I blogged about Zinzendorf yesterday. Have I mentioned that I LOVE his name and am considering adding that to my name, somewhere, somehow? Perhaps Dietsch-Zinzendorf or, better yet, Dietsch von Zinzendorf. Try ordering a pizza with that name!!! Wait, I’ve got it now: ZinzenDietsch. Now that’s a name!
I have been reading more about old Zinny and, it turns out, he formed a club…really, more of an “order” because of its orientation towards holiness. He and his friends called it “The Order of the Mustard Seed” (see www.mustardseedorder.com). It was a secret society, with a “vow” required for admittance. That vow consisted of being true, in all aspects of your life, to three things:
1. To be true to Christ;
2. To be kind to all people;
3. To send the gospel to the world.
The website describes it further: “Their society was conceived as a secret order of spiritual knighthood. To them, most of whom owed their positions in society to structures and traditions dating back to the middle ages, this was a normal and culturally acceptable thing to do. The difference was, their loyalty and service would be sworn to Christ alone. The emblem of the Order was a brooch bearing a picture of a mustard tree, and a motto in Latin which means ‘That which was formerly nothing’. Every member wore a ring carrying a Greek inscription meaning ‘None of us lives for himself'.”
The website also reports that “Zinzendorf continued to recruit members to the Order throughout most of his life. Later members included:
Cardinal Louis Antoine de Noailles, the Catholic Archbishop of Paris;
John Potter, the Anglican (Episcopalian) Archbishop of Canterbury;
Christian VI, King of Denmark;
General James Oglethorpe, Governor of Georgia;
Tomochichi, Chief of the Creek nation of native American Indians;
Erskine, a Scottish member of the British Parliament.”
For some reason, this whole concept fascinates me and has made me think A LOT about accountability and commitment and community…about how we—way too often—think Christian faith is about doing it on our own: “pulling oneself up by your own spiritual bootstraps”, if you will.
The following article (also from the www.mustardseedorder.com website) intrigues me all the more; it is a modern day perspective of a person wanting to make the same kind of vow to, in all things: 1) Be true to Christ, 2) Be kind to all people, and 3) Send the Gospel to the world.
A RULE FOR LIFE: GROWING UP & GROWING OLD
[adapted from the book “The Vision & The Vow” by Pete Greig]
Completely pilfered from: www.mustardseedorder.com/cm/story/2
I read somewhere that Billy Graham has built houses for his life-long ministry partners next to his own home in North Carolina, so that in these - his twilight years - they can remain close. What an amazing testimony to the way he and his friends have lived their lives: After all these years they are still together, loving God and loving one another's company too.
I've decided that I want to grow old with friends whose camaraderie spans many years, and that - even as an old man - I want to be asking myself the same three questions each day:
* How can I be true to Christ today?
* How can I be kind to people today?
* How can I play my part in taking the Gospel to the nations today?
I don’t know what ecstasies and agonies the future may bring, but I do know that the dream for the rest of my days, whatever may come, is to be consistently true to my Savior, kind to my neighbor, and committed to the nations of the world. This is—for me—what it means to be Christ-like, what it means to be a disciple, what it means to be a faithful lover of Jesus. For others, it may mean something else, but for me, this will do. I do not intend to become any more prescriptive than this, lest rules detract from the heartbeat of my relationship with Jesus, who is my reason for building this altar of praise.
Knowing the usual fate of my good intentions, especially the ones I make when I think I am standing firm (1 Cor. 10:12), I have decided to follow the example of pilgrims down the ages by binding myself to the Gospel through a solemn vow.
“Why should we bind ourselves to loving God, submitting to a religious rule; why take the vows?” asks Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household. “The answer,” he says, “is that in a moment of grace you were drawn to God, you loved him and … dreading the thought of losing him because of your instability, you ‘bound’ yourself to guarantee your love from every possible change.”
Because I love God less than I want to, and distrust myself entirely, I am launching out on this journey with friends who are more than friends. Together we will find ways of exploring the meaning of these three simple vows year by year for the rest of our lives, going deeper in understanding, growing simpler in knowledge, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us about each one in new ways at different times.
CHANGING SEASONS
Perhaps there will be times when He will speak to us about allegiance to Christ, and it will mean withdrawing in prayer and worship for a season of intimacy and contemplation. But then at other times, He will command us to immerse ourselves again in His world.
Sometimes, Christ’s call to kindness may require of us a radical response to global injustice, but at others, it may mean shrinking the horizon on such grand concerns to eat ice-cream with kids.
The call to the nations will cause us all to live as pilgrims, moving with the pillars of cloud and fire; for some, it may well mean passports and visas, while for others, it will mean personal witness on the home-front and in the world of work.
Sadly, I know that I will fail most days in some way or other—most often I suspect in the realm of simple kindness. But as I keep my eyes on Jesus, there is grace to change. As Paul puts it, “we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). Day by day, as I outwork my vows, God’s grace will subvert my selfishness so I can think big enough to disciple nations, small enough to care for my neighbor, and deep enough to be loyal to my Lord for life. “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being trans-formed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory”
(2 Cor. 3:18)
AMAZING GRACE
When I fail, please grant me grace. And should I succeed—so that one day they say “he was faithful, kind and lived his life for the gospel he loved”—give God glory for His extraordinary achievement, and remember a simple mustard seed planted by Zinzendorf, which grew into a tree. Climbing in its branches with my friends, perhaps we shall see the world from a different perspective—with elevated vision. As that tree grows, rooted deep in an ancient way of life, we shall enjoy its fruit and survive the storms of winter, secure in Christ through all life’s changing seasons.
