To: Yeshua, my step-son and the Light of my life.
My Dear Yeshua,
I write you this letter, because I am dying and I wanted to leave you a record of things you could not know. Your mother and I have kept these things from you, waiting until we thought you were ready. However, it seems that from a young age you already sensed who you are and the destiny that beckons you. Still, I believe you will appreciate knowing certain events surrounding your birth and early life.
I left off working an hour before sundown, the beginning of another Shabbat. Passing through the marketplace I overheard two women talking. I’m sure they raised their voices to make certain I could catch every word.
“She seemed like such a nice girl,” one of them said, with a voice that clucked like a chicken.
“Yes, and from a decent family,” said the other, whose face was round like an owl’s.
“She was supposed to marry the carpenter. Their parents had arranged everything. But it’s just so sad,” clucked the first woman.
“Yes, sad. Sad that she would ruin everything by getting herself pregnant.”
Yeshua, I hope you never experience such heartache and anger. Of course, I did not believe what they were saying, but I was compelled to run straight to your mother’s house. Your grandparents told me your mom had gone off to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was in need of a helper. I thought I would go insane if I did not get answers right then, so even though it was rude, I asked them straight-out, “Is it true? Is Mary pregnant?”
Their sad faces confirmed the worst. “Joseph,” your grandmother cried, “you must listen to us.” But I had already turned my back and was rushing home. I did not care that the sun had set, Shabbat had begun, and running at that hour was unlawful. My world imploded and everything around me was crashing.
I know it’s been hard for you at times; the looks people gave you in the synagogue or the teasing and taunting of other children. But now I will tell you one of the secrets I kept from you from you all these years.
Sleep that night seemed impossible. I cried and cussed and kicked furniture around my room. I laid awake, torturing myself with visions of your mother in the arms of another man. Perhaps exhausted from grief and rage, my body finally relaxed and I slept. But in my sleep I received a visitor. God sent an angel to me. These are his exact words:
“Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the Child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Yeshua, because he will save his people from their sins.”
That’s right, an angel named you.
The next time I saw your mother, her eyes were filled with fear and pain. But before she could speak, I took her in my arms and said, “It’s alright, Mary. God sent an angel to me who explained everything.” That’s all I could say, because my throat grew tight when I felt your mother’s warm tears on my neck.
The trip to Bethlehem was very hard. We had to travel short distances and then rest. Your mother never complained, but she walked bent forward much of the time, and I hear an occasional groan. It was obvious that you were anxious to be born and you were not going to wait for us to settle somewhere comfy.
I was not happy about returning to Bethlehem. My family escaped that dirty, little village a few generations before I was born. We enjoyed the freer lifestyle up north, far away from the city of Jerusalem with it’s stupid politics and pompous hypocrites.
Yeshua, there was only one building in Bethlehem that you could call an inn, and it was crowded with people who got there before us. I went to taverns and even door to door hoping that someone would make room for us. Mary sat all day in the open square where visitors are usually greeted and offered hospitality. But there were too many guests and Bethlehem had no room for them all.
Oh, Yeshua, when a family is worn out and beaten down, even the smallest kindness seem like a priceless gift. I hope you always remember to be kind and good. I know that you will be true and righteous, but what people need more than anything is compassion.
A farmer had seen us on his way to the marketplace and when heading home he noticed we were still by the well. “What? No one has taken you in?” he asked. “Then come with me. you can at least spend a night in my stable.” His friendly voice lifted our spirits, and we thanked him over and over all the way to the stall in the field behind his house.
We had to duck our heads as we stepped inside. Then your mother grabbed my arm and said, “Joseph!” I could hear they urgency of her voice and she eased herself to the floor. Our host quickly drove the animals from the stable and called for his wife. She came running from the house and let out a yelp when she saw your mother tense and contracted on the ground.
I felt helpless and powerless. I took straw from the food trough and carried it outside for the livestock. Soon two or three other women from nearby homes were busy tending to your mother. Clay lamps were brought into the stall, because it was now dark. I stood in the doorway, ready to run and fetch anything they might need. But the women were calm and had everything under control. A short while later—well, there you were.
I had never been present for childbirth, so I thought something was wrong at first. Your face was red and all scrunched up. Your dark hair was flattened to your wet scalp. But the women were fussing over you—how perfect you were, how you had your mother’s eyes and your father’s strong hands. So I assumed you must be alright.
