Author: anthonysiegrist

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Speaking of God – An Essential Guide to Christian Thought

    So, here’s the cover of the book. It should be available sometime in October. One early reader, Stephen Backhouse who is author of Kierkegaard: A Single Life and Director of a fascinating project called Tent Theology has this to say: “This is an excellent book for anyone interested in helping Christians think Christianly about their own Christianity. Siegrist writes with clarity and ease. … Continue reading Speaking of God – An Essential Guide to Christian Thought

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Scripture

The Weekly Dose – Worship as Reorientation  

Earlier this month the lectionary assigned a reading from Revelation 5. The passage is an excerpt from John’s vision of a heavenly throne room. John sees the throne of God surrounded by twenty-four elders and four strange creatures. He sees a scroll, which no one can open. No one that is, until a lamb, one that had already been killed, steps forward and opens it. Then John sees the elders and the creatures all worship the lamb and the one on the throne. Continue reading “The Weekly Dose – Worship as Reorientation  “

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Scripture

Babies, If, and Simple Instructions

I’m am not an expert on children or parenting or teaching or mentoring—I claim no expertise in those fields. One thing I have noticed, though, is that just as soon as you feel like you have a kid figured out, they change. Last Sunday our congregation celebrated the arrival of two new little ones. As we usually do, we joined their families in celebration and then committed ourselves to supporting the parents and being decent examples for the children. The babies were champs. The only tears shed came from adults. Then the scripture reader read to us the passage assigned for worship on that Sunday. It was John 13:33-35. It is not explicitly a passage about the nurture of children. Continue reading “Babies, If, and Simple Instructions”

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Review

Reflections on the “Clergy Health Crises”  

I believe it was the ancient theologian Irenaeus who said “the glory of God is a human being fully alive.” Part of that celebrated state, it seems right to assume, would be satisfaction with one’s work. If that’s true then pastors are (reportedly) well-positioned to bring God buckets full of the good stuff. Apparently pastors are more satisfied with their work then just about anyone else. One survey from the US found that more than 87% of pastors were very satisfied with their work. That’s 20% better than painters and sculptors and a bit better than physical therapists and firefighters. However, knowing pastors as I do, it’s a number that I find hard to believe. It turns out that the survey didn’t actually include very many pastors—just 68. What seems more realistic is the finding of another study that suggests clergy are experiencing depression at a rate 3% higher than the general population. The disparity is even higher among men. Many pastors do find ministry to be deeply satisfying, yet even they find it to be full of anguish as well.

Continue reading “Reflections on the “Clergy Health Crises”  “

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Scripture

Easter—This Time with Honesty  

Preaching on Easter Sunday is hard. Expectations are high. Whenever there’s a trumpet involved in a worship service, the preacher is obligated to step up. But Preaching on Easter is also hard because it can feel dishonest. Or maybe not ‘dishonest’ exactly, but certainly ‘hollow’ or ‘one-sided’. Already, in the few days that have elapsed since Easter, I have spoken with a number of people who are suffering—who have been suffering for a long time. Some are in hospital beds, some have creaky knees, some have relationships that are strained to the breaking point. What does Easter mean in those situations? How do we speak about victory over death and evil, when there seems to be so little actual victory over death and evil? Continue reading “Easter—This Time with Honesty  “

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Scripture

Thinking Big: What are Christians Hoping For?

One of the most persistent questions I hear about the Christian faith relates to what we believe about the future—our future, the future of our communities, the future of the world. In the midst of our suffering and confusion, what are we hoping for? There was a time when responses to this question were dominated by the idea a spiritual future in “heaven.” This vision didn’t include our bodies and didn’t have much of anything positive to say about God’s beautiful creation. The concept of heaven is important to the scriptures, but not as the dominant picture of the future for which we hope. That spot belongs to “new creation” or “creation renewed.” II Corinthians 5 is one key passage here, as are Ephesians 1 and Revelation 21 & 22. The first chapter of Colossians is important too, as is the prayer Jesus taught his disciples. What we anticipate is the renewal of the world God created. We believe that God’s peaceful economy will realized in the place we were designed to enjoy and keep. Continue reading “Thinking Big: What are Christians Hoping For?”

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Essay

Praying with the Forest

The digital thermometer in my car said it was -23°C. I was parked by the side of the road, wondering if anyone would show up. A couple of electronic regrets popped up on my phone. It was easy to understand, who wants to pray when it’s this cold. Or more specifically, who wants to pray outside, in the trees, in the snow, when it’s this cold. I’ve become convinced that it isn’t praying “in the trees”; it’s praying “with the trees.” There are two biblical passages that point me in this direction. One is Psalm 148, which speaks about creation praising God. The other is Romans 8, which suggests that creation groans for its liberation. Why do we think these passages are metaphorical and the ones the ones that refer to humans praising and groaning are not? The trees pray—that’s my conclusion. They praise and they groan. Continue reading “Praying with the Forest”

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Scripture

Responding to the Turkey God

Several weeks ago I parked the car on the side of a rural road south of Ottawa. The snow had melted back to big banks thrown up by the plow. My sons and I scrambled up and over the snow. As we did, the oldest pointed to movement in the forest. A flock of turkeys, annoyed at our slamming of doors and crunching of snow, headed deeper into the tress. We followed their tracks hoping to see them again. We found nothing but a few stray feathers. Continue reading “Responding to the Turkey God”

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Scripture

To the Mountain, with Nobodies (190)

In the middle of Luke chapter 9 we hear Jesus giving his followers some harsh news: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” He is telling them, and telling us, that we can’t save our lives by trying to save our lives. If we hold on too tightly, if you try to keep everything under control, we will lose our lives. The liveliness will be gone. We’ll squeeze out the vitality.

Then, a few verses later, Jesus says something really strange. He says that some of the people listening to him will see the “kingdom of God” before they die. Actually he says, they will see it before they “taste death.” They will “see” before they “taste.” It’s an interesting way to put it. Continue reading “To the Mountain, with Nobodies (190)”

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