I Return

So I didn't finish my Easter posts as I was spending time with family and friends. I was working my way up to the Resurrection but got sidetracked. I've been spending my time elsewhere online.

Maybe I'll finish some of my unfinished post series eventually whenever I'm motivated enough to return to them. I have to Blog some on CBF's 20th annual General Assembly as well.

Anyways here's a link to an interesting post by Bruce Prescott: How Albert Mohler Became the Baptist Pope.

Meditations For The Cross

Leonard Cohen Story Of Issac:

You who build these altars now
to sacrifice these children,
you must not do it anymore.
A scheme is not a vision
and you never have been tempted
by a demon or a god.
You who stand above them now,
your hatchets blunt and bloody,
you were not there before,
when I lay upon a mountain
and my father's hand was trembling
with the beauty of the word.

Leonard Cohen The Butcher:

I came upon a butcher,
he was slaughtering a lamb,
I accused him there
with his tortured lamb.

....

I saw some flowers growing up
where that lamb fell down;
was I supposed to praise my Lord,
make some kind of joyful sound?

A few thoughts from Harry Emerson Fosdick:

Must we, then, go on forever, using the analogy of bloody animal sacrifice to express our interpretation of Christ’s death? I answer emphatically, No! Here, once more, some clergymen confuse those whom they would persuade by using an obsolete, contemporaneously meaningless vocabulary.

....

I take it that the way I have just put the matter is at least understandable. It states the meaning of Christ’s cross in familiar words. So, age after age, Christians, feeling the necessity of explaining Christ’s sacrificial death, have thought and spoken about it in the terms of their own generation. As the Eskimo houses his family in igloos of snow and ice because they are the materials at hand, while a dweller in the tropics uses bamboo and palmwood for the same reason, so different generations have enshrined their explanations of Christ’s death in terms of thinking peculiar to their times. The result we call theories of the atonement. Isn’t it a paradox that some of the most controversial words in Christian theology -- "Trinity" and "atonement," for example -- are not to be found in the New Testament? In the King James Version "atonement" occurs only once -- Romans 5: l l --but the revised versions correct that translation and use "reconciliation."

At any rate, what we call theories of the atonement have been many and varied. I must not undertake to give you a course in theology, but just to relieve your mind of any suspicion that there is one orthodox doctrine of the atonement, which a Christian is expected to accept, let me give you a sample or two.

The earliest Christian literature, deeply and gratefully impressed by the fact that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself," and that the cross was the indispensable factor in that reconciliation, did not at first theorize about how the death of Christ saved men. Analogies from current life were used: Christ’s death was a ransom, by which slaves of sin were freed from serfdom, or the paying of a debt, which released the debtor from his prison. But then the theologians began to speculate -- Origen, for example, in the third century. His theory was that man’s sin had put man in thralldom to Satan, so that Satan owned mankind. But Satan bargained with God that he would surrender his lordship over fallen man, if God would give him his Son in exchange. So Christ came to earth and was crucified, and man was set free, but the bargain turned out to be a "pious fraud" on God’s part, for by his resurrection from Sheol Christ escaped from Satan after all. Believe it or not, that theory of the atonement, in one form or another, was orthodox doctrine for centuries!

Then, in the eleventh century, Anselm came and started off on another tack. His thinking was thoroughly saturated with Roman legalism. "Every sin must be followed either by satisfaction or punishment"-- that was his basic principle. God to him was the infinite Feudal Lord. Every man, being the Lord’s vassal, owed him perfect obedience. For a man to sin is to defraud God of his due, and so by dishonoring the Infinite to acquire infinite guilt. But infinite guilt demands infinite punishment, in man’s case his eternal doom in hell. There is only one way out: the infinite price must be paid. Man, being finite, cannot do this, neither can anyone not human do it, for because the sin is human the reparation must be made by the human. Therefore, only the God-man, both deity and humanity, can make the necessary sacrifice. This Christ does in his death on Calvary. He pays the adequate ransom, not as in Origen’s theory to Satan, but to God.

....

How pitifully inadequate all our analogies are to explain what the ancients rightly called the mysterium crucis, the mystery of the cross! We face there one of the basic principles of creation, vicarious sacrifice: any salvation from human need dependent on someone, who does not have to do so, voluntarily caring enough to identify himself with the needy and give his sacrificial all for their help. That principle is surely at the very heart of Calvary’s meaning. But, the older I grow, the more I think that I understand the cross best when I stop trying to analyze it and just stand in awe before it.

Karl Barth On Easter

Jesus as Victor:

The war is at an end – even though here and there troops are still shooting, because they have not heard anything yet about the capitulation. The game is won, even though the player can still play a few further moves. Actually he is already mated. The clock has run down, even though the pendulum still swings a few times this way and that. It is in this interim space that we are living: the old is past, behold it has all become new. The Easter message tells us that our enemies, sin, the curse and death, are beaten. Ultimately they can no longer start mischief. They still behave as though the game were not decided, the battle not fought; we must still reckon with them, but fundamentally we must cease to fear them any more. If you have heard the Easter message, you can no longer run around with a tragic face and lead the humourless existence of a man who has no hope. One thing still holds, and only this one thing is really serious, that Jesus is the Victor. A seriousness that would look back past this, like Lot’s wife, is not Christian seriousness. It may be burning behind – and truly it is burning – but we have to look, not at it, but at the other fact, that we are invited and summoned to take seriously the victory of God’s glory in this man Jesus and to be joyful in Him. Then we may live in thankfulness and not in fear.