They bundled you warmly and let you nurse at your mother’s breast. It was not long before the two of you were fast asleep. Your mom, exhausted from traveling and travailing and you worn out from squirming your way into this world. I laid you in the food trough, then laid down beside your mother. I started a prayer for her and you, but drifted off into a deep sleep.
It was still early—long before the sun came up—when I was awakened by a blast of cold air. Your mother woke up and said, “Joseph?” There was someone standing in the doorway. “Who’s there?” I asked, and I tried to sound dangerous.
“Please”—it was a man’s voice—“is there a baby in here?”
Again Mary called my name, and she grabbed my hand in the dark. “Who are you?” I asked again. “What are you doing here?”
“We were sent by angels!”
“What?”
“We’ve seen angels and they sent us here.”
By now our host had come from the house with a torch. “You there,” he said. “What do you want?” The door closed and we could hear voices talking indistinctly outside. I struck a light and put on a lamp. You began crying, so your mother took you in her arms and soothed you with her voice and fingertips.
The door opened again and the guest let four scruffy-looking shepherds into the stable. “What are you doing?” I asked.
His face was serious. “You need to hear this,” he answered.
The shepherds were staring at you with these silly grins on their faces. Their eyes looked like alabaster illuminated by an inner joy.
The oldest shepherd spoke, “We saw angels,” he said. “First one, then a whole army of them. Their voices thundered in the hills and if our sheep had not been in the fold, they would have scattered in all directions. The angels sang, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.’”
A younger shepherd interrupted, “The first angel said he brought us good news that would make everyone very happy. He told us, ‘Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.’ That’s when he informed us that we would find the baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Isn’t that funny?”
Yeshua, your Father sent his angels to announce your birth. Nothing else about your birth was fancy. Everything was dirt-poor. There was nothing royal, dignified, beautiful or even cutesy about your delivery room. But your Father arranged a huge choir, greater than a Roman Legion, to announce to shepherds that you had come to earth.
And that is the secret I can keep no longer. I wish that I could live to see you begin your ministry. But God has different plans. I leave your mother in your care. Of course your step-brothers and sisters will help when they get a little older. By then you will be on your own.
But I tell you these things to confirm what you feel in your heart and what you have heard in your soul when you’ve walked the hills by yourself. I know that already you are close to God, and he meets you in your prayers. I know he has already told you things, though you’ve kept them from us. I trust your wisdom. But you need to know the miracles that surrounded your birth. you are human, like the rest of us. That is why you feel pain, and sadness, and humiliation. But you are also divine, the Son of God. And that is why you are Yeshua.
I would give you my blessing, but will save them for your brothers instead, because one day soon you will receive a blessing from heaven that will be greater than anything a step-father could give you.
Yeshua, I don’t pretend to know everything God has in store for you. I don’t know what joys you will experience or what pain you must suffer. Your face is still smooth and radiant with the light of youth and your eyes are clear and strong. But one day you will know the full burden of your destiny. When that day comes, be strong. Somehow you will save your people. Somehow you will bring hope to all the earth. Every broken heart, every sick body, every wayward person, every lost child will rejoice in your love and power.
The shepherds said such things. The magi said such things. The angels said such things. And I tell you such things. This is truth. The eyes of the world will be upon you—you who are God’s gift to the earth.
Take care, Yeshua. Know that I have loved you, and that in every way you have made me proud. Never forget that you are a miracle.
Your loving step-father,
Joseph
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is might has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Luke 1:46-55
Intro: I won’t say this episode within the Christmas story has been neglected,
But it doesn’t get as much attention as the more familiar scenes
– it unfolds in a warm and intimate atmosphere
• the two women are relatives–both received a miracle
◦ both have been surprised by unexpected pregnancies
• we have no details of their time together, only their greetings,
◦ and each greeting is an eruption of joy and wonder
– Elizabeth’s greeting hints at the mystery Mary carries in her womb
And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (v. 43)
• Mary’s response is nothing less than an inspired song,
◦ like one of the Psalms in the Hebrew Scriptures
• you know you’ve caught the mood of this story if when reading it you smile
I am going to zero in on one particular line that Mary sings
. . . he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts
My first impression of this statement is that it is prophetic
– Mary celebrates a future as if it were already present
• it describes one of the social upheavals her Child will cause
My next impression: the world will be better for it
– the day when the plans of narcissistic leaders are foiled
A third impression: Mary is traveling familiar territory
– last week I mentioned the two times we are told,
• she treasured a memory and pondered it in her heart
• Mary’s life will affect the realm of inner thoughts
Now we’ll jump from this lovely encounter to the temple
I mentioned Simeon last week, who took Jesus into his arms,
– and prayed over him
• birth and death are featured in this encounter
• a birth is celebrated, a death is anticipated
◦ the one is connected to the other
◦ a peaceful death is possible because of the divine birth
Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that the thoughts from many hearts may be revealed (Lk. 2:34-35)
• Simeon’s prediction: Jesus will be a sign
◦ a sign doesn’t make things happen; it simply points out what’s there
• by his very presence, Jesus would expose what was in the hearts of many
I have taken that last line for our meditation today
that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed
– there are moments in Luke where we observe this happen–literally
• once when Jesus perceived the thoughts of the scribes and Pharisees,
◦ Luke says he “answered” them – they were thinking something, but had not said anything
◦ in other words, Jesus answered their thoughts as if they had spoken them out loud!
