Theologian and author N.T. Wright discusses prayer and lament in the church, vocational satisfaction for pastors, and the encouragement found in Paul's letter to the Romans. They explore the challenges and suffering of following Jesus, the significance of theology in Paul's life, and the misunderstood meaning of Romans 8:28. They also reflect on the gift of lament and offer a prayer for strength and encouragement for pastors and church leaders.
Embracing lament is crucial for pastors, allowing them to participate in God's groaning for a broken world.
Understanding temple theology helps pastors realize their role as small working models of the new creation.
Believers anchor themselves in God's love through the fusion of promise, memory, and experience in Messiah's love.
Deep dives
Understanding the Depths of God's Love
In this podcast episode, the host engages in a conversation with renowned New Testament scholar NT Wright about the depths of God's love and its significance for pastors and church leaders. Wright emphasizes the importance of theology in shaping pastoral calling and discusses the connection between suffering and vocation. He also delves into the concept of temple theology and its relevance in understanding the role of the church. Wright highlights the need for pastors to embrace lament and acknowledges the challenges and discouragement that they may face. He concludes the episode by offering a prayer for pastors, seeking God's encouragement and strength in their ministries.
Temple Theology and the Renewal of Creation
NT Wright explores the concept of temple theology, tracing the biblical narrative of creation, tabernacle, and temple as signposts of God's intention to renew the entire cosmos. He emphasizes that the church's vocation is to be small working models of the new creation and to live as temple people, reflecting God's image and carrying forward his mission. Wright also discusses the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers and the importance of lament in the worship and praises of God.
Balancing Promise, Memory, and Experience
Wright examines the phrase 'Messiah's love' in Romans 8, emphasizing that it represents a fusion of promise, memory, and experience. He reflects on God's promise to demonstrate sacrificial love, the memory of Christ's death and the early disciples' recognition of his love, and the experiential encounter with the personal presence of Jesus. Wright explains that this combination of promise, memory, and experience anchors believers in God's love during times of struggle, discouragement, and pain.
Embracing Lament and Participating in Groaning
Wright highlights the importance of embracing lament as an expression of the church's participation in God's groaning for a broken world. He discusses the interplay between human lament and the groaning of the Holy Spirit, emphasizing that the church's role is to hold the world's pain before God and trust in his faithfulness to bring about renewal. Wright encourages pastors and church leaders to cultivate a robust prayer life that includes lament, recognizing that it is through lament that the love of God is manifested and his new creation is revealed.
Encouragement for Pastors and Church Leaders
In a heartfelt prayer, NT Wright uplifts pastors and church leaders, asking for God's presence to comfort and strengthen them in their challenging roles. He prays for encouragement and renewed faith, asking that pastors be rooted in God's love and find power in comprehending its dimensions. Wright also intercedes for the church to rediscover the gift of prayer and lament, offering it as a means to authentically express pain, to trust in God's sovereignty, and to participate in the work of new creation.
N.T. Wright (theologian and author) discusses with Glenn Packiam what he has learned about the gifts of prayer and lament in the church, trends he is seeing in vocational satisfaction for pastors and the encouragement that Paul’s letter to the Romans has to offer pastors and teachers.