Something New But Very Old

Nick Minerva • Mar 02, 2022

Last week I wrote a post about my struggle to experience rest in my soul. One of the things that I mentioned doing was studying the liturgical calendar so that I could build into my life rhythms of fasting, remembering, and celebrating the goodness of God. As I pursue that goal this year I am going to be practicing Lent. I am very much a novice at observing a liturgical year, but the idea of allowing the story of Jesus to shape every part of my life, including my calendar, is deeply appealing. When I find myself stressed and overwhelmed, it’s often because I am trying to control things Jesus did not intend for me to control. It’s because I am carrying burdens God did not intend for me to carry. I need to be reminded that I am part of a larger story, a story that is not about me. And what better way to do that than to join in with countless of my brothers and sisters around the world in following a calendar that has been observed since the Council of Nicea.


Depending on whom you talk to, Lent, or the liturgical calendar comes with a lot of preconceived notions. For some, they think dead tradition. It’s something people do that has no meaning. Others, think of the debauchery that often goes along with Fat Tuesday or Mardi Gras. I mean, if New Orleans Square at Disneyland decorates for Mardi Gras, how spiritual can it be? But just because a tradition is dead for one person (and surely this is true for many), doesn’t mean the tradition itself should be thrown out. Should we stop singing in church because we sometimes simply go through the motions of corporate worship? No. And just because feasting and celebrating are often taken to sinful extremes (like they are with the aforementioned holidays); that doesn’t mean we should stop feasting or celebrating. As the people of God, we have the most and best reasons for celebrating. Look through the Old Testament to see how many feasts and celebrations God put in their calendar year to help them keep their focus on him. Jesus’s first public sign was at a week-long Jewish marriage celebration and his miracle was producing at least 120 gallons of the best wine anyone there had tasted. He knew how to keep the party going. Now obviously this is no excuse for unchecked carnality. But Christians are not called to stoicism either. We should throw the best parties. (For the record, I am horrible at celebrating. I’m an awkward introvert who couldn’t throw a good party if his life depended on it. My idea of celebrating Fat Tuesday was eating extra ice cream. Wild.)


But not all of the liturgical calendar is about celebration. In fact, Lent is a season of just the opposite. It’s a season of sorrow, sobriety, and simplicity. It’s a season of self-denial. It’s a season to “take up our cross.” After his baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days. There he was tempted but did not give in to temptation. He renounced the devil and evil desires. And so, for centuries, Christians have entered a season of fasting for the 40 days leading up to Easter. It’s a season of saying “no” to things in our lives so that we can have a greater focus on Christ as we prepare to remember his death and then celebrate his resurrection. Fasting is a way to deny things our flesh craves so we can discover the satisfaction Jesus brings. And as we deny ourselves, we anticipate celebrating the resurrection of our Savior. We are reminded he is our true hope. In his book, Living The Christian Year, author Bobby Gross says, “Even as we prepare for the anguished hours of Good Friday and the unfathomable silence of Holy Saturday, we anticipate the glorious joy of Resurrection Sunday.”


Another reason I am drawn to the liturgical calendar is its intentionality. It’s not just a Catholic thing. It’s been around nearly as long as Christianity. I mean, how counter-cultural and so very Christ-like is it to intentionally have a season of self-denial? Yes, this should be a way of life. But oftentimes we dismiss intentional seasons because “it should be a way of life” as a cover for never actually doing the thing. It’s easy to grumble about how commercialized many of our holidays are. How about intentional celebrations that strengthen our faith? The liturgical calendar is about building your life around the story of Jesus. So this Lent Season I’m going to be fasting from social media. (That feels so cliche, I know.) But social media is often the first and last thing I look at during the day. I cringe a bit when my phone tells me how much time I spend on it every week. To replace it I am going to be reading a devotional called Rich Wounds that is published by The Good Book Company and written by David Mathis. It focuses on the Life, Death, and Triumph of Jesus; and includes a section about his passion week. (My friend, Aaron, wrote a helpful review of it here.) I know I’m technically not starting at the beginning of the liturgical calendar, but I’m excited to see how Christ draws me to him in this season. Would you pray with me that God would use this season to do that? I sure would appreciate it. 

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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