(Dogmatics in Outline, p. 123)

Thoughts On The Resurrection

"Faith is never easy, and the appropriation of belief is always difficult. But the Church has been it's strongest when it has proclaimed the death of Jesus, relived and recapitulated in the believer's own life. The Church today finds itself once again confronting this ultimate truth. No longer can the Church be exclusive, either in race or denomination. We are all brothers, one of another. The Church cannot be an instrument of the status quo. It must always point above and beyond the values of contemporary life. It must point, ultimately, to the Cross of Christ."

"In our own lives, as in his, there can be no Easter Day without a Good Friday. There can be no life without death. There can be no resurrection without a crucifixion. There can be no benefits of the Passion without sacrifice, dedication, and commitment, even when they contradict the things which are labeled by the world as success, popularity, prestige, and entertainment."

----Beverly Madison Currin, If Man Is To Live: A Rediscovery Of The Meaning Of The Atonement, Backcover.


Dr. Currin is probably one of my relatives as he was originally a native of North Carolina---which is pretty cool.

Good Friday Meditation

John 19:31-37

31Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"[b] 37and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."[c] (NIV)

The Blood and Water from His Side

St. John Chrysostom- Early Church Father and Doctor of the Church


This reading is an excerpt of The Catecheses (Cat. 3, 13-19; SC 50, 174-177) by St. John Chrysostom, one of the greatest Early Church Fathers of the 5th Century. It is used in the Roman Church's Office of Readings for Good Friday with the accompanying biblical reading of Hebrews 9: 11-28 and is a powerful meditation on the passion. But it also tells us much about the connection between the passion and the sacraments of Baptism and the Eucharist which flow from the paschal mystery and connect us to its saving power.

If we wish to understand the power of Christ’s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt. “Sacrifice a lamb without blemish”, commanded Moses, “and sprinkle its blood on your doors”. If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord’s blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.

If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down from the cross, flowing from the Master’s side. The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood. Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the holy eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord’s side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it.

“There flowed from his side water and blood”. Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolized baptism and the holy eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, “the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit”, and from the holy eucharist. Since the symbols of baptism and the Eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: “Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh!” As God then took a rib from Adam’s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and the water after his own death.

Do you understand, then, how Christ has united his bride to himself and what food he gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with his own blood those to whom he himself has given life.

(Read More: Here).

See also: Blood And Water From The Side Of Christ, DEATH OF JESUS and Aquinas On The Blood And Water From The Side Of Christ.


Here are the lyrics to Double Cure:

Double Cure
Run Time: 5:09
Written by Bill Mallonee for Fingerprint Records and CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) ©1996

yeah today i'm sick of all i am
today is my setback
first i swear i love you
then i stab you in the back

i wanna drink out of that fountain
on a hill called double cure
i wanna show you my allegiance Lord
yes i wanna be a son of Yours

so tired of all my toys
they never last for long
they keep beaming dreams and wishes
to a big dish on my front lawn

bet you all have got a story
you're just aching to tell
haven't we thrown our coinage
down the wishing well

so go and call your neighbor
proceed with all due haste
go grab your wife and sweet family
see there is no time to waste

we're gonna drink out of that fountain
on a hill called double cure
i wanna show you my allegiance Lord
yes i wanna be a son of Yours

ask me why i love Him
He gave riches to this poor
yes and i will one day see that face
over yonder shore

---Did You Know?

A number one single for the Vigilantes of Love, "Double Cure" remains a favorite of many fans and a favorite of Bill's wife, Brenda, who claims it will always be her favorite. In the words of Bill, this is "a song about understanding how close God is when He seems the farthest away." The song begins to the tune of "All Hail The Power Of Jesus Name." The phrase "Double Cure" was taken from a verse of the hymn "Rock of Ages." It is a reference to being cleansed from both sin's guilt and power. The recording of this song was the first time that Tom Crea, Chris Bland and Bill had been in the studio together. VoL was nominated for a Dove Award for this song. They lost to a song called "Epidermis Girl" by Bleach.
---------------------------------------------------

Double Cure (Reprise)
Run Time: 3:42
Written by Bill Mallonee for Fingerprint Records and CyBrenJoJosh (BMI) ©1996

today i'm sick of all i am
today is my setback
first i say i love you
i stab you in the back

wanna drink out of that fountain
on a hill called double cure
show you my allegiance Lord
i wanna be a son of Yours

i'm tired of all my toys
they never last for long
they're beaming dreams and wishes
to a big dish on my lawn

i bet you've got a story
you've been aching to tell
i bet you've thrown some coinage
down the wishing well

go and call your neighbor
there is no time to waste
get your wife and family
proceed with all due haste

you ask me why i love Him
He gave riches to the poor
i will one day see that face
over yonder shore

