​On Wednesday nights throughout the next nine months, we will be walking our way through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, learning the story of salvation, especially how everything points to and is fulfilled by Jesus.

Following their exile into Babylonian captivity, the people of Israel had time to reflect deeply on their history and on the messages of the prophets and to seek God in prayer and penitence. It was during this crucial season of self-examination when the ground became fully set for the arrival of the Messiah, the anointed heir of King David. But as the day approached, and anticipation ran high, it became apparent that the ground was not just prepared for man, but for God himself to enter the story personally.

The birth of Jesus Christ and the beginning of his ministry is specifically situation within the themes of Creation and the birth of Israel as a nation during the Exodus, the latter itself also being grounded in the Creation account. The arrival of Jesus on the world scene can be best understood through the lens of a “Second Adam,” the creation of a new human race, as Israel itself was once called to represent the creation of a new humanity. The start of his messianic ministry corresponds to the prophetic hopes of a Davidic heir, anointed with the Holy Spirit for works of power and justice.
 
Key Text(s): Nehemiah 9 and Luke 3:1-4:30
Office Texts: Psalm 2; Nehemiah 9; Luke 3:1-4:30

Perhaps the most significant prophet to wrestle with the theological implications of the downfall of Jerusalem was Isaiah, an eighth century prophet whose ministry overlapped the destruction of the Northern Kingdom. As Judah entered into the final century of its independent existence, Isaiah prophesied both God’s judgment on a blind nation, and that nation’s future restoration at the hands of a royal deliverer so powerful, her salvation would overflow to all the nations of the world. In Isaiah’s description of this divine “Servant,” Israel’s national mandate to bless the nations and to be the locus of God’s reign on earth itself is personified.

Key Text(s): Isaiah 42, 49, 50:4-9, 52-53
Office Texts: Psalms 40; Isaiah 42, Acts 8:26-40

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Click below to download the audio recording.

Across the United Kingdom, social commentators have long recognized a downward trend in attendance in the nation's churches on Sundays. This corresponds to a growing secularization in the wider culture, a trend we are experiencing in the United States as well.

There was one crucial exception to this trend however. Attendance across the nation was actually up at one particular kind of service. It was the many Choral Evensongs sung every evening throughout the cathedrals, collegiate churches, and in some large parishes of the nation. Even non-Christian commentators have applauded this trend. Australian atheist Dick Gross has publicly argued for the enduring value of Choral Evensong, and why it should be supported even by the "godless."

If you are curious about all the hub-bub, wonder no more. This coming Sunday, Holy Trinity Parish, right here in humble Hillsdale, Michigan, will take a crack at this venerable service. And our excellent choir will do a beautiful job of it too, if you may permit a pastor to boast a bit about his congregation.

But what is it? In short, it's the traditional service of Evening Prayer sung. A few things worth noting here.
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1. The service of Evening Prayer is a direct descendant of the ancient daily evening services of the earliest Christian churches, mediated to us by the monasteries of the medieval centuries. Its evening New Testament hymns, the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis have been recited by Christians in the evening since ancient times.
2. The service as we now have it is the product of sixteenth century Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer, the architect of the venerable Book of Common Prayer as a whole, and England's first Protestant Archbishop. It was an intentional adaptation of the medieval monastic prayers designed to make the service both more publicly accessible, and a more friendly platform for the regular public reading of Scripture, both foundational issues for the Protestant Reformers across Western Europe and not just in England.
3. The tradition of singing the service also goes back many centuries before the Protestant Reformation, and it continued for many centuries afterwards (to the present day, in fact!). Cranmer's alterations to the medieval service made for a unique vessel for choral composers; with the evening Canticles (the Magnificat and the Nunc Dimittis) together in one service, choral arrangements of each could be composed together as a set. 
4. As a consequence of this, Evensong has been the locus of a vast chunk of sacred choral music composed in the English language since the sixteenth century. The repertoire for Evensong is nearly endless, which is why the service can still be performed daily (by professional choirs, of course; the music is not easy!) throughout England without getting old. The words remain constant (other than the Scripture readings themselves, which change daily), but the music is always changing.

It is truly a remarkable service, one beloved the world over, without any exaggeration. Only choirs of a slightly higher caliber can hope to pull a full blown Choral Evensong off, and Holy Trinity's choir will make the attempt. In fact, this is their second attempt in less than six months, and past precedent shows they will not be unsuccessful.

So consider carving out an hour of your time on Sunday evening and joining us for this breathtaking service of worship to God's divine majesty.

​But remember, with the choir doing a lot of singing, it may feel more like a concert, but it is for the public worship and glorification of God that this service is designed. So come ready not just to hear a good performance, but to pray inwardly what the choir sings outwardly, and above all things to give glory to Almighty God.

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talk given to The Catholic Society of Hillsdale College
Conviviuum, Thursday, February 15, 2018
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The above lecture was given at a weekly gathering of The Catholic Society at Hillsdale College called Conviviuum. It is based on a blog post originally written for The All Saints' Writers' Block on May 10, 2011. The full text of the original blog post can be read below, or found here.

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Yesterday was the feast day of my all time favorite figure from the early church, the fourth century bishop and theologian Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390).  Though one day late (I was detained, ironically enough, by my efforts to finish an essay on an aspect of Gregory’s theology), he must yet command some of our attention.

Gregory is known primarily for his theology.  He is preeminently the theologian of the Trinity, a truth long recognized by the church, which very shortly after his death boldly acclaimed him Gregory the Theologian for his crucial and groundbreaking insights about this very doctrine.  For Gregory, the doctrine is the absolute centerpiece of Christian revelation and the fundamental bedrock of salvation, so much so that he can say: