all throughout the Christmas season we hear some people grumble “remember the reason for the season, remember the reason for the season”, because they are concerned that all the lights and glitter, the trees and gifts, and especially santa claus, will distract us from the reason for the season. now their concern is not without merit, we do become distracted, yet the truth is that the root of that distraction is not to be found in the lights or trees or even santa claus. the truth is all these things that seem to distract us from the reason for the season are simply reminders of the true reason for the season.
so if they are reminders then how is it they distract us? the truth is that they, in and of themselves, don’t distract us. all of these holiday traditions (regardless of their origin) serve us as reminders of the great event of God coming to be with us as one of us. look at the Christmas tree, its an evergreen - yes? why do we use an evergreen and not an oak or maple? because the pine tree is a reminder of Christ, who is evergreen, and a reminder of the eternal life He gives us; the evergreen is always present to us in its living greenness just as Christ is always present to us. so look at the tree and see it as it really is, and then you will see Christ! and what of the lights that decorate the tree, are they simply meant to be pretty distractions from the truth, or do they remind us that He is the Light of the world, and all the little lights speak to us of our little lights that shine in unity with Him.
and the gifts we give to one another are reminders of the Great Gift God have given us in Jesus Christ. we can lose sight of that fact easily if we allow selfishness and greed to rule our hearts. But whose fault is that, the gifts or our hearts? What are we teaching our children about the act of giving when all the importance is placed on the pleasure of receiving things they want, above the joy found in sharing of ourselves that is the reciprocity of giving and receiving? this joy is a reflection of the joy God has in giving Himself to us in the person of Jesus Christ, through whom we are received back into the fullness of God’s life. perceive the truth – that to give is to receive, and to receive is to give.
and what of santa, who of all the things that we grumble over we grumble most about him. we blame him for distracting us from the reason for the season. but my friends, who does santa represent? does he not speak to us of the kindly Father, who loves the world so much, that despite snow or storm comes to us and gives us the gift we are most in need of? that is the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.
in truth none of these things blind us to the reason for the season, what blinds us is ourselves, and our poverty of spirit that causes us not to see the reminders that are before us. all the things around us are reminders of God with us: the tree, the gifts, the special foods, the lights, and yes even santa, none of these takes us away from Christ, all of these serve to point us towards Christ.
yet we become distracted, become obsessed so to speak, with the reminders and fail to see what they are pointing us too. the fault lies not in the tree or gifts or even santa, the fault lies within ourselves, and this is even more the reason why we so desperately need Christ, through whom we are enabled to engage life as it really is, not just as it is meant to be, but as it really is right now. Christ is the lens, the eyeglasses so to speak, that we need to see what is really before us. all things speak to us of God, all things point us to God, each one of us is a living representation of God – what do you think the book of genesis is saying when it refers to us as “the image of God”, what do you think Jesus was talking about when he said “whatever you do to the least of these you do to me” – he is saying to us “OPEN YOUR EYES and SEE ME as I REALLY AM, see Me in all that I have created, see Me in each other, and yes even see Me within yourself".
for within us lay the seed of the kingdom of God, when Christ is born in our hearts then the living reality of the saving work of God is born within us. the inner transformation we all crave, we all need, so that love and liberty, that is the grace and truth of God, may reign within us and through us the kingdom of God unfolds - becoming a living reality in our world; not through us in our selfish blindness, but through us as we live IN Christ. to the degree we allow Christ to be the lens by which we see the world – we will be able to perceive the true reality of all things.
Jesus tells us in john’s gospel “I will draw all things to Me”, all things are drawn to Christ because all things came from Christ – “for all things came into being through Him and not one thing came into being apart from Him”. do you see here what is meant by the reciprocity of giving and receiving? He who created our hearts has come to re-create us into the fullness of the image of God.
so let us not blame things for distracting us from the truth of Christ, but let us honestly recognize that we are the cause of our distractions, for only then can we be like mary and say to God “let it be with me as according to your Word”. for it is by and through the Word, which is the Light of all people, we are born again, and able to joyfully proclaim with Isaiah “arise, shine, for thy Light has come, and the glory of the Lord is upon us.” Amen.