Why do you question in your hearts? (Lk. 5:22)
• another time when they were looking for a reason to reject him,
Jesus knew their thoughts (Lk. 6:8)
• and again, when they slandered him and pestered him for a sign from heaven
But he, knowing their thoughts addressed their criticism (Lk. 11:17)
• another time it was the disciples he corrected
◦ they were arguing over which one of them was the greatest
But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child . . . . (Lk. 9:47)
• one time Jesus told the Pharisees explicitly,
You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts (Lk. 16:15)
I have a book written by a Benedictine Nun, Thoughts Matter
Sister Mary Margaret tells a story regarding Abba Anthony
– in order to know God as fully as possible,
• he renounced everything in his worldly life; home, wealth, honors, etc.
◦ but when he was alone in the desert, he realized
◦ he the thoughts of those things he renounced followed him
• this required a second renunciation — a renunciation of his thoughts
Mary Margaret Funk, “He realized that his thoughts mattered and that they had to be taken seriously, because if he did not take them seriously, he could not pray. He began to train himself to notice his thoughts, laying them out, rather than resisting them. . . . [he] learned to redirect his thoughts, either by rethinking them or by placing a prayer alongside the thought.”
◦ later she explains
“To know our thoughts is an essential step in redirecting our heart to God in prayer.”
– Fr. Romuald once explained to me, “I am not my thoughts. I am not my feelings.”
• this is an important lesson to learn – we cannot allow our thoughts define who we are
◦ but still, our thoughts matter – true thoughts assist, strengthen, and refresh us
. . . whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things (Php. 4:8)
◦ thoughts that are untrue can trip us up, mislead and ruin us
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ (2 Cor. 10:5)
• fearful, anxious, shameful thoughts can twist our minds
◦ convince us that we’re worthless, irredeemable, hopeless
I’m going to share a few of my thoughts about thoughts
I don’t expect you to remember this list, but I hope you feel it
• Thoughts are not insignificant – they deserve our concern
◦ our unconscious thoughts run our lives
◦ they will bring us closer to God or carry us away from him
• Thoughts are not inert – they are dynamic, a mental energy
• We do not always know our own thoughts
◦ we get lost in them rather than look at them
◦ sometimes another person makes us aware of them
◦ we can learn to make ourselves aware of our thoughts
• When our thoughts are revealed, we’re responsible to own them
◦ we can discern our thoughts–choose to keep or dismiss them
◦ we can choose to think new thoughts
• Busy, shallow thoughts can distract us from our deeper selves
• We don’t have to fight horrific battles against thoughts in our mind
Sister Mary Margaret, “Thoughts come and thoughts go. Unaccompanied thoughts pass quickly.”
◦ if we do not engage a thought, it will dissolve on its own
• Our thoughts are a key issue in our spiritual development
◦ Jesus reveals our thoughts to renovate our minds
◦ a purification of our thoughts improves our vision of God
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God (Mt. 5:8)
• God throws us a challenge to think higher thoughts
. . . let the wicked forsake his way,
and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts
neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isa. 55:7-9)
◦ God tells the wicked person, “Your actions are wrong”
◦ he tells the unrighteous person, “Your thoughts are wrong”
• It is possible to transcend thought
◦ to be in pure awareness of the experience of the present moment
◦ to enter the mystery that is the kingdom of God
I’m going to turn now and come at this another way
This last week, reading in Luke I came across the following statement:
. . . where your treasure is, there will your heart be also (Lk. 12:34)
I asked myself, “How do I know where my heart is?”
