Ancient Paths Blog

Maundy? Don't You Mean "Monday"?

The Meaning and Origins of Maundy Thursday

Church life for traditional evangelical churches consists mainly of an alternating rhythm of Sundays and Wednesdays.  On Sundays we meet with worship, singing of songs and hearing sermons.  On Wednesdays we participate in a discipleship program, Bible study or prayer meeting.  This schedule remains constant except for the High Holy Days of Christmas and Super Bowl and of course, the Pilgrimage Season where we all devoutly set out for the cabin or Disney World.

From the Creed - Conceived by the Holy Spirit

The Jesus of History

We now delve into the next section of the creed's statement about Jesus.  About this transition Alister McGrath says "Having told us what to believe about Jesus," that He is both Lord and Christ, and God's only Son, the creed now begins "to explore the foundations of those beliefs," I Believe, 44.

Is Dealing With Piracy Rocket Science?

I was both amused and disgusted reading a BBC article recently on the response of certain European nations to the growing plague of Somali pirates hijacking shipping off the horn of Africa.

In the latest incident - which this article was covering - the French navy had captured a number of pirate vessels and 35 Somali pirates.  This is all well and good but now they are in a bind not knowing what to do with them.

From the Creed - Our Lord...

Lastly, in the opening line about Jesus the creed confesses that He is Lord - "and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord..."  This is an assertion that hardly needs verification from scripture, but let me quote Paul to the Philippians --

The Phrase "End Times" Not in the Bible? Think Again!

In last week's Sunday morning message "Genuine Christian Faith in the Last Days" I made the categorical statement: "The phrase 'end times' is not a Biblical one."  I went on to say that the phrase is not necessarily wrong or incorrect but that the terminology the Bible use is "the last days."  Wouldn't you know that I would run into the very phrase "end times" in my own Bible reading only a couple days later!

From the Creed - His Only Son...

When many people say, "Yeah, I believe in Jesus Christ" what they mean is they believe there was a man named Jesus, that He was a historical figure.  But Christians mean so much more than that when they say "I believe in Jesus Christ" and the creed explains why - because He is the Son of God!

More Meditations For Serving At the Lord's Table

Here are some more meditations I've used to direct the thoughts of God's people at the Lord's Table:

Bread, Wine, and the Obedience of Christ

In the Bible leaven or yeast is often a symbol for sin.  Thus unleavened bread alone was used in the ceremonies of the old testament, particularly Passover, from which the Lord's Supper comes.  Wine is often referred to as "the blood of the grape."  It's no surprise then that Jesus incorporates these things into a ritual to commemorate the redemption under the new covenant.

From the Creed - and in Jesus Christ...

Jesus, the Anointed One

Having emphasized the name of Jesus the creed calls Him the Christ, which, as I've mentioned earlier, is a title rather than a surname.

Alister McGrath points out the significance of this title:  "In calling Him 'the Christ,' the new testament writers are pointing to Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah." I Believe, p.38.