Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit

I don't know if it's a result of living in a country that is, quite literally, the birthplace of Christianity ("And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians," Acts 11:26) and steeped in a rich Christian history. Perhaps it's being fed up with the often mindless and bland forms of current evangelical worship or longing to find a place in something that involves more than just me and my local congregation. But over the past several months I've had an increasing desire to find ties to other forms of Christian tradition and practice, "finding our roots," as it were.

(1) In no way am I abandoning my Reformation convictions--in fact, I'm rather returning to the beliefs upheld by Luther, Calvin, and the framers of the Book of Concord and the Westminster Confession of Faith--but I've come to believe that the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion are central to our corporate lives as the ekklesia, "the assembly." (Shoot, just look back at my posts from the past six months.) Today's evangelical churches need to place a greater emphasis on both understanding and carrying out these rites ordained by the Lord himself (Matt. 28:19; Luke 22:19). When was the last time you heard a sermon about the sacraments? (Likewise, I hope to see Covenant Theology preached and taught much more fully; it simply makes sense of so much of the Bible.)

(2) I long to sing hymns--rich, meaningful, Christ-centered hymns--that express who God is and what he has done, not my own feelings and emotions. I want to sing the songs that have been sung for hundreds of years, or even thousands, like the Phos Hilaron, sung at sunset worship services.

(3) I appreciate liturgies and the church calendar much more now. I value the calendar because it keeps us focused on the historical acts of God in this world in Christ: awaiting a savior in both his first and future comings (Advent), the Incarnation (Christmas), the passion (Lent), the Resurrection (Easter), Christ's reign and intercession (Ascension), and the giving of the Holy Spirit (Pentecost). A few weeks ago someone mentioned Ascension Sunday, and a friend of mine asked "Drew, what's that?" And the more I look back at my own life and that of others within the church, it's easy to see that the principle of lex orandi [est] lex credendi ("the law of prayer is the law of belief"). I think it's true that for many people and in different ways, what we believe is influenced by what we do, and not entirely vice versa. I may well have come to believe and understand orthodox Christianity if by nothing other than reciting the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds every week. Liturgies of some sort drill into us the truth of God and a life of response to him.

St. Vartanants Armenian Apostolic Church

Something I think is cool about living here is that, at least as far as I can tell, there is a much more visible and valued ecumenism within the church here--Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant. This past week was the Week of Prayer for Church Unity. I was afforded the opportunity to worship and pray in an entirely native liturgical Presbyterian church (some of the melodies and words predate Islam) and also in an Armenian Orthodox church. The bright lights and gold, the pungent smell of incense, and the rich, echoing chants from the chorale were a pleasant shock to my senses. But best of all, it felt good to be able to sing and pray with such a diverse gathering of people and know that they were all my brothers and sisters; we are all in this together, "called and chosen and faithful" (Rev. 17:14).

Prayer request

My friend Lucas and I have befriended two brothers, Harkan and Tarkan, who own a nearby restaurant. A few weeks ago Tarkan invited us to eat dinner at his home with his family, and it was a wonderful blessing I'll never forget. But we know that they're working super hard to make ends meet (12 hours a day, 6-7 days a week).

On Monday Harkan asked Lucas and me, "What do you think about destiny?" As it turns out, both he and his uncle have recently had dreams about his wife dying. Right now she is going through some sort of depression, and Harkan himself seems quite down, though he is encouraged by our prayers for him (and the Mike Tyson CDs we've made for him!). Please be praying for Harkan, his wife, and their five-month-old daughter. Thank you.

"Faith comes from hearing"

Last week at church I found myself in a very privileged but awe-ful situation, "standing on holy ground," as it were: I was asked to read the Scripture portions for the day, Matthew 20:1-16 and Ephesians 2:1-10. Then Pastor Benjamin preached about God's gracious nature that gives life and blessing to us even though we don't deserve it. The sermon was rightly followed by sharing in Communion, where we as beggars hold out empty hands to receive God's greatest gift, the life-giving, faith-strengthening body and blood of Jesus Christ. But I'm sure you wonder why I said it was holy and awe-ful.

Well, in Romans 10 St. Paul asks, "How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? . . . So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ" (vv. 14, 17; cf. James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23). As we read aloud God's Word and preach the message of salvation in Christ, the Holy Spirit works faith in our hearts. Verse 14 says, "How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard?" That is, when the gospel is spoken, it is as if the Lord himself were speaking, his voice coming through the pastor or parent or teacher or friend. As such, I read through the passages to myself several times the night before church. To be the voice of Christ through which faith is born and renewed! How crazy!

Um . . . woops

Having forgotten that the grocery stores would be closed today for both New Year's Day and for theIslamic Sacrifice Feast, I found myself with nothing but oatmeal to eat for dinner (which I had already eaten earlier for lunch). So we decided to order pizza from a local Italian restaurant we like. According to the menu in our possession, our total would've been about $17. But when the delivery guy arrived, it was actually $26. After giving my roommate crap that he (a) didn't confirm the price over the phone and (b) actually caved in and paid the $26, I threw on my coat and walked ten minutes to the restaurant to explain the situation and get my money back. In true Andrew Hall fashion, I would not lose money without making a huge ordeal about it. (You ought to see me with taxi drivers who claim to not have any change.)

Upon arriving at the tiny but fully occupied restaurant, I discovered that the prices really had increased by some 50% in the past few months, and that my roommate simply had not checked the price. I apologized to the owner and walked back home to eat my expensive pizza. A short while later, though, the owner called to apologize that we didn't have the most current menu, and he sent someone over to refund the extra $9 we rightfully paid.

Now in America this wouldn't be a big deal, but here the need to keep face, honor and respect others, and avoid any sort of public disgrace is real and present. And I sought it fit to throw that all aside over a few bucks. When the owner not only called back but actually refunded our money, I got that sinking feeling in my conscience (I think it's called the Holy Spirit or something). Here I was, so bent upon exercising my rights that I didn't even care about this man's reputation. I chose to bypass Jesus, who gave up all his rights to praise and reverence as God and took on human form, was reviled, shunned, and estranged by his peers, and eventually was made to bear the pain and ignominy of public execution. Woops. I guess I screwed up that one pretty good. And by that I mean--gulp--sin: heaps of pride and care for myself over another man.