Weekly Thoughts

We are entering a very theological period in the Church’s year: Sunday will be Pentecost when we think of the gift of the Holy Spirit, that is followed by Trinity Sunday when our thoughts revolve around the mystery of the Being of God. The following Thursday is Corpus Christi when we give thanks for the Holy Eucharist the Friday of the following week is the Solemnity of the Divine Compassion of Christ when we think of God’s infinite love for humankind. Each of these observations carries a long trail of theological baggage some of it controversial and raises the question of how should we think theologically.

Maybe we’re not much interested in the theological thinking behind these observations, we just enjoy them for themselves. That is fine until someone asks you or you ask yourself: what does so-and-so stand for, or what do we mean by …? Theology is more than wishful thinking, more than simple speculation, according to the 17th century divine Richard Hooker who laid the foundations of Anglicanism in his monumental work “The Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity” theology is formed by the interaction of three factors: scripture, tradition and reason.

Scripture is a collection of works composed between 4,000 and 2,000 years ago in the middle east, it is not a law book or a manual for living what it provides is the definitive record of the definite revelation. This is mediated through the minds of the ancient people who recorded it; the question must always ask ourselves is “what must the truth be if people who thought like that put it like this”?

Tradition: the Church has been around for over 2,000 years Judaism for over 4,000. During this long period established teaching, like the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, or practices, like the threefold order of ministry (bishops, priests and deacons) have grown up and these ought not the set aside lightly.

Finally there is reason which gains in importance as our knowledge of the universe in which we are set and of human nature advance. The cosmology of the Old Testament presupposes a flat earth covered by a crystalline hemisphere holding the sun, moon and other stars: we now know that this not the case. We can no longer conceive of a heaven somewhere above the ”bright blue sky” or hell beneath the earth. What lies beyond our universe cannot be a continuation of life here it must be something fundamentally different.

None of this should be a cause for concern, but it should remind us that thinking theologically should not be undertaken lightly. But it is something which should be undertaken seriously, we should understand as far as we are able what our faith is about, what its implications are for worship and our daily lives. Only so can we address the concerns of our day and age and hope to build up the Kingdom of God.

READINGS AND PRAYERS
 

8 JUNE - PENTECOST – John 14.8-27 – the Holy Spirit will teach you everything – thanksgiving for he gift of the Holy Spirit

9 JUNE – Columba, Abbot of Iona, Missionary, 597 – Isaiah 61.1-3 – the spirit of the Lord God is upon me – the evangelistic work of the Church

10 JUNE – 2 Corinthians 1.18-22 – surely God is faithful – for trust in God

11 JUNE – BARNABAS THE APOSTLE – John 15 12-17 – the new commandment - those responsible for appointing the new archbishop of Canterbury

12 JUNE – Matthew 5.20-26 – your righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and pharisees – that we may love God with all our hearts

13 JUNE – 2 Corinthians 4.7-15 – we have this treasure in clay jars – that God will forgive our frailties
 

14 JUNE – Matthew 5.33-37 – you shall not swear falsely – for honesty in all our dealings