The Vatican Files
Dr. Leonardo De Chirico of The Reformanda Initiative in Rome is currently speaking at CMS Summer Conferences across Australia.
Many have found his insights extremely valuable in understanding the Roman Catholic Church so they might humbly and lovingly share the saving news of Jesus with their Roman Catholic friends.
From The Reformanda Initiative:
“The Reformanda Initiative exists to identify, unite, equip, and resource evangelical leaders to understand Roman Catholic theology and practice, to educate the evangelical Church and to communicate the Gospel.
Evangelicalism currently has an incoherent relationship with Roman Catholicism. Many evangelicals are uncertain about what Roman Catholics actually believe. Do they believe in the same Gospel, or something entirely different?
This question is important for leaders of evangelical churches and organizations and for hundreds of millions of evangelical believers around the world. …”
A key linked website is The Vatican Files where Dr De Chirico shares what is happening in the Roman Catholic Church. A recent article is entitled, “God has many ways to save.” Cardinal Cantalamessa and Roman Catholic Universalism:
“Like every Christmas season, the tradition of the ‘advent sermons,’ whereby the preacher of the Papal household addresses the Pope and the community working in the Vatican, was repeated this past December when Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa, a capuchin, preached three sermons.
This preaching role is important because it is officially appointed by the reigning Pope and assigned to a priest whose task is to preach to the community working and living in the Vatican (Pope included) on special liturgical festivities. More generally, the Vatican preacher contributes to setting the standard of Roman Catholic homiletics even beyond the little community of the recipients and is looked upon as a ‘model’ for good Roman Catholic preaching.
For these reasons, it is always useful to have an eye on what he says and how he says it. …”
See also The Reformanda Initiative Podcast.
How a man reading the Bible revolutionised my Bible reading
“For most of the time I have been a Christian, talking about personal Bible reading has made me uneasy.
I usually regarded people who talked about their deep quiet times (often early in the morning) as spiritual skites. That was simply jealousy, because most of my attempts at quiet times could be likened to the Wright brothers’ experiments with flight. A lot of effort, airborne for a short time, then a crash.
Weirdly enough, it was a combination of the pandemic and technology that came to my rescue. …”
– Anglican Media Sydney’s Russell Powell shares some great encouragement for you.
How the Bible makes sense of modern life and culture – with Christopher Watkin
From Dominic Steele at The Pastor’s Heart:
“How does the Bible’s unfolding story makes sense of modern life and culture?
Christopher Watkin, who lectures in Philosophy at Monash University, has a new book out that paints a picture of a Biblical Theological worldview and interacts well along the way with all the major thinkers of the age.
Chris has done us pastors a significant service here.
One of my friends has called it the most helpful book for those of us in pastoral ministry since Don Carson’s late 1990s contribution, The Gagging of God. …”
Amazing Grace shown to sinners like us
Two hundred and fifty years ago today, the hymn Amazing Grace was first sung. The Rev. John Newton wrote it to accompany his sermon on 1 Chronicles 17:16-17 on New Year’s morning 1773.
At the time, Newton can have had no idea of what a blessing that hymn would be to millions.
There’s no better way to begin a new year than by remembering God’s grace shown to us in Christ, to bless God, and to tell others of him.
JohnNewton.org has resources linked from their front page.
Update: Marylynn Rouse, Director of the John Newton Project, has contributed this piece just published in The Times.
(What is the good news Newton knew? Glad you asked.)
Don’t Check the Boxes
“Over the years, as far as I can tell, perhaps the single most significant ‘breakthrough’ for me in daily Bible intake was learning to ignore those little boxes next to each of the daily readings.
If you’re a box-checker, I cast no stones. I simply share my own weaknesses and flaws by testifying to the breakthrough. Silly as it may sound, when I stopped checking the boxes, something started to change in my attitude toward God’s word. …”
– Here’s some encouragement from David Mathis at Desiring God.
Moore College events calendar for 2023
Moore College has put online a very handy calendar of their events planned for 2023. (PDF file.)
The Library Showcase on 1st November (“Howard Guinness and the beginnings of university ministry”) sounds particularly interesting.
Freedom, Faith and Forgiveness — Os Guinness
In another ‘must see’ interview, John Anderson speaks with Os Guinness.
55 minutes, well worth your time.
Was Luke wrong about the census?
“One of the best-known elements in the Christmas story is the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem, despite Mary’s advanced pregnancy, to participate in a census associated with a Roman official named Quirinius. At the centre of every nativity play is the resulting crisis, as Mary and Joseph hurry to Bethlehem but – unable to find accommodation – take up residence with the livestock. …
Given Luke’s professed aims, his careful use of external historical markers elsewhere, and his probable access to at least one of Jesus’s family members, the idea that this story is a fiction invites scepticism.”
– A fascinating article by David Armitage, Academic Administrator at Tyndale House in Cambridge. (Maybe don’t put all of this into your Christmas morning sermon…)
Amazing Grace — 250th anniversary on New Year’s Day 2023
We may all be thinking about Christmas, but New Year’s Day is close behind.
On 1st January 2023, it will be exactly 250 years since the first singing of John Newton’s hymn Amazing Grace.
Learn more about the hymn and the anniversary, and download the original words, at The John Newton Project.
The above video, made for the 240th anniversary, gives some helpful background. (We’re thankful to The John Newton Project’s Marylynn Rouse for all her research!)
