| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 301.1 | | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Mon Nov 01 1993 11:51 | 48 |
| From a sermon of Bernard, Abbot of Clarvaux [1153]
Why should our praise and glorification, or even the celebration of this
feastday mean anything to the saints? What do they care about earthly
honors when their heavenly Father honors them by fulfilling the faithful
promise of the Son? What does our commendation mean to them? The saints
have no need of honor from us; neither does our devotion add the slightest
thing to what is theirs. Clearly, if we venerate their memory, it serves
us, not them. But I tell you, when I think of them, I feel myself inflamed
by a tremendous yearning.
Calling the saints to mind inspires, or rather arouses in us, above all
else, a longing to enjoy their company, so desirable in itself. We long
to share in the citizenship of heaven, to dwell with the spirits of the
blessed, to join the assembly of patriarchs, the ranks of the prophets,
the council of apostles, the great host of martyrs, the noble company of
confessors and the choir of virgins. In short, we long to be united in
happiness with all the saints. But our dispositions change. The Church
of all the first followers of Christ awaits us, but we do nothing about
it. The saints want us to be with them, and we are indifferent. The
souls of the just await us, and we ignore them.
Come, let us at length spur ourselves on. We must rise again with Christ,
we must see the world which is above and set our mind on the things of
heaven. Let us long for those who are longing for us,, hasten to those
who are waiting for us, and ask those who look for our coming to intercede
for us. We should not only want to be with the saints, we should also hope
to possess their happiness. While we desire to be in their company, we
must also earnestly seek to share in their glory. Do not imagine that
there is anything harmful in such an ambition as this; there is no danger
in setting our hearts on such glory.
When we commemorate the saints we are inflamed with another yearning: that
Christ our life may also appear to us as he appeared to them and that we
may one day share in his glory. Until then we see him, not as he is, but
as he became for our sake. He is our head, crowned, not with glory, but
with the thorns of our sins. As members of that head, crowned with thorns,
we should be ashamed to live in luxury; his purple robes are a mockery
rather than an honor. When Christ comes again, his death shall no longer
be proclaimed, and we shall know that we also have died, and that our life
is hidden with him. The glorious head of the Church will appear and his
glorified members will shine in splendor with him, when he forms this lowly
body anew into such glory as belongs to himself, its head.
Therefore, we should aim at attaining this glory with a wholehearted and
prudent desire. That we may rightly hope and strive for such blessedness,
we must above all seek the prayers of the saints. Thus, what is beyond
our own powers to obtain will be granted through their intercession.
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| 301.2 | | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Mon Nov 01 1993 12:44 | 31 |
| For all the saints, who from their labors rest,
Who thee, by faith, before the world confessed,
Thy Name, O Jesus, be for ever blessed. A-a-le-e-lu-ia, A-a-a-le-lu-ai!
Thou wast their rock, their fortress and their might:
Thou, Lord, their Captain in the well-fought fight;
Thou, in the darkness drear, the one true Light. A-a-le-e-lu-ia, A-a-a-le-lu-ai!
O may thy soldiers, faithful, true, and bold,
Fight as the saints who nobly fought of old,
And win, with them, the victor's crown of gold. A-a-le-e-lu-ia, A-a-a-le-lu-ai!
O blest communion, fellowship divine!
We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
Yet all are one in thee, for all are thine. A-a-le-e-lu-ia, A-a-a-le-lu-ai!
And when the strife is fierce the warfare long,
Steals on the ear the distant triumph song,
And hearts are brave again and arms are strong. A-a-le-e-lu-ia, A-a-a-le-lu-ai!
The golden evening brightens in the west;
Soon, soon to faithful warriors cometh rest;
Sweet is the calm of paradise the blest. A-a-le-e-lu-ia, A-a-a-le-lu-ai!
But lo! there breaks a yet more glorious day;
The saints triumphant rise in bright array;
The King of glory passes on his way. A-a-le-e-lu-ia, A-a-a-le-lu-ai!
From earth's wide bounds, from oceans farthest coast,
Through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
Singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, A-a-le-e-lu-ia, A-a-a-le-lu-ai!
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| 301.3 | | ICTHUS::YUILLE | Thou God seest me | Mon Nov 01 1993 12:50 | 35 |
| "One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers
every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. He
who regards one day as special, does so to the LORD ...
If we live, we live to the LORD; and if we die, we die to the LORD. So,
whether we live or die, we belong to the LORD.
For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that He might be
the LORD of both the dead and the living. ..... We will all stand before
the judgement seat of Christ. "
Romans 14:5...9
"For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in
the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose?
I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with
Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I
remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I
will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so
that ... your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow...
Philippians 1:21 ... 26
In remembering the spiritual heights of past saints, I cannot help
remembering that they achieved them, not by considering what other men had
done, however good; not by admiring the achievements of others 'saved by
grace'; but by focussing on our Saviour Himself. He is the only perfect
model.
"Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us ... Let us fix
our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..."
Hebrews 12:2
...Andrew
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| 301.4 | imitate their faith | JUPITR::MNELSON | | Mon Nov 01 1993 13:22 | 34 |
| I'm sure people in this conference, when giving sermons or discussing
their faith, remember those people who provided examples of holiness
or who bore witness to Christ. I've seen several Christian magazines
that give accounts of these people, their lives, and their witness.
