Commonplace-book. Formerly Book of common places. orig. A book in which ‘commonplaces’ or passages important for reference were collected, usually under general heads; hence, a book in which one records passages or matters to be especially remembered or referred to, with or without arrangement. First usage recorded: 1578. - OED
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Be Mirry!
Man, pleis thy makar and be mirry, And sett not by this warld a chirry.
[Man, please thy Maker, and be merry, And give not for this world a cherry.]
-William Dunbar, quoted by C. S. Lewis, The Four Loves, 90.
Hmmm...wasn't thinking about it at the time, but it strikes me now that this could be a quote about fasting (the topic of today's sermon, and a few small group discussions of late).
Ooh... We should talk about fasting. It's been a subject of much discussion in my distant sphere as well. Better yet, you should post quotes about it and we'll discuss the topic that way. Be sure to post some that would really fire up your small group members. =)
So I'm a bit ambivalent...? ambiguous...? ambidextrous...? on the subject of fasting...
My concern is that it seems so susceptible to becoming an external work of righteousness—something we do to earn God's favor. Also, I don't want to deny the goodness of food, or other physical pleasures. And...I like to eat. :)
But there are plenty of instances of fasting in scripture, even if there isn't a clear mandate. (I'm not sure I agree that the Matt 6 When you fast should be read as a command.) And it makes sense to me that we should set aside food at certain times to focus on more important things. But what times? Folks fast during Lent, or during times of repentance/revival, or during trials. But I'm not really in the midst of any of those right now. So I'm musing about fasting during ordinary times. I'm most attracted to skipping a meal (lunch?) so that I can spend that time in Bible study and prayer. But I haven't made any commitments yet. Maybe after my exam, when my lunches are my own again...
You Presbyterians and your fear of works... =) As if a couple fleeting moments of human "righteousness" could undermine grace!
I have much more to say/ask/discuss regarding fasting, and probably I'll have even more after I get back from this weekend's prayer retreat with my very intense African pastor. Until then...
4 comments:
Hmmm...wasn't thinking about it at the time, but it strikes me now that this could be a quote about fasting (the topic of today's sermon, and a few small group discussions of late).
Ooh... We should talk about fasting. It's been a subject of much discussion in my distant sphere as well. Better yet, you should post quotes about it and we'll discuss the topic that way. Be sure to post some that would really fire up your small group members. =)
So I'm a bit ambivalent...? ambiguous...? ambidextrous...? on the subject of fasting...
My concern is that it seems so susceptible to becoming an external work of righteousness—something we do to earn God's favor. Also, I don't want to deny the goodness of food, or other physical pleasures. And...I like to eat. :)
But there are plenty of instances of fasting in scripture, even if there isn't a clear mandate. (I'm not sure I agree that the Matt 6 When you fast should be read as a command.) And it makes sense to me that we should set aside food at certain times to focus on more important things. But what times? Folks fast during Lent, or during times of repentance/revival, or during trials. But I'm not really in the midst of any of those right now. So I'm musing about fasting during ordinary times. I'm most attracted to skipping a meal (lunch?) so that I can spend that time in Bible study and prayer. But I haven't made any commitments yet. Maybe after my exam, when my lunches are my own again...
You Presbyterians and your fear of works... =) As if a couple fleeting moments of human "righteousness" could undermine grace!
I have much more to say/ask/discuss regarding fasting, and probably I'll have even more after I get back from this weekend's prayer retreat with my very intense African pastor. Until then...
Post a Comment