indeed: the very People of God!
In what way do these lyrics help you give expression
to your faith journey?
For whom do you seek? and where?
I’ve been lookin’ for Jesus a mighty long time
...
a natural response to the Incarnation ... the Word having taken flesh and having
dwelt among us, we have seen his glory... full of Grace and Truth!
The rationale for the Study...
Bishop George Lemmon invited me to prepare this Lenten material for use in the diocese. He graciously allowed me to develop the parameters of the material, stating that the material need not take a traditional form, and that he would be surprised if it did!
Lent is a season that leads us out of the depths of winter on a path that discovers the crucifixion of Jesus. Anglicans are perhaps more familiar with this seasonal path than with any other, and with it the dramatic intervention of God in Christ in the unfolding drama of Holy Week Because of this familiarity, I realize the tremendous challenge to present the story in a way that will encourage, nurture and challenge us in new paths spiritually.
I approached this task in a way that would help me on my journey. I identify with the INTJ -- Introverted - iNtuitive -Thinking - Judging -- typology developed by the Myres-Briggs Personality Type assessment and popular among many today. My natural preferences as an iNtuitive-Thinker has oftimes been my own undoing. (That, and my incurable predilection of splitting my infinitives!) Because of a distinct underdevelopment in Sensing and Feeling, following the Myers-Briggs pattern, I have deliberately chosen a path in less-than-familiar territory with the selection of the material following. I have written this material to achieve a personal balance. I think I’ve done that.
So... I’m going on a journey and I’m inviting you to share this journey with as we approach the Cross.
I’m going to reminisce as we walk along this path and I hope you will too. We’ll reflect on our memories, remembering how we first engaged God in Christ in our lives. And through this recollection of memories, we’ll see how God in Christ continues to challenge us today, drawing us inexorably closer to the Place of the Skull and Jesus’ Cross.
I’m going to use Scripture... from the pen of John... and music, too. I’m going to use selections of lyrics and melodies, perhaps alarming at first, that may open our imaginations to the possibility of perceiving God in Christ in ways that draw us close, in our joy and pain, in our struggle and our fear.
I hope that you will find this a challenge. That working through this material will give you a glimpse of how God in Christ has touched your life. That you might even enjoy the exercise and have some fun! I did! I am indebted to colleagues and friends who helped me work through new ideas and have some fun doing it, too.
You are the beneficiary of this work.
Flowers are Red
Exuberance, new ideas, interpretation, creativity, love of life, acceptance of others... can be stamped out of us at an early age by the imposition of a narrow, highly specialized structure or view of what should be, and how it should be done. With this damage hope is endangered in the individual, indeed, in the faith Community itself!
As a youth, I remember well my parish priest, Father John Vernon Young, standing at the Altar and reading the Last Gospel at the conclusion of the Sunday Mass. Father Young would stand at the Gospel end of the Altar and, as the Boat Boy, I would stand close at hand, by my chair in the sanctuary, in eager anticipation. At the incarnatus we would all genuflect, showing our reverence.
This study will begin in like manner, preparing us to enter the world conscious of the Incarnation and recalling that, in the Holy Mysteries, we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth.
We embrace a paradox here, beginning with an ending, and ending with a beginning. Seeing the Passion, prefigured in the opening phrases, that inspired John and recognizing (in the path that leads to Golgotha,) steps that began decades earlier, quite possibly in Egypt.
As we reflect on those passages of the Fourth Gospel, beginning with Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer, and concluding with his shouldering the heavy timber he carried, alone, to the Place of the Skull, keep in mind the opening scriptures that we have come to know as the Prologue.
I encourage you to read through this Study at a sitting. Then, feel free to read portions of the material in a way that will best benefit you in this sacred season. You may use the material as a private devotion. You may also find it useful in small groups meeting several times through Lent. You may follow the academic route and take each Unit in succession. Or, perhaps you’re more adventurous and if that’s the case you will want to follow each of the senses in turn. The manuscript is appropriately marked.
The sense of smell, emphasizing scent, will be dealt with first, and while you may confine it to the material it follows, you may choose to examine the entire Scripture in the light of scent. That is alright. You may find that you are drawn closer to familiar material than you might have been otherwise by limiting your scope. The senses of hearing, sight, taste and touch follow in turn. While this Study has been divided into five segments (one dedicated to each of the five senses) you may choose to explore the whole Study five times through, reflecting on all of the passages in the light of each of the senses.
The use of music is critical to the process here. Do not ignore the selections. Music is evocative and for that reason the selections have been chosen so as to help you reflect on familiar Scriptures in a new way. Quite possibly you will find yourself walking on paths you had long since forgotten. I know I did! Perhaps the grasses have grown up and the path isn’t as clear as you remember it. That’s okay. My prayer is that the Spirit will guide you into all truth on this journey.
I hope my Bishop is not disappointed.