Bishop Ian Anderson: The Difference

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Difference

In the Christian tradition that I grew up in, Advent was not a profound time of year; it was overshadowed by Christmas. However, when I began going to an Episcopal Church as a 13 year old, I began to look at Advent in the light of Christmas and I began to experience something remarkable. When we sang advent hymns like “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus” and “O come, O come, Emmanuel,” for me came the realization that from a small obscure beginning came the King of the Universe. Advent made all the difference in the world to me from that time forward. I longed for that in my life; the small beginning that transformed the world.

We live in a world in which bigger and better defines much of life. We are overshadowed by super size, super stars, and high definition. We view life through a lens that so magnifies what we expect out of the world that we tend not to see the miracles that come from small, seemingly obscure beginnings.

It never ceases to amaze me that God often begins with small things and inadequate people. In the Gospel of John, Chapter 1, beginning in verse 19, appointed for Advent 4, we see John the Baptist being questioned by the Pharisees; a rag tag man whom many thought was crazy; a homeless man who lived off bugs and wild honey proclaiming the coming of the Christ. It certainly seems that God could have chosen "bigger" things and "better" people to do His work in the world. John was proclaiming the coming of the Lord. He yearned for Jesus’ coming, even in the midst of crisis he found joy in that small beginning, and made a difference in the world at that time.

God can do anything with the smallest of things, with the most unlikely of people, and in the most hopeless of circumstances. I think that is part of the wonder of the Advent Season. He does it with us.

I am convinced that one of the main purposes of Advent is to provide hope, to give us cause to rejoice, to proclaim once again that the Savior of the world is coming.

As Advent comes to a close, look to the incarnation, look for the longing of Christ in your life, and invite someone to Church to share this special season with. Maybe they too will experience the same yearning of Advent as I did so many years ago…

Be the Difference

+Ian

Who We Are

Yes, we are a new work, but one with an original message.

I was asked recently why I thought starting a new work would be any different than the myriad of continuing organizations already in place. I went to Isaiah. The prophet records an interesting account about the people of Israel. The people of Jacob and Israel were living in arrogant opposition to God. He had been patient and diplomatic with them and offered them an opportunity to come to their senses. However, they had no interest in submitting to God’s authority. Finally, God told them that he was going to bring punishment and destruction upon them. The interesting thing here is to note their pride and arrogance in the face of God’s punishment.

“The bricks have fallen down, but we will rebuild with dressed stone; the fig trees have been felled, but we will replace them with cedars.” (Isaiah 9:10 NIV)

No matter who God is, no matter what God would do, they could do better. Despite the consequences they would still be able to succeed on their own. They felt they were strong enough and smart enough to accomplish anything. They didn’t need God and made it very clear by saying “we will rebuild, we will replace.”

You see, the “we will” attitude is still prevalent today. As we are in the midst of some very challenging times, many people refuse to look to God for wisdom and guidance and instead reflect the arrogant attitude of the people during Isaiah’s time. The “new and modern” Anglicism attempts remake and rebuild the Anglican faith into the church they want it to be because they are now in charge. They will replace God's teachings for their own.

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. PS. 127:1-3

The short answer is simply this: There is nothing “new” to rebuild. We, as original Anglicans, are the church dedicated to the Gospel. There is no arrogance in that, but there is Christ’s Word, and that's what we follow. Original Anglicans…followers of the biblical historic Jesus.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

The Difference

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