• What thoughts come to me most often?
• What thoughts do I use to console myself? (e.g., “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you” ; Ge. 27:42)
• What thoughts do I use to entertain myself?
• What thoughts give me hope?
• What thoughts trouble me?
• What do I think would make me happy?
• What am I thinking right this moment?
– the answer to each question reveals where my heart is
– my heart thoughts swirl around whatever I treasure
Conclusion: I’ve been trying to imagine, what would it be like
To have Jesus on my mind all day
– would I be more aware of how he blesses me than how others annoy me?
What would it be like to love him so much,
to be so enthralled with him that he was always present to me,
and my thoughts automatically returned to him–always
I imagine, that would be the best Christmas gift I could ever receive
My Christmas wish–my prayer–
is that each of us will enjoy a day like that;
a day when Jesus is everything to us
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen (Romans 11:36)
Midwifery and Cosmology
Your mother’s rapid panting—then a deep breath—more panting—deep breath—panting—breath; so it went on half the night. How many repetitions? I have forgotten. Then, there was You. Your first breath. You gulped life and Your cheeks flushed. Never had I seen anything so beautiful, so perfect. I have never since heard music so lovely as Your first cry.
That night’s business should have been old hat for me. After all, I assisted mothers for fifteen years from Hebron to Bethlehem, and was present for more than two dozens births. You would think a midwife could no longer get caught up in the excitement, be surprised, or bowled over by the stunning splendor of a live birth. But there is always risk and there is always the loving anticipation of the parents. As rough as my heart could get at times, I still marveled at the crowning head and the tiny form of a new life. Though, truth to tell, there was something extra-special about Your birth.
Your father was anxious. If he wasn’t asking me questions, he was telling me what to do. I finally barked at him, “Will you please shut up?” But he would not, he could not. So I sent him to the well for more water even though my jar in the corner was still full. And that is why he was outside when Your mother gave one last grunt and shoved You out of Your warm little nest.
What hour was it when You made Your grand entrance into the world? I cannot remember that either. I only recall the cold. Your father had stuffed fabric from his broad sash and turban into the spaces between the wooden planks of the door. He laid rocks in a small circle and kept a fire in the center of the stall, and then made certain Your mother was comfortably close to the flame.
He must have run from the well when he heard Your cry, because he burst through the door, water sloshing from the jar in his arms. You were lying next to Your mother and if I didn’t know better I would say You were looking in her eyes. I know she was staring into Yours. Your father knelt behind her and both their faces were lined with gentle, joyful smiles. There is no treasure in the world that can purchase the happiness of that moment.
I added wood to the fire. Then, my work being done for the moment, I walked to the doorway. I turned to look once more at Your parents who were cooing in Your ears and gently smoothing Your wispy black hair or touching Your fingers. Their faces were yellow in the flickering light, but even brighter was the inner glow pouring through their eyes. Since it was obvious that I would not be needed for awhile, I opened the door and went out.
The cold air refreshed my weary body. I stretched my tired limbs, tilted my head back, and rubbed my eyes. When I opened them, I was looking at millions of sparkling jewels scattered on a vast, shadowed sky. Had there ever been so many stars? Were new stars born that night? Did old stars hobble out of some dark chamber in space to look at Your ruddy little face?
The chill came through my thick winter cloak, but I was not yet ready to leave the stars. That night each star had a voice. Some were singing, some chanting, a few were preaching, others whispered. A message was pulsating to earth, “Good tidings,” the stars sang. “Great joy,” they chanted. “To you is born a Savior,” the galaxies announced. “Glory to God in the highest,” was whispered through the sky, “Peace on earth.” And those trillions of voices blended in a harmony so delicious that it sucked the air out of my lungs.
Stars had never spoken to me before, and they haven’t spoken to me since—even though I have eagerly listened. But they had a message to deliver to the world when You arrived. And my heart was ready to receive it. I was so lost in their bright voices, that before I had even noticed those noisy, clumsy shepherds crowded around the doorway of Your rustic delivery room. Of course it was my job to keep a secure perimeter, so I was upset with myself that they got past me on my watch.
The stars were still shivering above me when I heard the word, angel! I swung around and saw them, those dirty, awkward shepherds. There’s a reason why us villagers like to keep those perpetual adolescents out on the hillsides and off our streets. But there they were gawking at You and I was too late to stop them. Your father ignored them—he was obsessed with You—, but Your mother listened to them intently, as if treasuring every word.