U2's New Easter-ish Song

White As Snow is from U2's new and recent album, No Line On The Horizon---here is the story of the composition of the song from Wikipedia:

[edit] Composition

In an interview with The Guardian Bono revealed that he became tired of writing in the first-person, noting that "I'd just worn myself out as a subject matter"; as a result he created several characters, including a traffic cop, a junkie, and a soldier serving in Afghanistan.[4] The soldier's character appears in "White as Snow", which focuses on the soldier's last thoughts as he dies from the wounds caused by an improvised explosive device.[2] Bono came up with the idea after reading Pincher Martin, written by William Golding.[1]

"White as Snow" was recorded in one take during two weeks of recording sessions in Fez, Morocco in 2007, though it received some minor editing in the final sessions in December 2008.[5] At this time, it was taken out of the 'Maybe' pile to balance out the rockier tunes present earlier on, with Adam Clayton noting that "it gave the listener a break."[6] Original plans were for the track to start with an explosion, though this was later scrapped.[1] Richard Watkins played the French horn in the song.[7] The melody of the song is based on that of the traditional Advent hymn "Veni, veni Emmanuel".[2] Bono noted that, with the exception of "White as Snow", the band had tried to keep the theme of war out of the album.[8]

"White as Snow" appears as the fourth track in the Anton Corbijn film Linear, based on a story by Corbijn and Bono where a Parisian traffic cop travels across France and the Mediterranian Sea to visit his girlfriend in Tripoli.[9]

And here are the full lyrics to the song hyperlinked by myself:

White As Snow
(U2)

Where I came from there were no hills at all
The land was flat, the highway straight and wide
My brother and I would drive for hours
Like we had years instead of days
Our faces as pale as the dirty snow

Once I knew there was a love divine
Then came a time I thought it knew me not
Who can forgive forgiveness where forgiveness is not
Only the lamb as white as snow

And the water, it was icy
As it washed over me
And the moon shone above me

Now this dry ground it bears no fruit at all
Only poppies laugh under the crescent moon
The road refuses strangers
The land the seeds we sow
Where might we find the lamb as white as snow

As boys we would go hunting in the woods
To sleep the night shooting out the stars
Now the wolves are every passing stranger
Every face we cannot know
If only a heart could be as white as snow
If only a heart could be as white as snow

See also: White As Snow: U2's most intimate song.

The One Lamb: A Movie For Easter

It seems that more and more independent Christian themed movies are being released nowadays which is a good thing. Here in time for the Easter season is one of them:

The One Lamb is a 2009 American Christian film directed by Bryan Forrest,[1] set to be released on March 30, 2009. It stars John W. Price, Alyson Lowe, Anna Holmes and Bryan Forrest. It is unrated.[2] It was financed by University City United Methodist Church, in North Carolina.[1]


[edit] Plot
The One Lamb is the story of Jackson Price (Bryan Forrest) who is diagnosed with cancer, and determined to atone for the sins of his past. He once had everything going his way, but in a moment of weakness he lost everything. He was abandoned by his wife, learns he is dying of cancer, and may not live long. But he's determined to fight, and with a little help from a pastor named Earl (John W. Price), he tries to achieve redemption for his past failures while hoping and praying for a happy, healthy future.

Here are further details from the Official Website:

In the dead of night, lying across the steps of an altar in an abandoned church, a man lies broken and confused. How could he have fallen so far?

Just days before, he was a power broker, a young, hot campaign manager for a candidate for the US Senate. His picture graced the covers of national magazines touting him as the new “Golden Boy” of American politics. And his future was shining bright. Now, alone in this unfamiliar place, everything he once had is lost. Crying out into the darkness for help, the voice of a stranger answers “I’m going to help you my son”…

Jackson Price awakens to find himself in a hospital bed. Here, at the bottom of his fall from grace, is where he will learn he has cancer. And he is going to have to fight to save his life. All alone and facing an uncertain future, Price seeks out the stranger who answered his cry in the darkness.

In a small town deep in the country, far away from the fast paced life he once lived in the big city, Price will find Earl. Earl enjoys the simple life of the country. He delights in taking long afternoon naps. He enjoys sitting in his rocking chair on the front porch sipping cold glasses of sweetened iced tea. And this stubborn, retired black preacher and the young city boy will become fast friends.

Earl cares for Jack as he battles the cancer trying to take his life. And helps Jackson to realize he is going to have to abandon everything he understands and learn to trust in something much bigger than himself. Ultimately, for Jackson to save his life…he is going to have to surrender it.

Jackson learns that he is losing his fight with cancer. In a race against time, Earl will lead him to the One who has the power to give him new life. Turning from his selfish ways of the past, Jackson forgoes any further treatment and attempts to run a marathon to inspire thousands of others to have hope and to never give up.

Audiences will stand up and cheer at this inspirational story of courage and faith. Come along on this incredible journey as Price races against time and his past to reach the finish line where he will find the One who will set him free…the One who will give him new life…

And Here's The Preview:

---or see it in fullscreen here: