Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving has always been a special time of the year for my family. I can remember, years ago, having a big outdoor feast with my cousins, uncles, aunts, brothers, parents and grandparents. As a family deeply involved with agriculture, it was a time of the year to thank God for the blessings of a good crop and for the protection he granted in times of need. The tradition of giving thanks has changed as I have not been around Canada in the fall for the last 5 years. Yet, I still celebrate this holiday. Yesterday, in honor of Canadian Thanksgiving, I drafted a short list of specific things I am thankful for this year. The list is in no particular order.

· I am thankful that last year of school got done without me die-ing

· I am thankful for a good summer of dirtbiking, time spent with family and a good crop of apples and cherries.

· I am thankful for a family that loves me and accepts my eccentricities

· I am thankful for a great, inspiring organ teacher, and the joy of studying organ and music

· I am thankful for a good roommate

· I am thankful for the friends I have

· I am exceedingly thankful for God’s help on the MCAT and for the good score he gave me

· I am most thankful for God, and the experience of the MCAT this summer. It was a growing experience. I am thankful for my deeper relationship with Him. I am thankful for his sustaining grace, and the help he renders in my times of need. I am thankful for His sacrifice.

Crucifixus

Recently I read a treatise on Bach's b minor mass. I learned many new things, some relating to form, others regarding the use of ritornello, and still other things on symbolism. But, perhaps the most important insight I gained was not a strictly musicological fact relating to some arcane detail or fact not previously realized but a greater understanding of Bach's mind and understanding of the passion of Christ. You see, the meat of theological meaning in the Latin Ordinary is the Nicene Creed. The creed is a statement of belief. For Bach, and the approximately twelve hundred years of tradition predating him, the creed stood as the essence of Christianity. But, as the author (John Butt) pointed out the most important part of the creed is the text dealing with the death and resurrection of Christ. Interestingly enough, Bach, when composing his Missa, separated two verses of text and effectively added a movement. Yet, what is so utterly profound is that his added movement is right at the very center of this part of the mass and deals solely with the crucifixion of Christ. To Bach, as to all other Lutherans of that age, the crucifixion of Christ was to be the non-negotiable center of life, and to this end, Bach even took care to frame his Missa as centered around the crucifixion.

This reminded me of a piece of poetry for my favorite hymn O Sacred Head Now Wounded.

What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered

Was All for sinners' gain;

Mine, mine was teh transgression,

But Thine the deadly pain.

Lo Here I fall, my savior!

'Tis i deserve Thy place;

Look on me with Thy favor,

Vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

Yes, tis I deserve thy place. O lord, take me life, as I fall to thee, and grant me your grace! Help me to make you, and your crucifixion and sacrifice my daily thought! May my life be centered on you.

Trust

From the hymn "In Allen Meinen Taten." Pay particular attention to the third and last verses.

In all that I do
I am led by God’s counsel,
who can do all and owns all;
in everything he must give,
if it is to turn out well,
his own advice and counsel to me

Nothing can happen to me
except what he has foreseen
and what is a blessing for me.
I take as he gives;
what to him is pleasing from me
is the very thing I choose also myself.

I trust in his grace
that from all harm,
from all evil protects me;
if I live according to his laws,
then there is nothing to harm me,
nothing lacking that is useful for me.

Whether I lie down late
or wake up early,
whether I stay in or go out,
in weakness and in bondage,
whatever happens to confront me,
yet his word is my consolation

If it is his decision,
then I will go undeterred
to meet my fate!
No misfortune whatsoever
shall be too harsh for me,
I shall overcome it

To him I have entrusted myself
in dying and in living,
whenever he bids me;
whether it may be today or tomorrow
I leave to his care,
he alone knows the right time.

Therefore, my soul, be true to yourself
and trust him alone
who has created you.
Come what may,
your Father in heaven
knows what is best in all situations

My blog title: a motto to live by

Some of the people who may read this blog will wonder about the title of this blog Soli Deo Gloria. I shall attempt to explain. (without rambling to an excessive extent)

The Protestant Reformation was a reaction to the abuses of the Catholic Church. Luther, and others, did not set out to start a new church, merely to try to help Catholicism return to some of its grounding principles. Yet, what happened on All Saints Day, 1517 started a complete new branch of Christianity. So, what was Luther, Melanchthon, et. al. protesting? Namely, indulgences, but, on a deeper level, the issue was the authority of Scripture and the efficacy of the Pope and his indulgences. Much later in Lutheran thought, the founding principles, and what was meant to guide the church became known as the "Five Solas," described below.

Sola Scriptura: The Bible is the only inspired word of God, and as such, is the only authority for living here on earth. Furthermore, this doctrine teaches that the Bible can be interpreted by all and is accessible to all. The Bible is God's instrument on Earth.

Sola fide: By faith alone we are justified! To Luther this meant that by faith we are declared and made right before God. Rightly interpreted, this is a statement of how we experience salvation. To Luther and the other reformers, this was the central issue of the Reformation.

Sola Gratia: By Grace alone Salvation is comes to us. We do not deserve God's gift. Amen

Solus Christus: Literally, "Only through Christ," this doctrine teaches that Christ is the mediator between my sinful self, and God's Holiness. Solus Christus teaches that we need no other man to mediate our holiness. I need no Pope to stand before God and plead my case. I need Christ's perfection and the his work in the heavenly sanctuary. This idea was another very key part of the reformation.

Soli Deo Gloria: Glory to God alone! Because he alone is the author of our salvation. We as Christians should seek to laud Christ for his blessings, and, by extension of this idea, everything we do should be done in the spirit of glorifying God.

How should one live one's life? Should one adopt the Five Solas as the grounding principle of our christian walk? Maybe. Tolstoy, in his collection What Men Live By proposed that one must live a life of love and avoid trying to care for one's own needs. I agree with this. Altruism certainly is an important part of the Christian Life. In fact, in a way, Christ is the ultimate example of Altruism. Yet, I think that this mode of existence misses something important, and I also think that Luther, in his last Sola, had it right. We should live in a manner that gives constant glory and praise to God.

Another interesting aspect of the Reformation is the concept of constant reformation. Basically, this idea says that the church should constantly seek to keep itself pure and in line with true principles of Scripture. But, what happens when we apply the idea of living a life of glorifying God with the concept of constant reformation? I believe this is the life God calls me to. A life where I seek to live according to the authority of Scripture, by the the saving faith which Scripture calls me to, by the Grace extended by my mediator Christ, and to praise him in all that I attempt and the parallel journey of constantly dying to self, of submitting my will to God so that my existence is in line with his idea. This is what the title of my blog means.