TheLionRampant.net

The New York Times gets it right.

The word Advent means “coming” or “arrival.” The focus of the entire season is the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Christ in his First Advent, and the anticipation of the return of Christ the King in his Second Advent. Thus, Advent is far more than simply marking a 2,000 year old event in history. It is celebrating a truth about God, the revelation of God in Christ whereby all of creation might be reconciled to God. That is a process in which we now participate, and the consummation of which we anticipate.(from Christian Resource Institute)

Isaiah 2:1-5
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations,
and shall decide disputes for many peoples;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war anymore.
O house of Jacob,
come, let us walk
in the light of the Lord.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
Who orderest all things mightily;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Rod of Jesse, free
Thine own from Satan’s tyranny;
From depths of hell Thy people save,
And give them victory over the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, O come, great Lord of might,
Who to Thy tribes on Sinai’s height
In ancient times once gave the law
In cloud and majesty and awe.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Root of Jesse’s tree,
An ensign of Thy people be;
Before Thee rulers silent fall;
All peoples on Thy mercy call.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

It’s going to be called ‘Jesus Junk: Spreading the Gospel by Selling Crap’. When I come across really great stuff, I’ll post something about it, so that we can all extol the virtues of said item together. Of course we all know about things like Testamints, but there are some other, equally edifying, items out there that don’t get as much exposure. I’m hoping to change that.

What, you may be asking yourself, inspired this brilliant new idea? Well, today’s featured item, of course…

Are circumstances in your life causing you anxiety? If so, you need your very own Prayer Jar. That’s right, just write down your prayer request, and pop it into the jar. Now, doesn’t that feel better?

Now I know some of you cynics are wondering what the difference is between this Prayer Jar and any regular old cookie jar. The answer, of course, is the wonderfully inspirational inscription on the back:

Have you ever seen a regular old cookie jar with an inscription like that before? I didn’t think so.

I can’t wait until my Prayer Jar gets here, I’m dying to see what happens when I combine the powers of the Prayer Jars with the Prayer of Jabez!

Yes, I often use this blog to record randomness. This is good for me and hopefully you find my lists at least somewhat interesting (if not, leave now and come back for some more thoughtful content tomorrow or the next day). Hopefully when Bryce gets his head out of the books (he’s studying for his licensure exams in the PCA) he’ll blog something wonderfully thought-provoking about his sermon on Sunday or something else equally enticing.

– After gourging on chocolate biscuits after church until 10.30 pm a bunch of us crammed into the Hays’ car and came over to our flat (Sarah and I enjoyed sharing yet another front seat together! haha, this seems to happen a lot); we ate more food and goodies and listened to Derek Webb’s newest CD (which we’ve been listening to non-stop), “I See Things Upside Down”. Good, good stuff.
– We actually cleaned up our flat! Clothes that have been in clean piles (but not put away) were put away, towels washed, dishes all cleaned - amazing!
– We’ve watched a number of movies to just ‘veg’ recently, which is amazing considering the work we should be doing, and, this time last year we had watched about 1 movie in 3 months.
– I keep falling asleep trying to read - it can be 11 am or 11 pm.
– I’m learning how to function on 6-7 hours of sleep a night - this is amazing to me, but may explain the falling asleep bit.
– It’s taken me about 2 weeks to get through 30 pages of Berkeley’s philosophy; it just doesn’t grip me and with each paragraph numbered, it’s really easy to stop and not pick it up.
– My Mom has shingles!
– Sometimes I think people are just stupid. All of ‘em, including me. We think we’re smart and intelligent, thoughtful and considerate - but mostly, we’re not any of those things and we fail to evaluate our actions and our words, our thoughts and our ideals and how utterly none of these meet up with any authentic regularity.
– I don’t want to live in a suburb - ever. (You know the saying, “Please, God, don’t send me to Africa?”, well, how ’bout, “Don’t send me into suburbia, please!”)
– I haven’t been into the fall spices as of late; a few months ago I couldn’t get enough cinnamon, ginger, smells of pumpkin pie or apple cider. Now I’ve moved on to chocolate. Or tea - several times daily (but there’s nothing new about that!)
– I’m not as crazy over the colour red as I used to be a year or two ago - but am still quite keen on it.
– I think those poncho things are stupid. You look like you’re wearing a blanket.
– I love J.Crew - except the 80s flashback pointy shoes with socks combo.

There you have it: the superficial, the random, the likes and dislikes of a 20-something postgrad. Come back later for thoughts on life. And now, for some reason, reading some postcolonial theory sounds interesting; so whatever wackiness has come over me, I must jump on it when I actually feel like looking into some literary theory - Cheers!

I guess I shouldn’t be blogging so much recently, but I am; so if it’s too much for you — sorry! Writing helps me think of things and about things (Bryce is different - he has long conversations in his head and then it all comes out later).

