Just when you thought you had a good grasp of what Christmas is all about, allow your mental apple cart to be jostled a bit.
This is not your average cherub!
In this detail from Meister Bertram’s 14th-century Annunciation scene, the baby Jesus flies down from heaven on the back of a cross. Jesus’ is pushed along by God the Father’s guiding hand, led by the Dove of the Holy Spirit.
This portion of the painting reflects ancient and medieval understandings that the whole of salvation is bound together.
Christmas is the beginning of our salvation.
Jesus’s birth and death are two sides of the same coin of God’s message of the redemption of [Meister Bertram von Minden, St. Peter’s, humanity.
Hamburg/The Grabower Altar, c. 1380]
Long before Christianity was the religion of Rome, Jesus’ birth was celebrated on December 25, recognizing the beginning of the cycle of salvation; conception and birth into earthly life and death and resurrection into life eternal.
Interestingly enough, the early church celebrated Jesus’ conception and death on the same calendar day: March 25, exactly nine months before December 25. Around 200 A.D. Tertullian of Carthage reported the calculation that the 14th of Nisan (the day of the crucifixion according to the Gospel of John) in the year Jesus died was equivalent to March 25 in the Roman (solar) calendar. March 25 is, of course, nine months before December 25, it was later recognized as the Feast of the Annunciation—the commemoration of Jesus’ conception. Thus, Jesus was believed to have been conceived and crucified on the same day of the year.1
Connecting Jesus’ conception and death like this certainly might seem odd to our modern minds, but it reflects a long standing Christian conviction of the whole of God’s salvation being bound together. Christmas is a reminder that Jesus’ birth brings the promise of salvation through his death and resurrection.
Rather than Christmas displacing the Roman “Saturnalia” celebration, and more than the holiday serving as an excuse for manic consumerism, December 25 is a day of celebrating God’s saving arrival in our lives, now and always.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Do I Care?
Do I really care,
which calendar Luke was using,
whether his governors, princes, and priests
are accurate in every detail,
and whether John went to the desert
in October,March, or June?
All I need to know
is that around that time
and about that place,
a voice cried out in the desert.
Now I need to decide
whether to listen
and act on it.
And what I know is this-
God cares
what I do.
Amen.
“In the fifteenth year of the emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, when Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip prince of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias prince of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
And he went all over the Jordan valley proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and all mankind shall see God’s deliverance.’ Luke 3:1–3
(adapted from Brian Wren: Advent, Christmas and Epiphany:Westminster John Knox Press, 2008)
which calendar Luke was using,
whether his governors, princes, and priests
are accurate in every detail,
and whether John went to the desert
in October,March, or June?
All I need to know
is that around that time
and about that place,
a voice cried out in the desert.
Now I need to decide
whether to listen
and act on it.
And what I know is this-
God cares
what I do.
Amen.
“In the fifteenth year of the emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judaea, when Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip prince of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias prince of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
And he went all over the Jordan valley proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, and all mankind shall see God’s deliverance.’ Luke 3:1–3
(adapted from Brian Wren: Advent, Christmas and Epiphany:Westminster John Knox Press, 2008)
Friday, November 27, 2009
the advent of our redemption
In this Season when our hope is to be renewed,
its not unusual to feel a shiver of familiarity
in a sense of foreboding in the air.
Might it be that Your kingdom
comes to every age of great anxiety;
that our finite, short term, fleeting hopes-
of success, acceptance, acclaim, will be swallowed up
in the approaching tempest which lays beyond all resistance?
Lord, open my eyes to recognize
that through You all will be made complete;
and my small attempts to do what is right
will be added to the mixture of your completion-
setting this blessed yet teetering world right.
Lead me, Lord, to greater hope in You which never fails,
grows ever stronger as the world about grows colder
and the lights begin to fade.
Let my hope in Your Holy Child
lighten my darkness and warm my winter with penetrating mercy.
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:25,28
its not unusual to feel a shiver of familiarity
in a sense of foreboding in the air.
Might it be that Your kingdom
comes to every age of great anxiety;
that our finite, short term, fleeting hopes-
of success, acceptance, acclaim, will be swallowed up
in the approaching tempest which lays beyond all resistance?
Lord, open my eyes to recognize
that through You all will be made complete;
and my small attempts to do what is right
will be added to the mixture of your completion-
setting this blessed yet teetering world right.
Lead me, Lord, to greater hope in You which never fails,
grows ever stronger as the world about grows colder
and the lights begin to fade.
Let my hope in Your Holy Child
lighten my darkness and warm my winter with penetrating mercy.
“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 21:25,28
Friday, November 20, 2009
A prayer/poem for Christ the King Sunday, November 22, 2009
The King and I
neither old, or dead, nor robed in satin with ermine trim,
not now collecting dust on the bookshelf of history,
this King is willing and ready to stop, look and listen.
needing no man or maidservant, stepping down from his throne
into the mud of my life,
despite my weaknesses and grudges,
working in me, remaking me, bit by bit, day by day.
in a world of rough and tumble living, claims of power attract.