I know how these things go. Even much later, she would remember every detail of Your birth. She would remember the shepherds well, and most likely each of their names. After many years she would still recall the outrageous story they told. For I was not the only person who heard the stars that night.
Was the world ready for You? The stars were ready. But were kings ready to lay their crowns at Your feet? Were poets ready to dedicate all their works to You? Were soldiers willing to drop their weapons and embrace Your peace? Were celebrities ready to honor You above themselves? Were we ready to stop hating, stop lying, stop cheating, stop pretending, stop grasping for evaporating promises of happiness? Stop the wars and the poverty and begin loving?
Perhaps.
The stars could tell us, but their voices are still. Why did they stop singing, chanting, preaching, and whispering? Because they heard Your voice. They heard Your first cry. They heard Your adolescent wisdom in the temple. They heard Your illuminating discourse on the mountainside. They heard Your invitation to the weary, the poor, the outcast, the prodigal. They heard the silver timbre of Your voice and went silent.
If there is one brightest star in the universe—and certainly there must be one brightest star—then it probably dimmed the night You were born. Nothing was ever brighter than the light You brought into the world. Were we illuminated by Your light, or blinded by it? Why did we feel we had to put it out?
Starry night. Yes, I remember it. I remember the young, dirt-poor woman who had nothing to give You the night of Your birth—nothing but herself. And she gave You that completely. I remember the carpenter with calloused hands and muscular arms, who held You as gingerly as if You were made of crystal. I remember the silly shepherds and the impossible story they told. Most of all—I remember the stars. They sang to me. They sang to the world, but I do not know if anyone else even heard them. I heard. I listened, and I believed them. I believe You.In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. Luke 1:26-29
Intro: I know — this is a strange place to stop reading
These few verses are a small piece of story surrounding Jesus’ birth,
– many big things take place in this long chapter,
• so it is easy to skim this short scene and get to the action
• but I think it may do us some good to linger here awhile
There is something odd about Mary’s reaction
I’ll show you why – earlier, the same angel appeared to Zechariah
– even before the angel spoke
Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him (v. 12)
• later on, an angel appeared to shepherds, and immediately
they were filled with great fear (2:9)
◦ this is typical of angel sightings in scripture — angels frightened people
• now here in our verses, an angel appears to Mary
◦ she also reacts – but not to the angel!
– it wasn’t his presence, but his opening line that troubled her
Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!
• Luke tells us, she was greatly troubled at the saying
◦ and she began wrestling with what sort of greeting this might be
Centuries prior to this story, someone else had a similar encounter
– Israel had been conquered and oppressed by a powerful nation
• the character in this episode was Gideon – a angel appeared to him and said,
The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor (Jdgs. 6:12)
◦ when you read his story, you discover Gideon was anything but a man of valor
• Gideon’s response reveals the despair of his people
Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? (Jdgs. 6:13)
– Mary did not respond with words as Gideon had
• instead, her response was with concerns and thoughts
• she was troubled, not because she knew what was coming next,
◦ but because she had no idea where this was going
• I think most of us would wonder, Why me?
◦ “Favored one? I’ve never done anything to distinguish myself. How did you get my address?”
As we get to know Mary, we will discover this trait in her
That she was a deep thinker – held things close to her heart
– after the shepherds found their way to her, Joseph, and the baby,
• they went away telling everyone what they had seen
And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things pondering them in her heart (Lk. 2:18-19)
• then when Jesus was twelve and had given her and Joseph a scare,
. . . they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. . . . And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart (Lk. 2:49-51)
– mothers are frequently the family historians
• the ones who put together the photograph albums
◦ who cherish the special memories and tell the stories
• of course, for Mary this became a journey of discovery
◦ and along the way, she paused to contemplate the meaning of things
At the outset, Mary’s experience was not wonderful
It wasn’t like unwrapping a Christmas gift to find exactly what you wanted
– it was disturbing and unsettling
• God’s will for us sometimes affects us this way
◦ whether we are thrown into it or choose to step into it
• our predictable routines are disrupted
◦ the future we had planned for ourselves dissolves
◦ instead of knowing where we’ll be tomorrow, we are uncertain
– do you ever wonder if God has a purpose for your life?
• whether he is in control or things just happen randomly?