©2010 halley low
Friday, December 24, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Jesus Christ the one and only Living Word of God
traditionally advent is seen as the season of preparation for the birth of Christ (or to use more theological language the Incarnation – that is God who incarnates, becomes flesh in order to live in the world and dwell with us as one of us). in days gone by the preparation was marked by prayer and self-examination; today we prepare by shopping and eating and parties. the reason for the old way is because of the connection between the season of advent and the season of lent, and the understanding that the Cradle and the Cross are one.
in the gospel of John, (which more than any of the other gospels gives us the deeper theological understanding of this great event called the Incarnation), we are told in 3:17 “indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” there can be no cross of salvation (or healing, as salvation comes from the latin “salvo” to heal) or resurrection to new and everlasting life for humanity, or the whole of creation, without the first great event – the Incarnation of the Living Word of God in form and likeness of humankind. the miracle of Christmas is the miracle of the Word become flesh as expressed in the first chapter of john’s gospel. it’s a good idea to meditate on John 1:1-34 during the season of advent. certain key facts about the importance and centrality of the Incarnation are revealed in john that are missing or not fully expressed in the other gospel narratives of the birth of Christ (note that in the gospel of mark there is no mention of Jesus’ birth, and in matthew and luke's narratives the focus is more centered on the fulfillment of hebrew prophecy, or the universality of God’s saving action in Christ, without the fuller deeper exploration of this revelation as found in John}.
in a nutshell the hallmarks of John’s narrative are: 1, the Word (that is Christ or God the Son) is one with God from all eternity; 2, the Word in being one with God is also the source of all life; 3, through the historical event of the Word becoming flesh the full out pouring of God’s grace (gifts) is made manifest for us, and is the means of our reconciliation with God and one another. it is here that the great revelation of Christianity to the world is begun to be made known – that God is Trinity, One God in community of being, and through the Word made flesh humanity is invited back into the life of the One Living Triune God, as was and is God’s intention for humanity.
when we focus on Christmas as being Jesus’s birthday (as in “happy birthday Jesus” let’s blow out the candles and open the gifts), instead of as the moment, in the course of the year, that we as the community of Christ remember and reflect on the great mystery of God’s coming to be with us by being one of us, we lose the true meaning of Christmas and the real sense of joy and hope that this most holy revelation gives to us in the here and now, and in the time to come.
you may wonder, and wish to ponder on, why john refers to God the Son (the second person in the Holy Trinity) as “the Word”? our modern English understanding of the term “word” does not fully express the meaning of the Greek word “logos” which we translate as “word”. likewise our normal usage of the term “word” lacks the deep theological significances of the term as understood in the early church. though some of our adages hint at the deeper meaning, for instance, we may say “she is known by her word”. when we say that we don’t mean people are known by what they actually say with their mouths but by how much their lives reflect what they say, and so we come to know the truth of someone’s word by their actions. “Logos” – “Word” means just that – the action or power behind and manifested through the “Word”. so in a real way to speak is to do(at least in terms of God), which brings us to the very opening lines of the bible as found the first chapter of Genesis – God speaks and creation thus unfolds. the power to create is found in God’s Word, we come to know God as creator because God’s Word (Jesus Christ) is active and true. and not just true but Truth itself, so john writes (1:17) “the law indeed was given through moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” so it is that through the Word we receive God’s grace/gift and in the Word we enter the Truth - which is the very life of the Triune God.
©2010 halley low
in the gospel of John, (which more than any of the other gospels gives us the deeper theological understanding of this great event called the Incarnation), we are told in 3:17 “indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” there can be no cross of salvation (or healing, as salvation comes from the latin “salvo” to heal) or resurrection to new and everlasting life for humanity, or the whole of creation, without the first great event – the Incarnation of the Living Word of God in form and likeness of humankind. the miracle of Christmas is the miracle of the Word become flesh as expressed in the first chapter of john’s gospel. it’s a good idea to meditate on John 1:1-34 during the season of advent. certain key facts about the importance and centrality of the Incarnation are revealed in john that are missing or not fully expressed in the other gospel narratives of the birth of Christ (note that in the gospel of mark there is no mention of Jesus’ birth, and in matthew and luke's narratives the focus is more centered on the fulfillment of hebrew prophecy, or the universality of God’s saving action in Christ, without the fuller deeper exploration of this revelation as found in John}.
in a nutshell the hallmarks of John’s narrative are: 1, the Word (that is Christ or God the Son) is one with God from all eternity; 2, the Word in being one with God is also the source of all life; 3, through the historical event of the Word becoming flesh the full out pouring of God’s grace (gifts) is made manifest for us, and is the means of our reconciliation with God and one another. it is here that the great revelation of Christianity to the world is begun to be made known – that God is Trinity, One God in community of being, and through the Word made flesh humanity is invited back into the life of the One Living Triune God, as was and is God’s intention for humanity.
when we focus on Christmas as being Jesus’s birthday (as in “happy birthday Jesus” let’s blow out the candles and open the gifts), instead of as the moment, in the course of the year, that we as the community of Christ remember and reflect on the great mystery of God’s coming to be with us by being one of us, we lose the true meaning of Christmas and the real sense of joy and hope that this most holy revelation gives to us in the here and now, and in the time to come.