I'm sure that sermons also use such examples.
"Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you; consider how
their lives ended, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same
yesterday, today and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of
strange teachings."
HEB 13:7-9a
How can we "imitate their faith" or "consider how their lives ended"
if we do not consider their lives?
The Saints and how they lived their faith helps to keep us grounded in
the true faith. Strange teachings emerge when we're disengaged from
the witness of our faith through the ages and, looking only to the
present, accept a false teaching or false interpretation of scripture.
Also, we ALL look for role models and when we eliminate consideration
of the saints of the church then we end up making do with models from
society which invariably do not bear witness to Christ, but rather to
a secular humanistic 'salvation'.
The Holy Spirit sanctifies the saints and therefore Christ becomes
evident in them. All who believe are saints, but the clarity of our
personal witness to Christ depends on the degree of sanctification
that we permit, having free will. Therefore, we should not reject
"imitating their faith".
Peace,
Mary
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| 301.5 | all honor to God | JUPITR::MNELSON | | Mon Nov 01 1993 13:27 | 9 |
| As a further explaination about All Saints Day:
It remembers all the UNNAMED Saints, all those through all ages who
have been faithful to Christ and who now, or will share in His glory.
We do not so much honor the Saints as honor God who has and is
fulfilling His promise in Christ.
Mary
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| 301.6 | liturgical year | JUPITR::MNELSON | | Mon Nov 01 1993 13:36 | 22 |
| As for special days:
We certainly regard every day as a day the Lord has made and has
sanctified by His redemption. By having special days on our calendar,
we contemplate in a special way all parts of Christ's life among us;
therefore, no year goes by that we are not called to contemplate every
milestone.
I dare say that every one of you have special days in YOUR lives that
you observe : birthdays, anniversaries, parent's 30th wedding
anniversary, etc.. If you can make special days out of your own lives
then why can't we celebrate the life Who IS Life in such a way?
It does not restrict our contemplation to these days or seasons nor
does it impose contemplations upon us. Yet for those who wish to
follow the liturgical year, the scripture readings used form a body
of meditation that is comprehensive.
Peace of Jesus,
Mary
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| 301.7 | The purpose of the light in their lives is to spotlight God | KAHALA::JOHNSON_L | Leslie Ann Johnson | Mon Nov 01 1993 13:39 | 22 |
| First a question: I am curious, what is the "choir of virgins" refered to in
one your entries in this topic John ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Secondly, a comment:
When I think of saints who have gone on before us, I remember their example
of love of and obedience to the Lord, and ask God to also help me live out my
faith in Him faithfully. I think of my Mom, Francis Schaeffer, our former
pastor, Roger Palmquist, a wonderful and wise woman named Sheila Bird .....
mostly people whose example I have personally witnessed, whose words and deeds
brought growth to my own life and the lives of others.
We also celebrated All Saints Day in church yesterday. I don't think it
hurts to remember how God has enabled others to live faithful lives, and how
the same God is just as present in our lives today. It is the Lord who is our
strength so our lives can show forth the light of truth, love, justice, and
mercy. The purpose of the light that faithful people shine is to illuminate
the message of God's presence and caring throughout history.
Leslie
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| 301.8 | | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Mon Nov 01 1993 14:01 | 6 |
| >First a question: I am curious, what is the "choir of virgins" refered to in
>one of your entries in this topic John ?
Revelation 14:2-4.
/john
|
| 301.11 | | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Mon Nov 01 1993 16:15 | 10 |
|
O Almighty God, who has knit together thine
elect in one communion and fellowship, in
the mystical body of thy Son Christ our Lord;
Grant us grace so to follow thy blessed Saints
in all virtuous and godly living, that we may
come to those unspeakable joys which thou hast
prepared for those who unfeignedly love thee;
through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
|
| 301.13 | | AUSSIE::CAMERON | and God sent him FORTH (Gen 3:23) | Mon Nov 01 1993 17:24 | 10 |
| Re: Note 301.12 by YIELD::GRIFFIS
Something caught my eye...
> For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners
> against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your psuche.
Psuche? Psyche? Typo? My NIV has heart. What translation is that?
James
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| 301.14 | I believe in the Communion of Saints... | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Mon Nov 01 1993 22:59 | 11 |
| Let saints on earth in concert sing One army of the living God,
With those whose work is done; To his command we bow;
For all the servants of our King Part of his host hath crossed the flood,
In earth and heaven are one. And part is crossing now.
Jesus be thou our constant guide;
Then when the word is given,
Bid Jordan's narrow stream divide,
And bring us safe to heaven.
-- Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
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| 301.17 | | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Wed Nov 03 1993 09:23 | 11 |
| It appears that you people have never studied a foreign language.
If you had, you would understand that word-for-word translations often
don't produce the right meaning.
Think about the English expression "faint-hearted" and what it means.
It doesn't mean cardiac disease, it means that your resolve is weak.
In some languages, faint-hearted would _not_ be expressed with the
work heart, but with the word mind.
/john
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| 301.18 | | ICTHUS::YUILLE | Thou God seest me | Wed Nov 03 1993 10:29 | 6 |
| John,
My favorite example for the inadequacy of literal translation is 'raining
cat and dogs', but maybe you don't use that expresssion either.
Andrew
|