It's been busy lately, and it's unlikely that I'm going to be here very often. A few nice things of note in the past months, however, and I thought I'd summarize quickly while I watch the Colts and the Saints.
First, I spent a Sunday at Redeemer Pres in New York City in November. It was one of the first church services in a long time that I felt like I could fully participate in. Gospel-centered, good worship, and weekly communion (with wine!). The service was the end of Philippians, the final greetings, and he spent time appropriately commenting on being "saints in Christ Jesus." That sainthood is a consequence of our union with Christ.
Second, Piper wrote some lessons from CS Lewis, among which was Lewis' definition of joy: a desire which is in itself more desirable than any other satisfaction. I suppose there's really more to it, but the definition is pretty descriptive. Desire supposes want, or lack, and it seems essentially that Lewis is arguing that Joy is a desire that is more desirable to have than any other satisfaction.
After reading Piper's discussion, I was reminded of Hwin's first meeting with Aslan in The Horse and His Boy. Upon seeing the Lion, she says to him, "I would rather be eaten by you than fed by anyone else." While I have favored The Dawn Treader to this point, this line (among a couple others) makes me think very highly of The Horse. Lewis is often a tougher read than we imagine because the complexity of his thought is often hidden in the simplicity of his writing. His gifts of communication are in my opinion unparalleled in any other author I've read.
Third, I have been reading more in general: Foxe's Book of Martyrs (the easier to read version), Chesterton's The Everlasting Man and Eugenics, Reinhardt's Germany: 2000 years, Lewis' Surprised by Joy (with The Four Loves in queue), miscellaneous fiction, et c. It's been nice to read a little more, though it's cost me a bit of sleep; there's a lot to learn.
Fourth, some thoughts on the first chapter of John. There's an interesting contrast made throughout the first verses between verbs of becoming (especially ἐγένετο compared to ἦν). So "In the beginning was [ἦν] the Word," an imperfect that indicates his being was not yet completed, contrasted with "The Word became [ἐγένετο] flesh" (the KJV says, "was made," consistent with their use in 1.3; cp ESV, which uses "were made" in 1.3 and "became" in 1.14). This is yet another way that we can see the deity of Christ emphasized in the first chapter of John.
Fifth, I was re-introduced to Shai Linne, whose lyrical thoughts have been appreciated, though he's not much my style. But "Jesus is Alive" is a great song.
Last, I've done some more writing...not so much for here, but for myself. Thinking about the implications and necessity of the resurrection, the problem of pain, the uniqueness of Christianity. There's a lot afoot in my life, and it seems unlikely I'll be writing here too often—but I will when I'm able.
