Hearts of fire, Minds of ice

In 949 A.D., a baby was born in Galatia, now part of modern day Turkey. This is the same Galatia to which St. Paul wrote his letter in the New Testament bearing the name of the city’s residents: Galatians. The young boy’s name was a common name, familiar to many of that day, much like John or Tom or Bob today. His name was Symeon or as it is often translated today in the United States, Simon. Simon was raised by his father to serve in the royal court, but at an early age began to study the faith under a Christian minister bearing the same name, Elder Simeon the Pious. Simon of Galatia studied for years and eventually left the royal court to become a member of a small community of Christian teachers. These communities eventually became what we today understand as monasteries. Simon of Galatia was not popular. He was very disturbed by what he saw as a loss of passion for Jesus Christ. For the past several hundred years, since the 700’s, the church had become more and more rational. The task of making the faith logical and seeking to understand the work and ministry of Christ within the scope of current Greek and Roman philosophy had robbed Christianity of much of its zeal.

Simon of Galatia began a personal campaign to return Christianity to its vitality of the early church. His famous quote was that ‘Christians should have hearts of fire and minds of ice.’ He was not opposed to the mental task of academic study in various areas of the faith, but mourned the loss of mystery and spiritual zeal for the cause of Christ. He lamented the lack of prayer, devotional Bible reading and the lack of interest for the poor. His call to restoration, spiritual passion and works in faith earned him banishment by the church officials of the day. He moved to the Bosphorus, near modern Istanbul where he died in 1021. In isolation, he became famous for his miraculous prayers. Many in that region believed that Simon’s prayers were very effective. Although he was viewed as a revolutionary in his day, his faithfulness ultimately earned him the title, “St. Symeon the New Theologian.” Little has changed in 1,000 years. We still swing back and forth between hearts of fire and minds of ice, looking for the balance of faith and understanding. In the midst of the debates, the searching and the great leaders of the Church, God continues to answer prayers for healing, direction and comfort.

Growing up in the wake of Dr. King

As the remembrance of the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. approaches, I realized that I am of the generation that was born after Dr. King’s death. At the same time, those in my generation grew up in the shadow of his life. What we were taught about issues of race and equality were in many ways a result of the efforts of Dr. King and his contemporaries. As I approach my 39th birthday, I am stunningly aware that Dr. King was assassinated at the age of 39. God used him to begin to change the heart of a nation. For those my age and younger, it might be helpful for us to learn about the man who had the dream.

Episcopal priest Gurdon Brewster recently completed his memoir, No Turning Back: My Summer with Daddy King. Brewster tells the story of his experience in the summer of 1961, when, as a young seminarian, he worked at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, home to Martin Luther King, Jr. and his extraordinary father, popularly known as “Daddy King.” Recalling the summer that changed his life, Brewster describes his first encounters with segregation, as well as his rediscovery of the true meaning of the gospel.

Another veteran of that struggle, Vincent Harding, a Mennonite and professor of religion, has published a timely assessment of King’s vision and its relevance for today. Martin Luther King: The Inconvenient Hero urges readers not to be content with the “safe” and domesticated hero most often identified with his stirring speech, “I Have a Dream.” Instead Harding invokes the increasingly radical message of King in his later years, as he took on the status quo at every level. Against the advice of his advisors, Dr. King expanded his message of global non-violence and widened his alliance with the cause of all poor and oppressed peoples. It was this vision that brought him to Memphis in 1968, where he paid the final price for his prophetic witness.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

Many have asked me about the famous Christmas song, The 12 Days of Christmas. Although the song’s origins are unknown, as children sang it long before it was published, it is generally regarded as a pneumonic song to teach the faith or at least remind the singer of particular Christian concepts through this Season of Christmas. Many detractors critique the song saying that there is no historical evidence for this explanation. This is true. There is no evidence to suggest that it isn’t true either. Many Christian scholars believe the "true love" mentioned in the song does not refer to an earthly lover--it refers to God. The "me" who receives the gift refers to the Christian. The partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge who fakes injury to lure predators from her helpless nestlings, much in memory of the expression of Christ's sadness over the fate of Jerusalem: "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! How often would I have sheltered thee under my wings, as a hen does her chicks, but thou wouldst not have it so..." (KJV Luke 13:34)

The other symbols are explained as follows:
2 Turtle Doves = The Old and New Testaments

3 French Hens = Faith, Hope and Charity- the Theological Virtues
(I Corinthians 13:13)

4 Calling Birds = the Four Gospels and/or the Four Evangelists

5 Golden Rings = The first Five Books of the Old Testament, the "Pentateuch", which relays the history of humanity’s fall.

6 Geese A-laying = the six days of Creation (Genesis 1)

7 Swans A-swimming = the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven sacraments (Romans 12:6-8; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:8-11)

8 Maids A-milking = the eight beatitudes (Mathew 5:3-10)

9 Ladies Dancing = the nine Fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22)

10 Lords A-leaping = the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20: 1-17)

11 Pipers Piping = the eleven faithful apostles (Luke 6:14-16)

12 Drummers Drumming = the twelve points of doctrine in the Apostle's Creed

Remember Christmas is not just a day; it’s a season!
(December 25 – January 5)

What does it mean when Christ is KING?

The last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year is the Sunday before Advent. It is called Christ the King Sunday, a day to celebrate and remember Christ's kingship. It has become a rather controversial day among some as they consider the language of kingship outdated or oppressive. Unfortunately, this is the curse of modernism: culture transforms Christianity instead of the other way around.

For many, the images of kings and kingdoms conjure up thoughts of tyrants. Few of us have ever lived under a King. Most of our images of kings are from fairy tales, which are rarely consistent with the actual historical concepts of monarchs. These are certainly challenges to the Church’s efforts to proclaim God’s reign, but should not dictate the Church’s language. Rather, the unchanging Christ proclaimed by the Church should transform all secular notions.

Jesus' ministry was not one of military might. It was one of peace, liberation, and above all, service. Jesus turned the whole concept of lordship and primacy on its head:

For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45, NRSV)

Jesus knew the popular images of kings and lords and he specifically redefined them, but did not reject them. God the Son, King of all creation, humbled himself to become human, even sharing the ultimate fate of his captive subjects: death. Jesus' role of King is closely tied to his role as Judge. Unlike our judgments, Christ sees the heart. His judgment is both just and compassionate. Our justice is in retribution; Christ's is restoration. Christ calls us to repentance and salvation through the Sacraments of his Church.

Democracy is a gift to the world, where all receive a voice in their destiny; yet, democracy is not Christianity and it is certainly not God. The voice of the people is not the voice of God. God has given us the Church founded on Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ. Scripture and the Church’s tradition continue to speak with eternal significance. Certain images of God as Lord and King will always seem foreign in a democratic society, but remember, God is a different type of King: all-powerful, all-loving, all-merciful and inviting us into relationship through his Church. We bend the knee in submission to Jesus, our Lord and King, but it is a submission that also brings true freedom, freedom from the penalty of sin.