“This brief video shows how John Newton was inspired to write the hymn Amazing Grace for New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January 1773.
John Newton wrote his hymn to accompany his sermon on 1 Chronicles 17:16,17. He drew inspiration from the life of King David in looking back to the past, looking around at the present, and looking forward to the future.
Note Newton’s own words for the 6 verses – towards the end of the video.”
What new hymn might you write for New Year’s Day 2023?
The worst of all nightmares!
“What is your worst nightmare? We all have those trivial nightmares. Falling into an endless pit. Being encircled by sharks. Waking up with a nest of spiders on you (which happened to me for real at beach mission one year!). But if I were to ask you to seriously consider your worst nightmare – what you fear most – what would you say? …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Mike Leite reminds what truly wonderful news Christmas really is.
The Stable & Cross
Joshua Bovis at St John’s Tamworth shares this Christmas message, written for his parish newsletter.
________
There are certain words, certain objects and certain things that at first glance don’t seem to work when they are combined. For example, my older brother Colin, who is a chef in England, once worked at a lovely pub called The Axe & Compass. For the life of me I cannot work out what an axe has to do with a compass nor how one points to the other.
Christmas reminds me of The Axe & Compass. Not because it is pub where much drinking will happen, but because the essence of Christmas contains two words, two objects that at first glance, also don’t seem to work when they are combined, and those two things are the stable & cross.
Perhaps your response to these two things is the same as my initial reaction when I heard about the Axe & Compass, what does the stable have to do with a cross? How does one point to the other? After all we all know the Christmas story. We have all seen the nativity scene in our local shopping centres. Ok, so the traditional nativity scene has taken some liberties regarding the number of wise men, wherever there was actually an inn or an upper room, a stable or a cave. But we all know the basics, there a young very pregnant woman, her concerned husband, a birth, a healthy newborn baby boy, a star, Bethlehem and Angels.
So what does the cross have to do with a stable? Why is that part of Christmas? How does that fit with a stable? A cross is about Easter isn’t it? And wait a second…the stable is about a birth, Easter is about a death, how can the stable and cross go together?
The answer is not as way out as it seems. The stable and the cross go together when we ask the question ‘why’? Why was Jesus born? Why did he come to this earth? Why did Jesus leave his throne in heaven to become vulnerable flesh and blood? Why did God become one of us?
The wonderful thing about these questions is that they are questions that have an answer, and even more wonderful, Jesus himself answers the question.
In his Gospel, Mark records an event where two of Jesus’ disciples, James and John had plans, big plans. They were ambitious and wanted great things – for themselves. And they thought the key to greatness was Jesus, so they asked him to make them great. Jesus turns their worldview upside down (or is it the right way up?) by telling them that the key to greatness is serving others. Then Jesus gives them the example of himself and, at the same time, answers the question of why he was born. He says:
“FOR EVEN THE SON OF MAN CAME NOT TO BE SERVED BUT TO SERVE, AND TO GIVE HIS LIFE AS A RANSOM FOR MANY.”
A sad fact of Christmas for many of us is that we often receive gifts that don’t last, that are not that useful and (let’s be honest) that we don’t like. To me, gifts like this could be described as hollow. The stable and the cross are the ultimate gift from the God who loves us, for it is the person of Jesus who links them both together and He is the point of both.
Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with family and friends, it is wonderful opportunity to eat food we don’t normally eat, (and to eat more than we would normally eat), and it is often a time of connecting with others. The stable and cross is God’s way of connecting with us and the stable and cross is the only way that we can connect with him.
The Stable & Cross words seem like words that don’t go together – but to have Christmas without them makes for a Hollow Christmas. No-one likes hollow gifts at Christmas, so when we see the Stable & Cross, why settle for a hollow Christmas? Why would we want to?
Have a blessed Christmas!
Pastor, Don’t get cute this Christmas
“I know the feeling.
Christmas comes around every year. The same songs. The same texts. The same story. Most of the time I love the familiar rhythm of Advent and the comforting routine of tradition.
But as a pastor, I also know that sense of desperation: “How many more Christmas sermons and holiday homilies can I possibly come up with?” And I rarely do a full four-week Advent series. The poor brother who does an Advent series every year for 40 years is going to preach at least 160 sermons on Christmas. I sympathize with the temptation to novelty.
But don’t do it, pastor. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition, Kevin DeYoung has wise advice.
Islam, Christianity and the World Cup in Qatar – with Sam Green
From The Pastor’s Heart –
“It’s World Cup Final week in Qatar and Muslims are using the event in a highly coordinated proselytizing campaign, or what they call Dawah, both in person and online.
Sam Green is a senior campus pastor with the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students, and his special interest for twenty years has been on reaching Muslims for Jesus Christ.”
– Watch or listen here. Very interesting and helpful.
Moore Matters Summer 2022 now online
The latest copy of Moore College’s Moore Matters (Summer 2022) is now available for download (a 35MB PDF file).
The war zone of the Pastor’s Heart – with Peter Orr
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“Peter Orr says there is a crisis among pastors. He says a fight is on for our hearts, ministry and joy.
Pastoral work will only be a joy and sustainable if the congregation self consciously reciprocates the love and encouragement that is extended by the pastor to the congregation.
Peter Orr, who lectures in New Testament at Sydney’s Moore Theological College, is the author of a new book ‘Fight for your Pastor’…”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…