Lent with the Early Church Fathers Day 19

Day 19

Lent with the Early Church Fathers

A daily post from Tom Bandy 

Based on Day by Day with the Early Church Fathers (Eds. Christopher D. Hudson, J. Alan Sharrer, and Lindsay Vanker: Hendrickson Press, 1999) 

Our Thirst for Knowledge 

Hilary of Poitiers 

Lord God Almighty, I know that I owe you the devotion of all my words and thoughts as my main duty. The greatest reward of speech you have given me is the opportunity to serve by preaching your word and revealing you in all your purity to a blind and rebellious world. But perhaps I am only expressing my own desires! I must also pray for your help and compassion. Then your spirits breath will fill the sails of faith and confession which I have spread out, and the favorable wind will move me forward on my voyage of instruction.  

We can trust the promise of Christ to said, “ask, and it shall be given, seek, and you will find, knock, and it will be open to you.” And whatever we lack, we will pray for the things we need. We will be untiring and energetic as we study your prophets and apostles. We will knock to enter every gate of hidden knowledge. But you are the one who answers these prayers, who gives us these things we seek, who opens the door we beat on. 

TGB: It is often said that pride is a constant temptation to preachers. I would say (from 70 years of experience and observation) that pride is inevitable for preachers. The arrogance of preachers is far worse than the pride of laity because the teachers are so puffed up with certainties that they fail to see all the ambiguities. The answers lie with God … not in their sermons.