Driver: the cart and the horse

Saturday, July 31, 2010
    Commemoration of Ignatius of Loyola, Founder of the Society of Jesus, 1556
Meditation:
    We [Paul and Silas] loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.
    —1 Thessalonians 2:8 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Priestcraft ... is fostered whenever and wherever the ... whole people of God begins to view the ordained ministry as an office rather than as a function, and allows the office to shape the function rather than the function to shape the office. Most churches and most Christians in Britain—the denomination is immaterial—conceive the ministry as a professionalized caste with its own exclusive tabus, rather than as a specially trained task force, working to professional standards simply in order to make its service more effective. [Continued tomorrow]
    ... Christopher Driver (1932-1997), A Future for the Free Churches?, London: SCM Press, 1962, p. 100 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, Your bind Your people together by love. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Maurice: evangelism by sacrament

Friday, July 30, 2010
    Commemoration of William Wilberforce, Social Reformer, 1833
Meditation:
    But Jesus called the children to him and said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”
    —Luke 18:16-17 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Infant Baptism... has been a witness for the Son of Man and the universality of His Kingdom, like no other. It has taught parents that to bring children into the world is not a horrible crime. It has led them to see Christ and His redemption of humanity through all the mists of our teachings and our qualifications. It has explained the nature of His Kingdom to the hearts of the poorest. Christ has preached at the fonts, when we have been darkening counsel in the pulpits.
    ... Frederick Denison Maurice (1805-1872), The Kingdom of Heaven [1864], London: Macmillan, 1893, p. 282-283 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You have baptized the hearts of Your people. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Taylor: mercy over sins

Thursday, July 29, 2010
    Feast of Mary, Martha & Lazarus, Companions of Our Lord
Meditation:
    [Jesus:] This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
    —Matthew 26:28 (NIV)
Quotation:
    I acknowledge, dear God, that I have deserved the greatest of Thy wrath and indignation; and that, if Thou hadst dealt with me according to my deserving, I had now, at this instant, been desperately bewailing my miseries in the sorrows and horrors of a sad eternity. But Thy mercy triumphing over Thy justice and my sins, Thou hast still continued to me life and time of repentance; Thou hast opened to me the gates of grace and mercy, and perpetually callest upon me to enter in, and to walk in the paths of a holy life, that I might glorify Thee and be glorified of Thee eternally.
    ... Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667), Holy Living [1650], in The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Jeremy Taylor, D.D., v. III, London: Longman, Brown, Green & Longmans, 1847, p. 34 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, I believe Your promise to forgive sins. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Bach: the aim of music

Wednesday, July 28, 2010
    Commemoration of Johann Sebastian Bach, musician, 1750
Meditation:
    So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
    —1 Corinthians 14:15 (NIV)
Quotation:
    The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul. If heed is not paid to this, it is not true music but a diabolical bawling and twanging.
    ... J. S. Bach (1685-1750), Glory and Honor: the musical and artistic legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach, Gregory Wilbur & David Vaughan, Cumberland House Publishing, 2005, p. 1 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You alone fill all things with meaning. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Rupp: what we stand for

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
    Commemoration of Brooke Foss Westcott, Bishop of Durham, Teacher, 1901
Meditation:
    Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
    —Revelation 22:1-2 (NIV)
Quotation:
    It may be that the grace of renewal will not be given to us in our separation, will not be given until we stand together for the healing of the nations.
    ... Gordon Rupp (1910-1986)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, speak to Your people, that they may unite in Your word. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Barclay: taking up His Cross

Monday, July 26, 2010
Meditation:
    The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you."
    Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”
    —John 21:17-19 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Love always involves responsibility, and it always involves sacrifice. And we do not really love Christ unless we are prepared to face His task and to take up His Cross.
    ... William Barclay (1907-1978), The Gospel of John, v. 2, Westminster John Knox Press, 2001, p. 334 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, You lead Your people. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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Oman: uncertainty

Sunday, July 25, 2010
    Feast of James the Apostle
Meditation:
    Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
    —John 4:13-14 (NIV)
Quotation:
    Every man has in his own experience some knowledge of the perplexing uncertainty of this whirligig of time. Yet with his best thought, and largest opportunity, and the application of his highest ability, he cannot penetrate far. But the Christ of God unfolds both its meaning, and its order. He shows that the goal is freedom, and the guidance love... In this way Christ appeals direct to the spirit of man, not by its special acquirements or special ability, but through its common needs and common tasks.
    ... John Oman (1860-1939), Vision and Authority, London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1928, p. 109 (see the book)
Quiet time reflection:
    Lord, my needs are met through Your grace. CQOD    Blog    email    RSS
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