tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011314028160236945.post9000389632902907233..comments2023-05-07T06:33:50.037-04:00Comments on Disciple's Diary: "It's About Time"R. Wayne Stacyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17082799151578983563noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011314028160236945.post-81570735955282882072007-12-14T12:07:00.000-05:002007-12-14T12:07:00.000-05:00The words, "God sent his son" have always been a s...The words, "God sent his son" have always been a source of pondering for me through the years. Most of the time I have just accepted the fact that Jesus did come to earth as a man. Then I wonder:<BR/><BR/>Suppose I send my son to Costa Rica to, say, build a church. He goes for two weeks, does what he can, tells the people he must leave now but he will return to them at some point, but he does not know when. It is up to me when he goes again.<BR/><BR/>Jesus said no man knows the date of His return, not even He, but the Father only. There seem to be two distinct minds working here. Are the Father and the Son two distinct beings, each with its own consciousness? <BR/><BR/>Are we a microcosm of what it's like in heaven? Or are we simply not prepared to grasp even the tiniest inkling of what "things are like"? I vacillate between the two but maintain my belief throughout.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011314028160236945.post-12216207398179551622007-12-11T16:56:00.000-05:002007-12-11T16:56:00.000-05:00Well put. As a matter of fact, that's precisely wh...Well put. As a matter of fact, that's precisely what C. S. Lewis said about the Body of Christ (see Mere Christianity, "The Practical Conclusion). He reminds us that the Body of Christ is not merely an idea or concept, much less an organization, but is rather the physical organism through which the Incarnate Christ now acts. That explains, he says, why the new life God gives in Christ is spread not merely through mental acts like "belief" but also through physical acts like baptism and Holy Communion. If that sounds a bit too "primitive" for the modern rationalistic mind, Lewis responds in a typically trenchant quip: "There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God." RWSR. Wayne Stacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17082799151578983563noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1011314028160236945.post-50071424404471011512007-12-11T14:41:00.000-05:002007-12-11T14:41:00.000-05:00Another beautiful post! It reminds me of hearing ...Another beautiful post! It reminds me of hearing an Episcopal priest say that when the Body of Christ gathers for worship, particularly for Holy Communion, we leave “earthly time” and enter into God’s time, or “Kingdom time.” From my perspective, the Christian traditions that hold to some version of the Sacraments as a means of grace--as moments when the eternal intersects the temporal, seem better equipped to convey the mystery of incarnation. For example, believing in Christ’s real presence in the bread and wine at the Eucharist has great potential to keep us from relegating “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” to a remote event that occurred 2,000 years ago. We can know that God still dwells among us, that we are a part of God’s life, because He meets us at the altar each week.<BR/><BR/>Not that I expect Baptists to adopt this view--But hey, the last time I checked, C.S. Lewis was an Anglican.<BR/><BR/>IdellIdellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12146186041533389273noreply@blogger.com