felix hominum

stitches on the face of Christ

It's lunchtime & have a 1 month backlog of bits and pieces that I had been working on to post. I'm currently deep in caffeine due to a late night getting back from emerg with son #1.  He had done what most young boys do on a regular basis - given himself a small injury through being extremely boyish.  A small cut under the chin - big enough to require a few stitches, but not big enough to move too quickly to the front of the line.

It started with a trip to the neighbourhood medicentre yesterday evening.  Mrs Felix thought that it would only take a few minutes.  I'm amazed though, at the capacity of a six and a half year old to fend off the advances of 3 medical professionals brandishing instruments of healing.  We had thought of calling the zoo to get some elephant tranquilizer darts, but they were closed for the evening.  He was smart, though;  he knew that if he resisted long enough he would eventually force the clinic to close - sort of like running down the clock at the end of a football game, and the operation would have to be abandoned.  Eventually the clinic did close, with little progress made.  So off I drove to the emergency room to wait with the cross section of humanity that shows up in such places after 10 pm.  4 hours later we were free, and fairly tired, and heading home again to catch our 4.5 hours of sleep.  All in a day's parenting...

Earlier this week we celebrated the "Feast of St Timothy" - the patron saint of our church.  The readings for the main service included Paul's famous description of the church as the "body of Christ" - made up of its many parts and members.  Normally on such festive occasions we tend to emphasize how we all participate in this marvellous thing "The Church", and give ourselves a pep talk of encouragement and enthusiasm to respond to the tasks and vocations laid before us.

But this year we had a slightly different focus.  It's not there explicitly in the passage we read from Corinthians, but it is there nonetheless:  the body of Christ is wounded.  We tend not to address such things openly in the church, yet it is integral to who Christ is, and therefore integral to those who wish to be part of his body.  What I mean is this:  when we look at the story of 'doubting Thomas' for instance, we can see that the place where he connects with, becomes intimate with, becomes convinced by Christ is in His wounds.

The image of Thomas being invited to touch the wounds of Christ is a significant and necessary part of what we like to call 'conversion'.  It is vital - 'life-giving' - that Christ makes this the invitational point of contact: place yourself in my wounds, for they are healed, but they are still wounds.  It is really only there that Thomas will be, not convinced only, but converted.  And so I think it necessary for us as well to approach the wounds of Christ, and accept His invitation to "touch him" in those places.

We seldom invite people to such a Christ.  We invite them to a glorified Christ, a teaching Christ, an ethical Christ, a loving Christ, a victorious Christ.  We seldom invite them to a wounded Christ.  Yet I am more and more persuaded that all of us within the church, and all of us outside the Church, need to touch the wounds of Christ.

Things I'd like to go to: lecture series on Paul

There is an upcoming series of lectures/wine/cheese/hot air/funtime coming up at  Christ Church (12116-102 Ave) here in Edmonton, running on a series of Sunday evenings from January 24 – February 21. And if that is not to your taste, well, Brian McLaren & John Franke are tagteaming here in the fall - Oct 1-2. If you don't know that much about Paul, or think that the sessions will be too heavy, come anyway.  I intend to nod every once in a while and say "hhmmmm" while striking a thoughtful pose - thus convincing those around me that I know exactly what is being talked about, and understand it fully.  If you come, be sure to find me at the complimentary wine & cheese after the lecture.  Here's the blurb:

2010 Saint Paul is one of the most influential figures in early Christianity as well as one of the most controversial. He is a remarkable figure who inspires both devotion and aversion. This lecture series explores crucial issues that relate Saint Paul to his context and place in early Christianity as well as his relevance to faith today. The lectures are free and open to the public and will communicate to interested lay persons as well as professional clergy and academics. ALL SESSIONS BEGIN AT 5pm

• Lecture 1, Jan 24: Paul and Jesus: Friends or Foes? – Michael Pahl, PhD There is little doubt that St. Paul was a significant figure in early Christianity, largely responsible for the spread of the Christian faith beyond its Palestinian Jewish roots. Some have claimed that Paul, not Jesus, was the true founder of Christianity as it emerged from the first century. Others have claimed that Paul was simply a faithful follower of Jesus, passing on Jesus’ message to new contexts. This lecture examines the relationship of Paul’s teaching to the message of Jesus, suggesting that this relationship is more complex than either of those extremes may allow.

• Lecture 2, Jan 31: The Origins of Paul’s Gospel: Tradition or Revelation? – Michael Pahl, PhD There is a tension in St. Paul's writings between his claim to have received his gospel from others as tradition (1 Corinthians 15) and his claim to have received his gospel directly from the exalted Jesus as revelation (Galatians 1). This lecture explores the origins of Paul's gospel, suggesting a way of understanding these apparently contradictory claims which is rooted in Paul's historical setting, his experience, and his rhetoric.

• Lecture 3, Feb 7: Paul’s Apocalyptic Gospel – Douglas Harink, PhD Many Paul scholars today are saying that St. Paul’s message and mission are thoroughly apocalyptic. But he doesn’t write anything like the Book of Revelation, so what does that mean? In this lecture we will explore the apocalyptic character of Paul’s gospel and some of its revolutionary implications for Christian faith and life. • Lecture 4, Feb 14: Paul’s Political Gospel – Douglas Harink, PhD The declaration that Jesus the Messiah is Lord and Saviour, which is at the heart of St. Paul’s message, resonated deeply with the political rhetoric and loyalties of Jews and Romans alike. In this lecture we will show how Paul’s message about Jesus immediately calls forth and shapes a new political community that is nevertheless radically different from the political communities of this world. We will explore the implications for the church today.

• Lecture 5, Feb 21: St. Paul and Contemporary Thought – Myron B. Penner, PhD There has been something of a revival of interest in St. Paul in contemporary philosophy as a thinker of relevance for our postmodern times. This lecture looks at Paul in light of recent philosophical uses and argues for the relevance of Paul’s for Christians today as a kind of “postmodern” thinker who is able to point the way beyond the pitfalls of modern theology.

Lecturers:

Michael W. Pahl, PhD, University of Birmingham, is the author of Discerning the ‘Word of the Lord’ (T & T Clark, 2009). He has taught New Testament studies in Canada and the UK and is currently working on several research projects in areas surrounding Paul and the New Testament.

Douglas Harink, PhD, University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto School of Theology, is the author of Paul Among the Postliberals: Pauline Theology Beyond Christendom and Modernity (Brazos, 2003) and of 1 and 2 Peter in the Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible (2009). He is Professor of Theology at The King’s University College in Edmonton, AB, and teaches and researches in the areas of Modern and Contemporary Theology and Saint Paul.

Rev Myron B. Penner, PhD, University of Edinburgh, is the author of Subjectivity and Knowledge: Self and Belief in Kierkegaard’s Thought (Paternoster, forthcoming), the editor of Christianity and the Postmodern Turn (Brazos, 2005) and the co-editor of A New Kind of Conversation (Paternoster, 2007). He has taught philosophy and theology in the United States, Canada and the UK and is currently writing a book called Against Apologetics: A Postmodern Critique for Baker Academic.

God, earthquakes & suffering

While reading some BBC today I came across this article.  It's sort of standard fare on "why does God let bad things happen?"  What jumped out at me was the first response in the comment section:

As an Anglican, I always had presumed that God is too big, if you like, too omnipotent to even vaguely notice humanity, after all we are dust: "from dust you are made and to dust you shall return". Though the thought of that kind of horror being suffered by many innocents - and an apparent loving God is contradicting. However at least I find comfort, and probably most Christians, in the world to come where everything would be good, If you like God repaying his debts for letting us suffer.