“This is what the Lord says:
’Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.’”
(Jeremiah 6:16)
I have been reading more about old Zinny and, it turns out, he formed a club…really, more of an “order” because of its orientation towards holiness. He and his friends called it “The Order of the Mustard Seed” (see www.mustardseedorder.com). It was a secret society, with a “vow” required for admittance. That vow consisted of being true, in all aspects of your life, to three things:
1. To be true to Christ;
2. To be kind to all people;
3. To send the gospel to the world.
The website describes it further: “Their society was conceived as a secret order of spiritual knighthood. To them, most of whom owed their positions in society to structures and traditions dating back to the middle ages, this was a normal and culturally acceptable thing to do. The difference was, their loyalty and service would be sworn to Christ alone. The emblem of the Order was a brooch bearing a picture of a mustard tree, and a motto in Latin which means ‘That which was formerly nothing’. Every member wore a ring carrying a Greek inscription meaning ‘None of us lives for himself'.”
The website also reports that “Zinzendorf continued to recruit members to the Order throughout most of his life. Later members included:
Cardinal Louis Antoine de Noailles, the Catholic Archbishop of Paris;
John Potter, the Anglican (Episcopalian) Archbishop of Canterbury;
Christian VI, King of Denmark;
General James Oglethorpe, Governor of Georgia;
Tomochichi, Chief of the Creek nation of native American Indians;
Erskine, a Scottish member of the British Parliament.”
For some reason, this whole concept fascinates me and has made me think A LOT about accountability and commitment and community…about how we—way too often—think Christian faith is about doing it on our own: “pulling oneself up by your own spiritual bootstraps”, if you will.
The following article (also from the www.mustardseedorder.com website) intrigues me all the more; it is a modern day perspective of a person wanting to make the same kind of vow to, in all things: 1) Be true to Christ, 2) Be kind to all people, and 3) Send the Gospel to the world.
A RULE FOR LIFE: GROWING UP & GROWING OLD
[adapted from the book “The Vision & The Vow” by Pete Greig]
Completely pilfered from: www.mustardseedorder.com/cm/story/2
I read somewhere that Billy Graham has built houses for his life-long ministry partners next to his own home in North Carolina, so that in these - his twilight years - they can remain close. What an amazing testimony to the way he and his friends have lived their lives: After all these years they are still together, loving God and loving one another's company too.
I've decided that I want to grow old with friends whose camaraderie spans many years, and that - even as an old man - I want to be asking myself the same three questions each day:
* How can I be true to Christ today?
* How can I be kind to people today?
* How can I play my part in taking the Gospel to the nations today?
I don’t know what ecstasies and agonies the future may bring, but I do know that the dream for the rest of my days, whatever may come, is to be consistently true to my Savior, kind to my neighbor, and committed to the nations of the world. This is—for me—what it means to be Christ-like, what it means to be a disciple, what it means to be a faithful lover of Jesus. For others, it may mean something else, but for me, this will do. I do not intend to become any more prescriptive than this, lest rules detract from the heartbeat of my relationship with Jesus, who is my reason for building this altar of praise.
Knowing the usual fate of my good intentions, especially the ones I make when I think I am standing firm (1 Cor. 10:12), I have decided to follow the example of pilgrims down the ages by binding myself to the Gospel through a solemn vow.
“Why should we bind ourselves to loving God, submitting to a religious rule; why take the vows?” asks Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the papal household. “The answer,” he says, “is that in a moment of grace you were drawn to God, you loved him and … dreading the thought of losing him because of your instability, you ‘bound’ yourself to guarantee your love from every possible change.”
Because I love God less than I want to, and distrust myself entirely, I am launching out on this journey with friends who are more than friends. Together we will find ways of exploring the meaning of these three simple vows year by year for the rest of our lives, going deeper in understanding, growing simpler in knowledge, allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to us about each one in new ways at different times.
CHANGING SEASONS
Perhaps there will be times when He will speak to us about allegiance to Christ, and it will mean withdrawing in prayer and worship for a season of intimacy and contemplation. But then at other times, He will command us to immerse ourselves again in His world.
Sometimes, Christ’s call to kindness may require of us a radical response to global injustice, but at others, it may mean shrinking the horizon on such grand concerns to eat ice-cream with kids.
The call to the nations will cause us all to live as pilgrims, moving with the pillars of cloud and fire; for some, it may well mean passports and visas, while for others, it will mean personal witness on the home-front and in the world of work.
Sadly, I know that I will fail most days in some way or other—most often I suspect in the realm of simple kindness. But as I keep my eyes on Jesus, there is grace to change. As Paul puts it, “we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory” (2 Cor. 3:18). Day by day, as I outwork my vows, God’s grace will subvert my selfishness so I can think big enough to disciple nations, small enough to care for my neighbor, and deep enough to be loyal to my Lord for life. “We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being trans-formed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory”
(2 Cor. 3:18)
AMAZING GRACE
When I fail, please grant me grace. And should I succeed—so that one day they say “he was faithful, kind and lived his life for the gospel he loved”—give God glory for His extraordinary achievement, and remember a simple mustard seed planted by Zinzendorf, which grew into a tree. Climbing in its branches with my friends, perhaps we shall see the world from a different perspective—with elevated vision. As that tree grows, rooted deep in an ancient way of life, we shall enjoy its fruit and survive the storms of winter, secure in Christ through all life’s changing seasons.
“This is what the Lord says:
’Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.’”
(Jeremiah 6:16)
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