you may wonder, and wish to ponder on, why john refers to God the Son (the second person in the Holy Trinity) as “the Word”? our modern English understanding of the term “word” does not fully express the meaning of the Greek word “logos” which we translate as “word”. likewise our normal usage of the term “word” lacks the deep theological significances of the term as understood in the early church. though some of our adages hint at the deeper meaning, for instance, we may say “she is known by her word”. when we say that we don’t mean people are known by what they actually say with their mouths but by how much their lives reflect what they say, and so we come to know the truth of someone’s word by their actions. “Logos” – “Word” means just that – the action or power behind and manifested through the “Word”. so in a real way to speak is to do(at least in terms of God), which brings us to the very opening lines of the bible as found the first chapter of Genesis – God speaks and creation thus unfolds. the power to create is found in God’s Word, we come to know God as creator because God’s Word (Jesus Christ) is active and true. and not just true but Truth itself, so john writes (1:17) “the law indeed was given through moses but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” so it is that through the Word we receive God’s grace/gift and in the Word we enter the Truth - which is the very life of the Triune God.
©2010 halley low
Sunday, December 5, 2010
our hope is in the love God has for us (an advent message)
it is often said that the Christmas season is the season of love, and a time to have hope for a better tomorrow. but we may feel that there is little to have hope in, and even less to love. these days we all feel the effects of a stressed economy, and living as we do in a global economy that stress is felt world wide. so where is the hope?
looking at the world stage things seem very frightening indeed. particularly at this moment with the uncertainty in korea. the relationship of the two koreas has been strained from the beginning of the armistice some 60 years ago. who knows what will happen next between these two nations, which are in fact one people, a situation that pits brother against sister, and one wonders - where is the love?
if we place our hope in circumstances there is little to hope in, because circumstances are constantly in flux, the world situation, and our own personal life situations - are always caught up between the ebb and flow, between tension and ease, between hardship and comfort. one day we feel on top of the world, and the next day the world feels on top of us. if our hope is simply that tomorrow will be a better day, if our hope is in changing circumstances, then that hope indeed is weak, and without foundation, and thus is no hope at all.
in the letter to the romans paul writes (15:4) “for whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” he is referring to the hebrew scriptures, but why is he telling us to look for instruction in the writings of days gone by? the old testatment is a collection of stories about struggle, times of shifting circumstances, not unlike our own time. in that case why study these writings? What is the encouragement we will find in them that “we might have hope”?
perhaps the reason to study them is exactly in the similarity, these ancient people lived in a world of uncertainty much as we do. what was the hope that enabled the ancient hebrews to endure in the face of exile, and in the face of return to their broken homeland, in the face of the ever shifting circumstances that is all of human history? in studying their stories we find that their hope was not in fate or circumstance or even in themselves, but in a God greater then themselves or the circumstances they found themselves in; a faithful God whose love was steadfast, which means a love that is fixed and focused and firmly planted. though the circumstances of the hebrews varied greatly, as our circumstances today vary, their hope, like their God, remained steadfast, enabling them to live through crisis and endure as a people.
in the next two verses paul offers a prayer which I find very interesting, (15:5, 6) “may the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, through Jesus Christ, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” now advent is a time we remember Emmanuel - the God who is with us, who came into our world in the person of Jesus Christ to experience with us the shifting circumstances of human life, both the joys of relationship and the heartache of broken trust; and to witness to us in the flesh the ever present reality of God. and even more, Christ came into the world, a world filled with all our individual and collective brokenness and sin, to welcome humanity into His life. through living in Him harmony is possible, even though our feelings and opinions may differ, because He is our harmony.
in musical terminology harmony refers to the combination of notes sounded simultaneously, different notes with different sounds that are played at the same time and yet work together to produce something beautiful - because they are combined within a structure which enables them to be different while at the same time sharing in a purpose – that is to make a beautiful noise. Christ is the harmony who takes our differences and constructs them together to make something beautiful. therein is our hope, and therein is the love which makes that hope a living hope rooted in the living God. through Jesus, our many and different notes blend into one voice giving glory to God.
but how does the harmony of our voice in Christ become real in this world of shifting circumstances? paul gives us the answer when he writes in the next verse, (15:7) “welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you”. according to random house, to welcome means “to receive or accept with pleasure; to regard another person as pleasant or good”. now Christ has come to welcome us into His life, and when we welcome Christ into our life we are freed from the bondage of selfishness that disables us from truly receiving another person. if Christ, who lives in us, has done this for us, then through Him we can do this for one another. thus the miracle of welcoming, which began in Christ continues to unfold in our world through Christ.
in welcoming us Jesus takes our uniqueness into the harmony of a diverse yet unified voice that gives glory to God. by welcoming us He frees our hearts, and in so doing we become open to welcome others into the life of Christ, into a living community of lovers. yes lovers, not lovers in a worldly sense, but true lovers of Christ, and through him lovers of one another, who welcome and accept one another in joy. we are able to welcome, and to love, because He first welcomed and loved us. it is in this welcoming love, and not in ever shifting circumstance, that we find the real hope - for our hope is in the love God has for us. real hope, real love, from the real God of all - who searches our hearts and calls us to be a people, and not just any people but the people of God in Christ.
so let us pray during this advent season and throughout our lives – (15:13) “may the God of hope fill each of us with all joy and peace in believing, so that each of us may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” and so we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and the Savior of the world, amen.