I wonder how many of us think much (generally) and specifically, about the meaning of one’s life. It’s good to sit back and have periods of reflection about the course of life. Sure, I can spit out the right answers according to context: in many ways my studies are meaningful to me, my husband and family are more meaningful to me and in different ways than my studies, and ultimately Jesus is the most meaningful thing. But when I look at my life does this add up? Do I even think about how my attitude when I wake up illustrates where I find meaning? How about when I’m running late and huffing it up the Royal Mile? Or when I’m dead tired and don’t want to read anymore? How about when I don’t feel like going to church for whatever reason? Generally I resort to complaining about these various life hiccups. I love reading literature but only rarely does it begin to infiltrate my life and change it, to make it meaningful in any way.

I guess loosely I think about my life meaning something - as in thinking about my future teaching career and how I’ll be able to give back and try to help students make connections, or other vague notions of what the future might entail. I’ve always been driven and always future-minded; it’s hard for me to focus on the present (although I think I’m getting a wee bit better at it). But with all these big life questions it’s good to think of little things: how did my life mean something today? how did my actions, thoughts, and words reflect where I place meaning in my life? Today for me was a pretty balanced day: a few hours of reading, a lecture to attend, coffeee with a friend, and a wine, cheese, and bread supper in front of “Love Actually” with Bryce. But, I’m ashamed to say, I didn’t think about my day - I just *did* it - went through the motions, ticked off the things on my To Do list. So I’m not putting myself out there as someone to emulate but I do want to construct the everyday to reflect where I place my meaning; for if my meaning is solidly placed in Christ in whatever actions I undertake that day, the gospel will begin to be lived out in me; and that’d be amazing.

On another completely random note, what’s your personality or bloginality type? Take the short quiz and post your answers here! (I’m an INFJ and I think Bryce is somewhere between an ISTJ and an INTJ)

Tor asked me how my sermon went on Tuesday, here’s a quick(ish) response:

It went resonably well, not great. Because I was so busy I had to use a sermon I had used at church a month or so ago. I don’t really have any philosophical problem with this, but it created a number of problems:

1) The sermon had been prepared with the New Restalrig congregation in mind, which is the average, mostly uninformed evangelical congregation. I was then using the sermon at my seminary, with a bunch of theological students and professors. The difference in knowledge is large, and the application needs to be very different. I went through the sermon and made adjustments to the application in some parts, but it was a bit hasty.

2) When I’m preaching in a normal church setting, I am there to bring the word of God to God’s people. I’m there to edify them and encourage them to believe the gospel and to worship God. When I’m preaching at the college I’m not exactly sure why I’m there. I’m there partially for the practice, and partially (I think) to be evaluated (both officially and unofficially). There may be some other reasons, but I’m not sure. It’s very dificult to preach in a situation where, for better or worse, everyone is evaluating you. And on top of that I think I have substantially different views on preaching from most of the people in my classes (although some of them seem to be coming around, and I got a number of positive responses).

3) Probably most importantly, I had very little/no emotional connection with the sermon on Tuesday. Normally sermon preparation for me includes a week of poor sleep, b/c I’m wrestling with the whole thing. It takes a tremendous amount of emotional energy, which is also why I’m exhausted after I preach. Though I didn’t get much sleep last week, it was for other reasons. So I didn’t have the emotional connection with sermon, and it makes a difference.

The one person who heard it both times just shook his head when I asked him how he thought it compared :).

Despite all that, I did get a lot of positive, though not very substantial, feedback. I’m not sure if I’m expected to go talk with the Practical Theology professor about it. I think I probably am. Last time his advice was to stand up straighter.

In other news…
I have turned in my last church history essay ever (since I’m writing my dissertation in church history this year I’m exempted from next semester’s assignments).

I’m also preaching this coming Sunday on 2 Timothy 2:14-26. I’m a bit behind on my preparation since I wasn’t able to start until Tuesday evening, and I ended up going to bed by 8 on Tuesday. But it’s going well now, and I’m fully into the sleepless mode, which is good…and bad.

That’s it for now. Cheers!

One would think doing graduate work in literature would mean being curled up in an armchair reading novels all day - wrong! Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t trade what I’m doing for much (definitely not an office job) - well I would trade it for a professorship somewhere teaching rather than solitarily researching everyday - but anyway, don’t romanticise my life thinking I get to drink tea all day and read books in my pjs (that only happens on Saturdays!). I do drink tea, but the books are usually in the National Library (a non-lending library) or in my wee 4th floor office, which requires a half-hour brisk walk in spittle most days. In my undergrad days, I always thought it strange how profs complained about all the bureaucratic meetings, etc. they had to attend and now I’m beginning to feel similarly with various autonomous reading groups, discussion groups, editorial meetings with my supervisor, and visiting lectures to attend on Fridays.

P.S. If you’re bored or have loads of cash you’d like to get rid of by buying us something, feel free to peruse our wish lists: Ashley’s can be found here; Bryce’s can be found here.

