Thomas McKenzie's Blog, page 2

Lent in Nashville

Dear Church of the Redeemer

The season of Lent begins next Wednesday, March 5th and ends on Easter Day, April 20th. Between those two days, you are invited to enter a season of spiritual discipline with the hope of spiritual renewal. The purpose of these disciplines is not to punish us, or to pay for our sins. Rather, we are seeking to make space in our lives for the Holy Spirit. The void left by the discipline is an invitation to God to meet us in our place of need.

I suggest that everyone consider what spiritual disciplines they might wish to take on for the Lenten season. Some people fast. Some don’t eat a certain kind of food. Others give up something else, like Facebook or TV. Some also take on a discipline, like attending church programs, or reading the Bible every day, or serving the needy. Use your imagination, and ask God what he would have you do.

Here is another thought on Lenten disciplines: you will fail. It is very unlikely you will keep your discipline perfectly. Perfection is not the point. I encourage you to pray for grace and then do your best. When you “fall of the wagon,” get back on if you can. And remember, Sundays are always days of feasting; so, please take a break from your Lenten practices on Sundays.

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 5th. In order to fit your schedules, we offer the same service three times.. The services begin at 7:00 a.m., noon, and 6:30 p.m. The earlier two services should last about 30-40 minutes. The evening service will last about an hour and will include music and childcare. All of the services will have prayers of repentance, a brief message, the imposition of ashes, and Holy Communion. Ash Wednesday is a day of fasting. All Christians who are able are encouraged to refrain from eating on this day.

During Lent we will offer Eucharist each Wednesday at noon in the chapel (as we did during Advent). We hope you can come at least once.

Every year we offer a Lenten program at church. Beginning on March 12th, each Wednesday at Redeemer we will have Stations of the Cross at 6 pm in the Sanctuary. From 6:15 pm to 6:45 pm we will have a simple dinner in the Fellowship Hall (downstairs). From 6:45 to 7:45 we will offer programs for all ages; children, youth and adults.

Children and Parents: Children ages 5-11 and their parents are invited to a special class Lenten class on Silence and Scripture, led by Grace Spriggs and Danny Bryant.  We will appreciate silence during the season and respond to scripture from the Stations of the Cross.  The last week, we will gather for a Seder meal together.  Childcare is provided for children ages 0-4.

Youth: The youth (grades 7-12) will be learning and practicing the way of St. Benedict, including chanting the Psalms and Lectio Divina. The culmination will be a Benedictine retreat led by Jenna and Chance, when we will spend a weekend praying and working together as lay monastics. This will be a wonderful opportunity for our youth to slow down, listen to the voice of God, and grow in love for one another. If your youth is interested in the retreat, contact Chance immediately. Space is limited.

Adults: On Wednesday nights in Lent, I will be teaching and leading Lectio Divina practice. Come, learn, and experience this ancient, Bible-centered form of meditative prayer.

I have two more letters to send to you all. One is about the joy and seriousness of Communion, an issue of particular importance during Lent. The other is an invitation for you to take a creative leadership role in a Holy Week or Easter Week event. So, those are coming. In the meantime, please pray for me, your church, and yourself as we prepare to enter Lent together.

Peace in Christ,

The Reverend Thomas McKenzie

Pastor, Church of the Redeemer

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Dear Scammer

Recently, I have received several e-mails from someone claiming to be Yahoo customer support. The e-mail informs me that my account has been suspended, and that I should click on a link in order to reactivate it. Each time I get this e-mail, I  shake my head and delete it. Until yesterday.

Yesterday, I decided to respond. So I wrote the following e-mail, and sent it. Unfortunately, the scammer did not receive it. Seems that, instead of just opening a fake Yahoo account, this guy is hacking e-mail accounts and then sending from those. Seems like a waste of time to me.  So, Scammer, if you are out there, here is my reply to you:

Dear Scammer,

If this scam is going to work for you, please get a native English speaker to proofread your e-mails. I count ten grammatical errors, any one of which would alert me to the fact that you are not really Yahoo. For instance, “due to your email has exceeded limits” doesn’t make sense in our language. Also, we don’t capitalize random words, like “verify,” in the middle of a sentence. Further, you don’t seem to know what an asterisk is for.

Really, you are probably a very smart person who is trying to make some money. I get that. But I wish you would use your creativity and effort to create an honest living for yourself, and perhaps do some good in the world.

I hope you have a good day, and consider what I’ve said.

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My 10 Favorite Films of 2013

Today is New Year’s Day, a great day to reflect on the year past. As I look back, I’d like to offer my favorite 10 films of 2013. These movies are listed in order of my preference; however, to be honest, my number one film is the only one I would argue for. The rest I could have placed in other positions pretty easily.

