Dear Theophilus

As part of our class in Theology/Ethics of Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, we have been participating in the sacraments. Sacraments are a peculiar things, often described as an outward sign of an invisible grace. John Wesley, having a unique and developed theology of what he called "means of grace" defined the sacraments this way, " By ‘means of grace’ I understand outward signs, words, or actions, ordained of God, and appointed for this end, to be the ordinary channels whereby he might convey to men, preventing, justifying, or sanctifying grace.” [i] Last night we participated in an ancient Christian practice that I had never considered a means of grace: washing each others feet.  Now I know some traditions do this. They observe Maundy-Thursday with a washing of the feet, but this is not usually apart of my tradition, nor would it normally be considered a sacrament or means of grace. But Jesus commands it with a triple portion in John 13: And ...

From the Lenten devotional material I am using: During my last winter as a resident I began to envision Lent as the process of washing my car after the effects of a long Chicago winter. For those who are unfamiliar with the effects of Midwest winter driving, envision your vehicle covered in layer upon layer of a nasty, salty, wintery film. With each new snow an additional covering of grit clings to your paint job, serving as a constant reminder of the treacheries of the season. It is an affliction that we bore with dutiful commitment to the city we loved, all the while hoping for warmer days. Now imagine with me what the first mild day in the beginning of March might feel to a winter-weary soul. The snow has temporarily melted and the first glimpses of spring are on their way. In a moment of mild insanity you decide to take a stab at washing your car — beginning to strip away the layers that have been accumulating over the winter months in hopes that something different is on the ...

I am using the devotional material put out by Seattle Pacific University... Some preliminary things I love about it: It is weekly instead of daily which means that I can miss a day or two and not feel behind. It also means that I can meditate on one section for a week instead of cramming more stuff into each day. Because it is not about new stuff, but about understanding the old stuff in a new/fresh way. I know the person who wrote it and I would follow her spiritually into the depths and back: Celeste Cranston. I am in a small group with her and she is in-tune with it, if you know what I mean. She is working with the material, with the scholarship, and has an M.Div of her own. This is good stuff. The material is mostly based off of Dr. Laura Sweat's scholarship in Mark. Dr. Sweat is a Markan scholar and faculty at SPU. I would put her up against anyone when it comes to the Mark material.  So, I will be reading and blogging along to this material. If you want to read ...

Tomorrow begins the season of Lent for Christians all over the world. In case you are wondering, Lent is a 40 day period of waiting and preparation before Easter. 40 has great symbolic meaning in scripture. The flood of the Noah and the ark story was 40 days. The Israelites wandered the desert for two 40 years periods. Jesus fasted 40 days in before his public ministry. Jesus hung out with his disciples for 40 days after Easter morning, preparing them for ministry and the reception of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. 40 is almost always connected to preparation and purification. Lent is just that. It is the emptying of self. It is preparing oneself to receive the good news of Easter, to experience it afresh, uncluttered from opulence, comfort, worldliness, and mixed-up priorities. This church season is usually practiced by fasting (or giving up) something that will help one remain focused and move towards the above goals. Every year I am tempted to try and kill two birds with on...

Everyone is always intrigued by the ‘y’ in my first name… ‘Jaymes.’ I am always a little hesitant to tell the story I was told but the story goes like this: “My parents said that I was always going to be ‘James’ but a few days before I was born they were down by the river drinking wine coolers. They noticed the brand was ‘Bartles and Jaymes’ and thought it was a cool spelling. And so… I was born… Jaymes.” That’s right...  My full name is Jaymes Grady Lackey. The 'Grady' comes from my dad's name. It is actually his middle name, but it is the name he has gone by since birth. My brother and I both share this middle name. Some people in my family (Mom) wanted me to give Titus my middle name. I figured that 'Lackey' was enough of a connection to scar him for life. So, as I received my Father's name as my middle name, Erin and I gave Titus my first name: Titus Jaymes. So, 'Bartles and Jaymes' lives on at least one more generation. Try an...

This is my last post for a while discussing the debate about the whether or not Mormons and Christians are the same.  I find the debate interesting because Mormons seemed more convinced than ever that they are Christians and I can't think of a single prominent Christian denomination that would affirm such an idea. Here is an article discussing just this very issue: http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-01/are-mormons-christian-its-complicated Some interesting quotes: "Whatever it is, Mormonism is not Christianity," Land said. "They do not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity, they do not believe in God the Father as he is recognized in the orthodox Christian faith, and they believe that 'As man now is, God was once.' The only thing right about that sentence from the orthodox Christian perspective is the punctuation."  But even Catholics and more liberal Protestants, such as the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Luther...

Jaymes Lackey November 29, 2011 Commentary of 1 John 4:7-12 Translation of the Text (7) Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (8) Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. (9) God’s love was revealed to us in this way: God sent God’s only Son into the world so that we might live through him. (10) This is love: it is not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent the Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. (11) Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. (12) No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us, and God’s love is perfected in us. 2. Exegetical Idea : God loves us. When we know God we are transformationally born of God to be able to love in the example of Jesus Christ, God’s only Son. When we love each other this way, though God has never been seen, God is revealed through our love towards each ot...