Just something I’ve been thinking about…

In this article, Bush and Blair are cited as specific examples of political language mongers who have reiterated cliches to the extent that language has been ‘zombified’. I’m sure we’re all aware not only of the poor literacy rates around the globe but that many people just don’t read; and because they don’t read (but instead do more popular things such as shop, watch TV, or play video games - quick stimulation with minimum input), it stands to reason that language use is poor. I’m not campaigning that we should be using 10 cent words when a little one will do just as well; I’m not saying we should exhibit language as a placard of erudition, either. What is so distressing about this is that no one seems to realise the extent to which language has been dumbed down. Using precise language gets you looks.

There is something beautiful and appropriate about precision. Think of some of your favourite poets who use language in an altogether unique way - somehow the way they combine words and phrases allows you a peek into something beyond the mundane. For instance, our new blog title comes from a poem by Emily Dickinson:
Much Madness is divinest Sense—
To a discerning Eye—
Much sense—the starkest Madness
‘Tis the Majority
In this, as AII, prevail—
Assent, and you are sane;
Demur,—you ’re straightway dangerous,
And handled with a chain.
(435, ca. 1862)

Thus the process of making meaning appears largely to be based upon perspective (it is ‘the discerning eye’ which changes the apparent reality of sanity or insanitiy). Sanity and insanity become mere social constructions based on assent or dissent. But there is something beyond the political strictures of law and order in this poem; the first line, “Much Madness is divinest Sense” turns our understanding of what is sensible and what is madness on its head. To a discerning eye, madness itself is sensible, or rather, what is perceived as madness by those who blindly follow the status quo is actually sensible; in short, in the poem everyone (the majority anyway) is confused, locking up those who are dangerous while those with a discerning eye see sensibility in insanity (how many people thought Jesus was off his rocker for instance?). I think most genius fringes on madness. But that’s besides the point.

We have a responsibility to care for language just as we have a responsibility to care for life, for one another and the environment. If we are content to hear about ‘a brighter tomorrow’ or that x, y, z, will ’spread freedom from shore to shore’, we need to ask what does this really mean? Is it just a catchy phrase to get our emotional fervour (either in favour or against) all worked up? And we must ask questions about the use of words - for instance, in this example: whose freedom are we providing - free trade or fair trade; a movement of the people or imposed upon the people; what does freedom entail and is it right to spead it ’shore to shore’? And it’s not just politicians by any means. Our everyday conversation is riddled with filler words and trite phrases; we don’t even think about trying to put our thoughts and feelings into new words and forms but are satiated with being ‘happy as a clam’, ‘down in the dumps’, ‘high as a kite’ and other such nonsense (besides, in what way is a clam happy?). And if you are a Christian, by no means should we be pleased with those ‘witnessing tools’: trite, zombified Christian t-shirts, logos, bumper stickers, etc that is nothing but one of the worst types of kitch I’ve seen. It is remarkable that the Word was made flesh and tabernacled among us and because Jesus is the Word, the logos incarnate, how much more should we as Christians not settle for or create art (if you can even call bumper stickers art) that panders to mental atrophy and spiritual cliches that are completely unintelligible and laughable to the secular world? We, more than others, should be concerned about accuracy and precision in language as a way to grow in grace (not to mention as a giving our best, our firstfruits, to God, rather than giving the poor produce of our cliched language).

Well, this has ranged all over the place - sorry - but I hope it gives you something to think about.

Just finished my paper that is due in the morning, need to look over the sermon I will preach tomorrow afternoon, time for a little diversion…

- Bryce’s brother-in-law has been offered a job as a professor in the business department at Westmont College! He and their family (and us) are absolutely thrilled at the abundance of God’s blessing! He’ll submit his PhD here in Scotland in spring 2005 and they’ll probably head out to CA in July.
- My tutorial on Keats went well; I wasn’t nervous and the students were talkative. I felt like I talked too much but the prof sitting in on the lecture said she didn’t think so and that the students talked more with me than with her. Hopefully this is the start of lots of teaching for me!
- Bryce got an A on his essay on common grace although he didn’t feel incredibly confident about it.
- I just squeaked by with a distinction in my master’s degree.
- My mom sent us each a book and “Notting Hill” as a surprise in the mail.
- Doritos has been having Blockbuster movie rental give-away coupons in their bags of chips so we’ve been able to see a number of movies for free.
- The Lord has given us good friends.
- We, unfaithful sinners, are given grace abudantly based upon the perfect record of Jesus Christ.

On another note, please continue to pray for our finances and our flat situation. We’re going back to CA in January and have required that all repairs in our flat need to be fixed by the end of this month, or we’re moving out; we haven’t heard a date for when these repairs are to take place within the next two weeks and finding a new (inexpensive!) flat in the right area is something we don’t want to deal with in such a short space of time as Bryce runs up to finals and studying for his licensure exam. We know God will meet all our needs, but sometimes I still worry a bit.