12 Years a Slave
Blue Jasmine
All is Lost
American Hustle
Much Ado About Nothing
Mud
Gravity
Star Trek: Into Darkness
Captain Phillips
Nebraska

Fine Print: I chose movies I saw in 2013, except those that were nominated for 2012 Oscars. There are movies that I have not seen yet, but which were released in 2013. Those did not make this list (obviously).

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The Sermon I Almost Preached

When I preach, I read and study the appointed scripture texts, and I prayerfully ask the Lord one question; “what do you want to say to your people?” I’m hoping to have a single point of connection between the Bible and my congregation. What does God desire for us to hear?

Preaching on a major feast adds another layer to this process because I already know what needs to be communicated. On Easter, I must speak about Christ’s Resurrection. On Trinity Sunday, the Trinity. On Christmas Eve, the Incarnation. But Christmas Eve has yet another wrinkle: the need to keep it short.

When the hour is late, and many people in the congregation are visitors, I feel the message must be both brief and poignant. Brief, because they are sleepy. Poignant, so that the Holy Spirit has access to both heart and mind. I’ve preached late at night on Christmas Eve every year for over a decade. Honestly, it can be hard to keep thinking of new and creative ways to briefly witness to the Incarnation.

This year, after working on my sermon over several days, I came across a Christmas homily by St. John Chrysostom. John was an early Church Father, and known to be one of the greatest preachers in the history of the Church. “Chrysostom,” a name he was given by his contemporaries, means “golden-tongue.” His Easter homily is a soaring, spoken hymn to the Resurrected Christ.

Reading his Christmas sermon with tears in my eyes, I was overwhelmed by the force and beauty of it. So much so, that I seriously considered ditching my sermon and reading John’s to the congregation this year. Ultimately, it wasn’t what God had for us. However, I did borrow a couple of his lines!

Here is the sermon I actually preached that night: Peace on Earth, Glory on Earth.

We are still living in the Twelve Days of Christmas (today is the fourth day). so I want to pass this truly amazing sermon on to you. I hope it increases the depth of your understanding of the Incarnation, and your devotion to the Incarnate God.

Homily on Christmas Morning, from St. John Chrysostom

BEHOLD a new and wondrous mystery. My ears resound to the Shepherd’s song, piping no soft melody, but chanting full forth a heavenly hymn. The Angels sing. The Archangels blend their voice in harmony. The Cherubim hymn their joyful praise. The Seraphim exalt His glory. All join to praise this holy feast, beholding the Godhead here on earth, and man in heaven. He Who is above, now for our redemption dwells here below; and he that was lowly is by divine mercy raised.

Bethlehem this day resembles heaven; hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices; and in place of the sun, enfolds within itself on every side, the Sun of justice. And ask not how: for where God wills, the order of nature yields. For He willed; He had the power; He descended; He redeemed; all things yielded in obedience to God. This day He Who is, is Born; and He Who is, becomes what He was not. For when He was God, He became man; yet not departing from the Godhead that is His. Nor yet by any loss of divinity became He man, nor through increase became He God from man; but being the Word He became flesh, His nature, because of impassability, remaining unchanged.

And so the kings have come, and they have seen the heavenly King that has come upon the earth, not bringing with Him Angels, nor Archangels, nor Thrones, nor Dominations, nor Powers, nor Principalities, but, treading a new and solitary path, He has come forth from a spotless womb.

Since this heavenly birth cannot be described, neither does His coming amongst us in these days permit of too curious scrutiny. Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech.

For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works.

What shall I say to you; what shall I tell you? I behold a Mother who has brought forth; I see a Child come to this light by birth. The manner of His conception I cannot comprehend.

Nature here rested, while the Will of God labored. O ineffable grace! The Only Begotten, Who is before all ages, Who cannot be touched or be perceived, Who is simple, without body, has now put on my body, that is visible and liable to corruption. For what reason? That coming amongst us he may teach us, and teaching, lead us by the hand to the things that men cannot see. For since men believe that the eyes are more trustworthy than the ears, they doubt of that which they do not see, and so He has deigned to show Himself in bodily presence, that He may remove all doubt.

Christ, finding the holy body and soul of the Virgin, builds for Himself a living temple, and as He had willed, formed there a man from the Virgin; and, putting Him on, this day came forth; unashamed of the lowliness of our nature.

For it was to Him no lowering to put on what He Himself had made. Let that handiwork be forever glorified, which became the cloak of its own Creator. For as in the first creation of flesh, man could not be made before the clay had come into His hand, so neither could this corruptible body be glorified, until it had first become the garment of its Maker.

