Dear Friends,
Welcome to the “Church’s One Foundation.”
I trust you’re enjoying a beautiful spring, and I’m honored that you’re a subscriber to the podcast.
With that short intro, let’s move right into today’s podcast. I’m excited about it.
Pressing On!
D. Paul
God Moves In Mysterious Ways
Do you believe that “God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform?” I do, both theoretically and experientially. While not a direct quote from the Bible, it seems theologically sound, in some ways underscoring that great, mysterious assurance: “…we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28 NIV).
This oft-quoted proverb—“God moves in a mysterious way”—is attributable to the English poet and hymn writer, William Cowper, (born Nov. 26, 1731, died April 25, 1800). Perhaps his best known song is “There Is A Fountain Filled With Blood,” originally published as “Praise for the Fountain Opened”, and sung in churches around the world. What a great song: “There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel's veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains!” But it is that opening line (or a slight variant thereof) from Cowper’s poem and eventual hymn, “Light Shining Out of Darkness,” which has made a lasting impression upon millions:
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform.
Taking his inspiration from the Gospel of John 13:7, “What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter” (KJV), Cowper, who suffered profound depression throughout his life, absorbed those words of Jesus and rendered them poetically for all time—first published in 1774 by Cowper's friend, John Newton (vicar of Olney and author of “Amazing Grace”) in his Twenty-six Letters on Religious Subjects; to which are added Hymns.
Since my last publication of “The Church’s One Foundation” (When Kings Go Out To Battle, April 30), I’ve had the joy of experiencing one of those mysterious ways in which God moves. But first, in way of context:
My wife and I have been searching for a permanent church home for some time now. After co-pastoring Ecclesia Hollywood for five years (2005-2010), we resumed worship in a small, orthodox Episcopal church in So. Pasadena. Well, as orthodox as you get in Los Angeles! In time, because of family considerations (3 of our 6 children lived in Indianapolis and my mother was in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease), we moved back to “Naptown,” as it is affectionately called, after 45 years in NYC and Hollywood for me and 25 years for Debby. For several years, we attended a large Episcopal Church here, the rector and congregation securely ensconced in its 32-million-dollar endowment, thanks to Eli Lilly & Company. As I’ve mentioned before, as our local parish church and the Episcopal Church at large became insatiably “progressive,” we reluctantly severed our ties after a vibrant, thirty-year association. Even more years than that, for my wife. Actually, it is not we who left the Church. As has been observed by thousands of faithful sojourners before us, in truth, the Episcopal Church has left us with its über-progressive agenda embracing every gender-identity and cultural contortion coming down the pike. They have long given up the pretense of “…earnestly contend[ing] for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3 KJV). Theirs is a new gospel, the revisionist gospel, the self-actualization gospel of the social activist.
Subsequently, for two years, we tried an independent church with a wonderfully gifted pastor. He graciously asked me to preach on occasion, and it seemed like we might have found a fit until the good pastor was swept up in the “Black Lives Matter” movement, spearheading a neighborhood march behind a massive BLM banner (whatever happened to a “Love Thy Neighbor” banner?), and bringing in “educators” who drew upon the curricula of Ibram X. Kendi, with his anti-Christian “intersectionality” matrix of gender ideology and anti-racism. Alas…
Now, my dear friends, flash forward (or is it backwards) to three weeks ago, when a “new acquaintance,” whom I had never met before, sat in my living room telling me abut a “movie pitch” I could give at an upcoming competition, with a top prize of $5,000 attached to it. It sounded good to me! After sharing a little bit of our personal narratives, he referenced, almost as an aside, a small Episcopal church close by to where we live. My wife, still a dyed-in-the-wool Episcopalian at heart, was listening in the adjoining room, and decided to look up the church after our guest left. With a little investigation, she discovered, without our visitor realizing it, that he was actually referring to a local Anglican church—a member of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA)—which was founded in 2009 by the more traditional/orthodox Anglicans of North America. It currently consists of over 1,000 congregations in the US, Canada, and Mexico, and still “holds firmly to the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments to be the inspired Word of God and to be the final authority for Christian faith and life.” Having visited one of their nascent churches in Los Angeles, and subscribing to their semi-annual “The Apostle Magazine,” and having briefly corresponded with their former Archbishop, Foley Beach, I’ve known and written about the Anglican Church of North America for some time. My belief and hope have not altered—they are the remnant of a dying Episcopal Church—a remnant which our loving Father will not let go of. And while still retaining the richness of the Episcopal Church’s timeless liturgy with its weekly Eucharistic Feast, there seems to be an emphasis and purposeful entreatment on the work of the Holy Spirit, resulting in the faithful Bridegroom honoring His faithful Bride with the sweetness of his Presence. Immediately, Debby and I felt right at home, and joined in enthusiastically as the Celebrant and People declared in joyous unity:
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
No pretense here; no feigning affectations; no fingers crossed behind the backs—simply followers of Jesus who actually believe in His death, His resurrection, and in His promise—“I will come again!”
As it turned out, of the eight who pitched their movies to the six judges and an audience of a hundred or so, we (I pitched with a wonderful young colleague of mine) were the one “team” who won nothing among the multiple awards given out that evening. When the contestant who pitched after us (she who won two awards, God bless her) broke into an intimate narrative of word and song about her becoming queer, rejecting her father’s church, and finding her first queer lover, etc., etc., it did cross my mind that we might have found ourselves in the wrong venue. When my new acquaintance came up to me and expressed his disappointment of our having won nothing, I responded, “Well, you know, God moves in mysterious ways his wonders to perform,” and told him that “we’ve been given the ultimate prize—a new church home.”
Well, there you have it, dear friends: Debby, naturally, is delighted with the move, and I am breathing a breath of deep contentment. With both of us in our eighties as of this coming September, I’m not sure how much we can contribute to this burgeoning community of faith, but of this we can be certain: we will praise God with a group of passionate believers and serious seekers, and we will “not forget the assembling of ourselves together.”
In many ways, our painful separation from the Episcopal Church was the “inciting incident” in my taking up pen and voice with “The Church’s One Foundation.” God granting life and health, I will continue to do so, rejoicing with all of you, my dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that our loving God continues to be at work in mysterious ways, his wonders to perform!
Amen!
An AFTERWORD by William Cowper:
For our mutual edification, here are the full six verses of William Cowper’s “Light Shining Out Of Darkness.”
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill;
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works His sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints fresh courage take,
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
Amen.
The Church’s One Foundation IS Jesus Christ Her Lord!
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