The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation
West Point, Mississippi
The Incarnate Word
6 October 2011
Today is the feast of Bl. William Tyndale (d. 1536), the first translator of the Bible into English from the original Hebrew and Greek. Tyndale translated all of the New Testament, and fifteen books of the Old Testament. He was executed for the “heresy” of making Scripture available to the people in their own tongue, his dying words being, “O, Lord, open thou the eyes of the king of England.”
Tyndale’s martydom calls to mind the issue of how we view the Bible. Why do we care about whether the Bible is true or not? It is because only truth can have final authority to determine belief and behavior, and Scripture cannot have such authority further than it is true. A factually and theologically untrustworthy Bible could still impress us as a presentation of religious experience and expertise, but if we cannot affirm its truthfulness we cannot claim that it is God's testimony and teaching, given to control our convictions and conduct.
Jesus Christ and his apostles held and taught that the Jewish scriptures (our Old Testament) were God's witness to himself in the form of human witness to him. Jesus Christ, God's incarnate Son, viewed these scriptures as his Father's Word. So, too, it is clear that the apostles saw the scriptures as the God-given verbal embodiment of teaching from the Holy Spirit. This brings us to the real issue:
Either Jesus of Nazareth was and is the Eternal Son of God, or He was a fraud and/or a lunatic.
a) If Jesus was and is the Eternal Son of God, the Word made flesh, then we must pay the closest attention to what He had to say and to what He did, and to the scriptures that He considered to be the authoritative revelation of the Creator’s unique utterance of His will for us.
b) If Jesus was a fraud and/or a lunatic then it is irrational to pay attention to anything that He had to say and teach. Nonbelievers may argue that it is possible to look to Jesus as an important moral teacher; that one can follow the ethical teaching of Jesus without believing Him to be Lord, judging all biblical stories of miracles and other signs (and statements) of divinity as interpolation. The problem with this argument becomes evident once we look more closely at the ethical teachings that are “retained”. These precepts (e.g., having mercy upon and providing for the destitute, treating one’s neighbor as one’s self, etc.) are not part of any natural human order. Atheists may argue that if we can just get the “poison” of religion out of society, then we’ll be OK; that we will be tolerant and peaceful. All evidence from history is to the contrary. To the limited extent that we both preach and practice that peace is an imperative, or that not persecuting the stranger is; to the extent we do provide for the unfortunates of the world, these sentiments and practices are cultural inheritances from Judaism and Christianity. The teachings of Jesus brought about a revolution in human thought, a revolution away from the universal acceptance of life being defined as a zero sum game in which, for example, care of the poor would have been considered irrational. Faith matters.
Adult Education: The 5 p.m. Sunday course in scripture resumes this week. Supper is pot-luck.
Fall clean-up: Fall clean-up is scheduled for Saturday, 29 October, from 0830 until noon. There will be indorr and outdoor work crews. Please sign up on the list in the kitchen, so that we will have a headcount. This will enable best planning for projects.
Coffee hour sign-ups: We need people to sign up to host coffee hour. Snacks can be very simple. Please sign up on the sheet in the kitchen.
Stewardship: The stewardship campaign is in full swing. Whether or not you intend to pledge, please complete a pledge card and return it to your box camptain, or to the parish office.
New to the prayer list: Joan Whetstone and Dale Bowen.
Thanksgivings: Thanksgivings are offered to Bert Falkner for preparing a delicious breakfast for the EYC on this past Tuesday.
Music this week: The choir rehearses on Wednesdays at 7 p.m., and on Sundays at 9:45 a.m.
Psalm23, recited
Pro. 7, Christ, whose glory fills the skies
Seq. 174, At the Lamb’s high feast we sing
Anthem: Glory to God (WOV 788)[children’s choir]
Rec. 556, Rejoice, ye pure in heart
Com. 487, 646
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