EChurch@ 02.12.22 Michael Card: The Misunderstood Messiah

Posted on by February 12, 2022avatar
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=20615&picture=spring-sunset

Spring Sunset-I promise spring is coming.

Orthodox Morning Prayer from the Elders of Optino link

Lord, grant that I may meet the coming day with spiritual tranquility.
Grant that in all things I may rely upon your holy will.
In each hour of the day, reveal your will to me.
Whatever news may reach me this day, teach me to accept it with a calm soul,
knowing that all is subject to your holy will.
Direct my thoughts and feelings in all my words and actions.
In all unexpected occurrences, do not let me forget that all is sent down by you.
Grant that I may deal firmly and wisely with every member of my family and all who are in my care,
neither embarrassing nor saddening anyone.
Give me the strength to bear the fatigue of the coming day with all that it shall bring.
Direct my will and teach me to pray,
to believe,
to hope,
to be patient,
to forgive
and to love.
Amen

Prayer of St Francis link

Almighty, eternal, just, and merciful God,
grant to us miserable ones the grace to do for you
what we know you want us to do.
Give us always to desire what pleases you.
Inwardly cleansed, interiorly illumined
and enflamed with the fire of the Holy Spirit,
may we be able to follow in the footprints
of your beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
and attain to you, Most High, by your grace alone,
who in perfect Trinity and simple Unity
lives and reigns and is glorified as God almighty,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Prayer of St Benedict link

O gracious and holy Father,
give us wisdom to perceive you,
diligence to seek you,
patience to wait for you,
eyes to behold you,
a heart to meditate upon you,
and a life to proclaim you;
through the power of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen

Michael Card is my favorite musician who has eschewed the typical CCM. He starts off by singing one of his beautiful songs
and begins speaking at the 6:00 mark. Also, here is one of his beautiful books.
Inexpressible: Hesed and the Mystery of God’s Lovingkindness

Benediction: St Theresa of Avila link

Christ has nobody now on earth but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours,
Yours are the eyes through which to look out
Christ’s compassion to the world;
Yours are the feet with which He is to go about doing good;
Yours are the hands with which He is to bless others now.
So. go and bless-Amen!

Comments

EChurch@ 02.12.22 Michael Card: The Misunderstood Messiah — 8 Comments

  4. Card is very good; there aren’t that many singer/songwriters who are good at both music and ideas. John Michael Talbot was my favorite, but MC was up there. Interestingly, they appreciated each other and published an album together, “Brother to Brother”, approaching 30 years ago.

  5. Just listened to the talk. Thanks, Dee — another good one.

    I found it intriguing that MC seems to have taken a step or two in the direction of the interpretation of Jesus’ mighty works as having been wrought through prayer to the Father. Subdued, not flashy. Spectacular results, but ordinary means.

    Re: ‘we know a lot about the author of the Gospel of John’. We may be mistaken (this doesn’t detract from most of MC’s argument).

    Here’s an argument, that looks persuasive to me, that ‘the beloved disciple’, who is credited with the content of the 4th gospel, is actually Lazarus of Bethany.

    http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2007/01/was-lazarus-beloved-disciple.html

    —–

    re: the pervasive misunderstanding of Jesus, NTW has argued in a direction that suggests me to that Jesus was intentionally ambiguous. It may be that he had to avoid antagonizing multiple groups that were watching him. He couldn’t give too much encouragement to the nationalists (among whom were some of the Pharisees — perhaps Nicodemus, ‘may my people be victorious’, was a member of the war party) — as that might lead to revolt, which he seems to have wanted to avoid, and the Romans would intervene and execute him before he was ready for that to happen. But he needed to recruit followers who would form the nucleus of the future Church, and he couldn’t tell them too early what was going to happen or they would forsake him. He warned against the consequences of revolt against Rome (ex: Lk 13:1-3), but to too plainly advocate peace would invite assassination by more zealous members of the war party in Israel. He seems to have presented himself in such a way that different groups could project their hopes or interpretations of the meaning of his ministry onto him, but without speaking so directly that charges could be brought against him and the public ministry shut down before the right time.