What shall I say! And how shall I describe this Birth to you? For this wonder fills me with astonishment. The Ancient of days has become an infant. He Who sits upon the sublime and heavenly Throne, now lies in a manger. And He Who cannot be touched, Who is simple, without complexity, and incorporeal, now lies subject to the hands of men. He Who has broken the bonds of sinners, is now bound by an infants bands. But He has decreed that ignominy shall become honor, infamy be clothed with glory, and total humiliation the measure of His Goodness.

For this He assumed my body, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life. He takes my flesh, to sanctify me; He gives me His Spirit, that He may save me.

Come, then, let us observe the Feast. Truly wondrous is the whole chronicle of the Nativity. For this day the ancient slavery is ended, the devil confounded, the demons take to flight, the power of death is broken, paradise is unlocked, the curse is taken away, sin is removed from us, error driven out, truth has been brought back, the speech of kindliness diffused, and spreads on every side, a heavenly way of life has been ¡in planted on the earth, angels communicate with men without fear, and men now hold speech with angels.

Why is this? Because God is now on earth, and man in heaven; on every side all things commingle. He became Flesh. He did not become God. He was God. Wherefore He became flesh, so that He Whom heaven did not contain, a manger would this day receive. He was placed in a manger, so that He, by whom all things arc nourished, may receive an infant¢s food from His Virgin Mother. So, the Father of all ages, as an infant at the breast, nestles in the virginal arms, that the Magi may more easily see Him. Since this day the Magi too have come, and made a beginning of withstanding tyranny; and the heavens give glory, as the Lord is revealed by a star.

To Him, then, Who out of confusion has wrought a clear path, to Christ, to the Father, and to the Holy Ghost, we offer all praise, now and for ever. Amen.

 

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The Anglican Way

You can preorder The Anglican Way today, and immediately download the prerelease PDF for free! Go here: gum.co/anglican

As you may know, I’m the pastor of an amazing Anglican church. Church of the Redeemer is largely made up of people who were not raised as Anglicans. Visitors, newcomers, and members alike often ask me for a guidebook to Anglicanism. Sadly, a practical and up-to-date introduction to Anglican Christianity does not exist. That’s why I decided to write one.

I have written The Anglican Way, a guidebook to Anglican worship, theology, and practice.

The Anglican Way will be released on or before May 31, 2014. However, you can PREORDER TODAY. When you do, you’ll get the prerelease PDF copy of the book for free.  Preorder here: gum.co/anglican

In November of 2013, we ran a successful Indiegogo campaign. We raised enough money to not only publish The Anglican Way, but also to give electronic copies away.

Right now, we’re on track to publish the book by May of 2014. At that time, you’ll be able to buy the printed version on this website. You’ll also be able to download the eBook here for free (though your donations will be gratefully accepted).  By Summer of 2014, we hope to offer the audiobook for sale as well.

If you’d like to receive occasional updates about this project, sign up for our mailing list below. I’m really excited for you to read The Anglican Way!

Email address:

 

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Get your new Advent Devotional

The Harpooner: A New Advent Devotional Guide

The festival of God’s Incarnation, the Christ-Mass, was being celebrated in the Church by about 220 A.D. In the ancient world, fasting came before feasting. It was natural to the Early Church that a season of self-examination and repentance would lead up to the great Christmas festival. By the fourth-century A.D., the four Sundays preceding Christmas were set aside to prepare for the Coming of Christ. They called this the season of Advent.

Over 1600 years later, the Church still celebrates the four weeks before Christmas as a time of special focus on the spiritual life.  This year, I’m offering a devotional guide for the Advent season. I call it The Harpooner.  

The Harpooner guides you through this holy season. Short Bible readings, traditional prayers, and a brief homily will help keep you focused on the goodness of God this December.

The Harpooner is available in ebook form as a PDF or an ePub file. It can be read on your e-reader, smartphone, computer, or tablet. The print version is available in paperback. The devotional is 25 chapters long, with an introduction, about 72 pages. The ebook version is $2.99, the print version is $5.99 plus shipping (but is often on sale on Amazon, and Prime members get free shipping)

You can buy either book on Amazon.com: www.amazon.com/author/mckenzie

You can order yours today.
The Harpooner: A New Advent Devotional

ePub Edition

Buy Now

The Harpooner: A New Advent Devotional

PDF Edition

Buy Now

The Harpooner: A New Advent Devotional

Click Here to get it in Paperback, only $5.99 +shipping

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Catching Fire

Fr. Thomas McKenzie returns to Panem for the Hunger Games: Catching Fire.  Should you go see it, or will you just get burned?

Catching Fire from Thomas McKenzie on Vimeo.

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