• even if you cruise along for awhile and life is going well,
◦ if there’s a sudden and unexpected deviation, a hardship or loss
◦ and it seems to have no rational place in your imagined world,
it can make you wonder if there is a purpose for any of it
At that point, a lot of people give up on God
– they may still go to church, pray before meals, donate to charities
• but they don’t believe their lives serve a spiritual purpose
• and they don’t trust God for every detail of their lives
– if ever we are tempted to think faith and trust are easy,
• all we have to do is follow just one character in the Bible
◦ even those on whom God poured out his love,
◦ their safety and security were not guaranteed (think of Job!)
• God does have a vision for each of us
◦ we do not have to understand all that happens, but we have to trust
◦ he can work with everything that enters our story
God lets nothing go to waste
The angel immediately reassured Mary
Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God
– “It’s true, from now on you will not have a normal life,
• but you have been graced by God”
◦ that is the meaning of the word “favor”
◦ verse 28, “graced one” and verse 30, “found grace with God”
• God’s grace will carry you through all that comes at you
– remember the annoyance Paul called his thorn in the flesh?
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:8-9)
• personally, I don’t want to believe this
• I want to believe that if things get really bad, it’s okay for me give up
◦ but by this point in my life, I know better
◦ I’ve witnessed God’s grace too many times to give up
Do not be afraid, Mary – on the other hand, be terrified
– your destiny has arrived at your front door
• it will seem an impossibility to bear
• but God will support you through all of it
– your destiny is worth giving up the life you dreamed for self
• it will be worth the suffering
• God will be gracious to you all the way through
◦ this is the new condition of your life–grace
◦ God bring his purpose for you to fruition by his grace
I am not trying to throw cold water on our holiday spirit
But the thing is, we do not know Christmas if we leave out the cross
• the cross cuts through everything
• when Jesus was only eight days old,
◦ the happy couple brought him to temple to present him to the Lord
◦ we’ll meet old Simeon next week, but he was there and predicted Jesus’ future
He also told Mary, a sword will pierce through your own soul also (Lk. 2:35)
– what kind of pain pierces all the way down into the soul?
• not physical pain, but emotional pain
• the grief of seeing a loved one suffer – the grief of loss
Viktor Frankl discovered that people can survive pain and suffering,
– if they can find a meaning for it or in it
• those who research pain tell us that, “the symptom serves a function”
Jake Caldwell, “Bodily suffering is the refusal of the body to be ignored and treated like a lifeless machine, and is the refusal of the soul to be ignored and forgotten . . .”
• pain has a story to tell us, and we can learn to listen to it
Caldwell, “If nothing else, illness should change us, make us wiser and deeper. We come back, if we come back, with a deepened experience of life. We will never be the same.”
Thomas Moore, “If we allow sickness to lead us into wonder about the very base of experience, then our spirituality is strengthened. Accepting that we are wounded, we enter life differently.”
– in Genesis we read about Jacob after wrestling with God
• he emerged from that match wounded but changed
◦ God gave him a new name, which is equivalent to a new identity and destiny
◦ God also gave him a permanent disability–his limp
What did we do for our children when they complained about some of their pains?
– we told them, “Those are growing pains”
• we gave their pain a meaning
– the cross is a mystery – it is a surgical instrument
• it cuts in order to heal, it kills in order to give life
• it tells us we are experiencing growing pains
Conclusion: When I was kid I read stories about children in other countries
That in some places, they would leave their boots outside their homes
– then when St. Nicholas came by he would leave them a gift in their boots
• that gift, for instance could be an orange
• when I read that, I thought, “What a rip-off!”
Before the United States commercialized Christmas,
it was not all about materialist gift-giving
Christmas was focused on our longing for Jesus
and our joyous celebration of “God with us”
An orange was a good-enough present,
because what matter most was the Infinite coming to us as an infant
Can we recover that simplicity?
If I tell you, all I want for Christmas this year is an orange,
I’m saying I want to spend Christmas with Jesus
I want to approach the manger, but stay near the cross
The one brings God to us, and the other brings us to God
[Please read] Matthew 1:18-24
Intro: Because of my irrational need to justify myself at all times,
I want you to know I was not goofing off last Sunday
– I was invited to be a guest speaker in a church
• the people there were gracious and my talk went okay
◦ but something surprised me
• the worship team had prepared several Christmas carols
◦ although they were familiar, certain phrases hit me as if for first time
◦ I thought, “What have we been singing all these years? Why is it just now that I’m hearing this? And why am I so moved by it?”