©2010 halley low
looking at the world stage things seem very frightening indeed. particularly at this moment with the uncertainty in korea. the relationship of the two koreas has been strained from the beginning of the armistice some 60 years ago. who knows what will happen next between these two nations, which are in fact one people, a situation that pits brother against sister, and one wonders - where is the love?
if we place our hope in circumstances there is little to hope in, because circumstances are constantly in flux, the world situation, and our own personal life situations - are always caught up between the ebb and flow, between tension and ease, between hardship and comfort. one day we feel on top of the world, and the next day the world feels on top of us. if our hope is simply that tomorrow will be a better day, if our hope is in changing circumstances, then that hope indeed is weak, and without foundation, and thus is no hope at all.
in the letter to the romans paul writes (15:4) “for whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.” he is referring to the hebrew scriptures, but why is he telling us to look for instruction in the writings of days gone by? the old testatment is a collection of stories about struggle, times of shifting circumstances, not unlike our own time. in that case why study these writings? What is the encouragement we will find in them that “we might have hope”?
perhaps the reason to study them is exactly in the similarity, these ancient people lived in a world of uncertainty much as we do. what was the hope that enabled the ancient hebrews to endure in the face of exile, and in the face of return to their broken homeland, in the face of the ever shifting circumstances that is all of human history? in studying their stories we find that their hope was not in fate or circumstance or even in themselves, but in a God greater then themselves or the circumstances they found themselves in; a faithful God whose love was steadfast, which means a love that is fixed and focused and firmly planted. though the circumstances of the hebrews varied greatly, as our circumstances today vary, their hope, like their God, remained steadfast, enabling them to live through crisis and endure as a people.
in the next two verses paul offers a prayer which I find very interesting, (15:5, 6) “may the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, through Jesus Christ, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” now advent is a time we remember Emmanuel - the God who is with us, who came into our world in the person of Jesus Christ to experience with us the shifting circumstances of human life, both the joys of relationship and the heartache of broken trust; and to witness to us in the flesh the ever present reality of God. and even more, Christ came into the world, a world filled with all our individual and collective brokenness and sin, to welcome humanity into His life. through living in Him harmony is possible, even though our feelings and opinions may differ, because He is our harmony.
in musical terminology harmony refers to the combination of notes sounded simultaneously, different notes with different sounds that are played at the same time and yet work together to produce something beautiful - because they are combined within a structure which enables them to be different while at the same time sharing in a purpose – that is to make a beautiful noise. Christ is the harmony who takes our differences and constructs them together to make something beautiful. therein is our hope, and therein is the love which makes that hope a living hope rooted in the living God. through Jesus, our many and different notes blend into one voice giving glory to God.
but how does the harmony of our voice in Christ become real in this world of shifting circumstances? paul gives us the answer when he writes in the next verse, (15:7) “welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you”. according to random house, to welcome means “to receive or accept with pleasure; to regard another person as pleasant or good”. now Christ has come to welcome us into His life, and when we welcome Christ into our life we are freed from the bondage of selfishness that disables us from truly receiving another person. if Christ, who lives in us, has done this for us, then through Him we can do this for one another. thus the miracle of welcoming, which began in Christ continues to unfold in our world through Christ.
in welcoming us Jesus takes our uniqueness into the harmony of a diverse yet unified voice that gives glory to God. by welcoming us He frees our hearts, and in so doing we become open to welcome others into the life of Christ, into a living community of lovers. yes lovers, not lovers in a worldly sense, but true lovers of Christ, and through him lovers of one another, who welcome and accept one another in joy. we are able to welcome, and to love, because He first welcomed and loved us. it is in this welcoming love, and not in ever shifting circumstance, that we find the real hope - for our hope is in the love God has for us. real hope, real love, from the real God of all - who searches our hearts and calls us to be a people, and not just any people but the people of God in Christ.
so let us pray during this advent season and throughout our lives – (15:13) “may the God of hope fill each of us with all joy and peace in believing, so that each of us may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” and so we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and the Savior of the world, amen.
©2010 halley low
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