Your message, King Jesus, is clothed in humility, you claim nothing
but a desire for my soul to be given over to the point of deepest need.
You are a mirror to the unknown territory of my heart.
no muscle here, no force,
only the magnetism of your holiness in flesh and blood,
drawing me toward your way.
Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37
neither old, or dead, nor robed in satin with ermine trim,
not now collecting dust on the bookshelf of history,
this King is willing and ready to stop, look and listen.
needing no man or maidservant, stepping down from his throne
into the mud of my life,
despite my weaknesses and grudges,
working in me, remaking me, bit by bit, day by day.
in a world of rough and tumble living, claims of power attract.
Your message, King Jesus, is clothed in humility, you claim nothing
but a desire for my soul to be given over to the point of deepest need.
You are a mirror to the unknown territory of my heart.
no muscle here, no force,
only the magnetism of your holiness in flesh and blood,
drawing me toward your way.
Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” John 18:37
Friday, November 13, 2009
(not so) Ordinary Lives
For rarely seen sides of life,
sometimes quickly dismissed;
partially forgotten, except that the memories
keep coming back, we not only give thanks,
we treasure each of these special moments.
And the meaning of what is remembered
grows with time.
A promise made, a commitment affirmed, an honor bestowed, a time when we somehow - with God’s grace- stepped up to the plate and did what was right.
We said the right thing (even quietly, with a tremble in our heart), we did the courageous thing (even though it was very small). Living at the intersection of power and humility, all these moments mature in us.
Whether by sudden heroism, or solid integrity, grant us the continuing patience to await for the moment that we may reclaim these moments, and in their arrival, may we have the courage to let the lessons learned be lived out,
in our giving back to You,
with these lives you have given us.
Amen.
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Colossians 3:12
sometimes quickly dismissed;
partially forgotten, except that the memories
keep coming back, we not only give thanks,
we treasure each of these special moments.
And the meaning of what is remembered
grows with time.
A promise made, a commitment affirmed, an honor bestowed, a time when we somehow - with God’s grace- stepped up to the plate and did what was right.
We said the right thing (even quietly, with a tremble in our heart), we did the courageous thing (even though it was very small). Living at the intersection of power and humility, all these moments mature in us.
Whether by sudden heroism, or solid integrity, grant us the continuing patience to await for the moment that we may reclaim these moments, and in their arrival, may we have the courage to let the lessons learned be lived out,
in our giving back to You,
with these lives you have given us.
Amen.
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Colossians 3:12
Thursday, October 8, 2009
May this Church
May this Church
May this church shelter and nurture life;
when you arrive, may all the weight of the world fall from your
shoulders.
May this church be a safe place, full of understanding and acceptance;
where we can be as we are made to be;
where we can see others through God’s eyes,
and God will show us ourselves with love;
where we can learn to practice what we preach without any mask or
pretense.
May we continue to have eyes to see that no visitor arrives without a
welcome and no guest leaves without a blessing.
May there be continued delight in this fellowship, as we serve as a
house of welcome for the broken and diminished.
May this church be a place of courage; where healing and growth are loved, where dignity and forgiveness prevail, where the patience of the Spirit is prized and the sight of our destination is never lost.
May this church be a home where the possibilities that sleep
in the depth of our souls emerge to refine our vision
for all that is yet to come. Amen.
May this church shelter and nurture life;
when you arrive, may all the weight of the world fall from your
shoulders.
May this church be a safe place, full of understanding and acceptance;
where we can be as we are made to be;
where we can see others through God’s eyes,
and God will show us ourselves with love;
where we can learn to practice what we preach without any mask or
pretense.
May we continue to have eyes to see that no visitor arrives without a
welcome and no guest leaves without a blessing.
May there be continued delight in this fellowship, as we serve as a
house of welcome for the broken and diminished.
May this church be a place of courage; where healing and growth are loved, where dignity and forgiveness prevail, where the patience of the Spirit is prized and the sight of our destination is never lost.
May this church be a home where the possibilities that sleep
in the depth of our souls emerge to refine our vision
for all that is yet to come. Amen.
Friday, October 2, 2009
The Weight of God's Intent
The notion
that the eternal fate
of people
swings on whether
one decides to allow Jesus Christ
into their heart
is ruthlessly
individualistic
and runs counter
to the biblical hope of a new creation.
Putting the weight
of God’s intent to redeem creation
on a series of personal choices
is something like
a man in a cottage
on the coast of Normandy in June of 1944,
as the Allied forces swept across the beaches,
thinking that he had to choose
to be liberated or not.
“Train yourselves in godliness, for while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:7b-10
that the eternal fate
of people
swings on whether
one decides to allow Jesus Christ
into their heart
is ruthlessly
individualistic
and runs counter
to the biblical hope of a new creation.
Putting the weight
of God’s intent to redeem creation
on a series of personal choices
is something like
a man in a cottage
on the coast of Normandy in June of 1944,
as the Allied forces swept across the beaches,
thinking that he had to choose
to be liberated or not.
“Train yourselves in godliness, for while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” 1 Timothy 4:7b-10
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