Sacramental Living

Over at The Fire and the Rose, a von Balthasar blog conference is going on.  Wednesday’s essay is here.  My response is here.  Enjoy.

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Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
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There are a lot of scriptures to be immersed in during this Holy Week.  What with the Revised Common Lectionary readings for each day, my own daily readings, trying to read through the Bible each year, etc., etc.

So it’s unusual, firstly, that I’d let myself be sidetracked by scripture not listed in any of the above.  Secondly, it’s surprising and wonderful that God is using it to speak into my life.

Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12.9:

The Lord said: “My grace is all you need, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weakness, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. So I am content with a life of weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, and distress, all for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

I tend to regularly disappoint myself when stress reaches a certain point.  It’s at those moments the struggle of living the trust I preach becomes difficult.  But when I glimpse the reality of what Paul lived, I begin to journey a bit closer with Jesus.

The last 18 months or so have been hard in numerous ways:  my whole social world turned upside-down; family life changed and grown; getting used to new surroundings; leaving a financially stable and large church to serve at a dying church; drawing the line in the sand in order to lead the transformation of this church; suffering weakness, insult, hardship, persecution, and distress.  All this because I actually believe Jesus is worth following.

Now, I must live that belief when the going gets tough.  Time to experience some strength in weakness.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Do Paul’s words resonate with you?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.

Theology is risky.

To engage in particularity dependent on authority derived outside one’s self is a task that truly requires an emptying of hubris when approaching the subject of God.

If there is significance in what is to be an ecclesiological endeavor, then the virtue of patience will enable what Robert Jenson calls “waiting . . . the most creative of activities.”

This waiting however is not static, but rather involves practicing the formation of developing the faith. Such practice–if we are to hold the scriptural tenor as worth its stuff–is predicated on a communal setting and participation.

Communal participation in the theological task constitutes disciplined reflection on the forms of life, while acknowledging that all life is contained within the life of the very God who gifts it and makes the theological task possible. To be participatory–to practice this risky work of theology–must necessarily be prayer.  All honest theology is an address to God at his invitation.

SO TELL ME SOMETHING:
Do you see theology as prayer?  Why or why not?

——

Brian Niece
www.brianniece.com
If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by email or RSS.