– I will give you one example – “Hark, the Heard Angels Sing”
Hail, the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings, Risen with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by, Born that man no more may die,
Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth,
Hark! The herald angels sing, “Glory to the new-born King”
• in the line, “born to raise the sons of earth” “sons” is, of course, generic
◦ this is what we are; physical beings drawn from the earth,
◦ made of same stuff as our planet – earthlings
• we would be earth-bound if God had not revealed more,
◦ if he had not shared with us his own Spirit, and life in the Spirit
◦ if not for Jesus, we’d have come from dust and returned to dust
So maybe I’m suffering from a bout of Christmas nostalgia
Here I am today, and don’t feel like talking about anything profound
– as much as I am enchanted at the concept of the Incarnation,
• I don’t want to talk the theology of Christmas
– so, from now to the end of the year, my talks will be devotional
• I want to reflect on Christmas with you
• so let’s unwrap this “gift” over the next four weeks
The story of Christmas begins in the Hebrew Scriptures
If we think about it, what comes to mind might be Isaiah’s words
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forever more.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this (Isa. 9:6-7)
– or we could remember the prophecy in Micah
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days (Mic. 5:2)
• but I am thinking of a passage written centuries before that
[please read] Genesis 3:1-19, 22-24
– if the first two chapters of Genesis tell us the universe exists because God “created” it,
• chapter 3 explains how evil entered the world
(the Hebrew word translated evil is rah and rarely refers to evil as a moral category. Rather, evil can be any sort of suffering or unfortunate situation including poor health, personal injury, loss of property or loved ones, and so on)
◦ the story begins when a new character is introduced and strikes up a conversation with Eve
• the snake wants to talk theology
◦ he begins as if he has a real interest in God’s word
◦ but he immediately questions God’s word, and then denies it
The strategy the snake uses is really this old
– there has always been someone willing to be the devil’s advocate
• “You think you know God, but you don’t, really. I’ve studied this, looked at its history, read it in the original languages. You won’t hear the truth from your priests or preachers”
• even if you walk away thinking, “What a creep!”
◦ that person has planted a seed of doubt
– the first man and woman were deceived
• they chose to ignore God’s word – to go against it
• what their enlightenment gave them was the curse – evil
◦ up till now they had only known one half of the truth
But it is within the curse that we find the first promise of Christmas
– the woman would bring a son into the world
• one who would put an end to the snake,
• and undo the evil that had been unleashed on the earth
This is the first promise of a Christmas
The first glimmer of hope that will shine over Bethlehem
– the first note of the song,
Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased (Lk. 2:14)
– the two historic events are connected
• the story of Christmas is a response to the story of the curse
• I want to point out some of the parallels I see between the two stories
◦ then maybe you will be inspired to find some parallels of your own
Mary and Joseph were born into broken world of Adam and Eve
Hardship and suffering were not new experiences for Mary and Joseph
– they accepted misery as an unavoidable aspect of the human condition
• they did not expect life to be easy
• other than that, they were human persons, the same as Adam and Eve
◦ they shared similar emotional and relational dynamics
– it was revealed to Mary and Joseph that they would play a role
• as significant and world-changing as Adam and Eve
• they would be used to bring hope to the world
◦ to reverse the damage that came through the actions of first couple
Similarities between the two couples include the following:
– Adam and Eve instantly felt a new emotion–shame
• their nakedness had not been a cause for concern
◦ they had never felt the need to cover themselves
• but now they were afraid to be seen
◦ they attempted to hide themselves from each other and from God
– shame was also a factor in Mary and Joseph’s situation
• it was to spare Mary shame, that Joseph resolved to keep their divorce quiet
• but that shame was transformed into the greatest honor in human history
Mary sang, from now on all generations will call me blessed (Lk. 1:48)
– Adam and Eve were thrown into a world of fear
I heard the sound of your in the garden, and I was afraid
– the first word the angel spoke to Mary, Do not be afraid
• and to Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife
– Adam and Eve were thrown into a world of fear
• before biting into the forbidden fruit, they knew only intimacy
◦ with the world of nature, each other, and with God
• those relationships were fractured
– Mary and Joseph’s first challenge was the healing of a broken relationship
– in the original story, angels blocked the way back to paradise
– in the remake, angels directed Mary and Joseph to the way back
– in the original story, the perpetrators released evil into the world
– in the remake, the couple cooperated with God and brought the Savior into the world
These two stories combine to bring us to Jesus – and to Christmas
This week I came across an idea that had never occurred to me
– it is related to the curse of thorns and thistles
• further on in the Hebrew Scriptures, thorns are associated with punishment
– I read a portion of an ancient sermon
• the preacher was Hyppolytus, at second century theologian
◦ he said, “to banish every curse from the earth, Jesus was first crowned with thorns”
◦ this is the message of redemption
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us (Gal. 3:13)
• there is nothing in your life that Jesus cannot redeem
Conclusion: What now? We carry forward the work of Jesus
We are agents of redemption in the world;
a redemption that includes the world of nature as well as humankind (Ro. 8:19-23)
The burden of redemption is not on us
all that is on us is the message of redemption as we live it
When another life is touched by that message,
a bit of redemption from the cross of Calvary enters the world
I will visit you after passing through Macedonia, for I intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may help me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now just in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until Pentecost, for a wide door for effective work has opened to me and there are many adversaries 1 Corinthians 16:5-9
Intro: The last chapter of 1 Corinthians is not as interesting as rest of the letter
It is mostly business – like when we were of age and our parents left for a week vacation
– they instructed us, “Don’t forget to feed the dog, water the plants, bring in the mail, and put out the trash”
• so here: Paul’s last-minute instructions include fund-raising for Jerusalem, his own itinerary, Timothy’s visit, Apollos would not be visiting them, and various greetings
• we are looking for a precious gem here or there
◦ same sort of spiritual insights we have found shining through Paul’s ordinary language
– from the start, we’ve listened to Paul as our Spirit-teacher
• like the Corinthians, we become preoccupied with our culture and church issues
◦ in response, Paul has taught them to learn to use their new eyes and ears
◦ to deepen their new awareness of God, who is present at all times and in all situations
• that is why I have called our perusal of 1 Corinthians “A Primer In Things Unseen”
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal (2 Cor. 4:16-18)
Paul was in a situation that was “almost” ideal (vv. 8-9)
Any minister or missionary would be excited regarding this prospect,
– a wide door for effective work has been opened
• if that were all Paul had to deal with, the situation would have been ideal
• but the truth is, no situation on earth is ideal — at least not for very long
– the kind of work God has us doing in the world will always entail many adversaries
• sometimes strangers, sometimes people on our own team
◦ most often, our adversaries and adversities come from our circumstances
There is a reason Paul had to write a chapter that is all business
– it is because we will always have to deal with the stuff of physical world
• it will always be a source of distraction, hindrance, frustration
• there was a reason why monasteries were built far from cities
– why couldn’t there just be the wide door for effective work?
• why must there be many adversaries?
1. because that is where we find our work; that is, where the need is great
2. because adversity is what makes our lives a story
◦ a series of events is not a story (e.g., “This happened, then this happened, then this . . .)
◦ adversity creates a plot – and suspense, and the need for God to work
• I read this chapter last June – I’ll share a bit of what I wrote back then:
“The lesson here is the same one we learn from Jesus’ Transfiguration. I doubt the disciples ever experienced a fuller revelation of God than on that mountain. But they had to come back down to the mundane world. And there waiting for them was a heated argument and a demon-possessed boy.
“We want the new perspective the disciples had, the greater awareness of God’s immediate presence, the peace we receive from our conscious connection with a larger reality. But all of that is given us to serve one purpose; to be God’s agents of redemption in the world. We need Paul’s “heavenly vision,” for sure! How else will we escape our own worldly entanglements? But we also need to take care of business. These closing words of Paul advise us how we are to go about doing that.”
Here is the kind of insight we had hoped to find in this chapter
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. I Corinthians 16:13-14
“Be watchful” (or stay awake, or wake up)– Jesus taught this to disciples in critical moments
– at end of the era in which they were living — they would need to watch, to stay awake:
when they would be in danger of being led astray, and many would fall away – and betray one another and hate one another – and many false prophets would arise – and the love of many would grow cold (Mt. 24:4, 10-12)
• then again in the Garden of Gethsemane,
◦ when Judas was at the gate with a crowd that was armed with swords and clubs
• then Jesus’ message to church in Sardis, wake up (Rev. 3:2)
◦ Paul also stressed waking up:
Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. The night is far gone; the day is at hand (Ro. 13:11-12)
– Paul explained that reality is more than our 4-D universe
• that the dimension of God’s Spirit cannot be seen or heard
◦ yet that is the dimension that defines our Christian lives
◦ and though hidden from our senses, we can become aware of it experientially
• we have to wake ourselves up!
◦ I need to be reminded of this every day
◦ I constantly fall asleep and lose awareness of God’s presence
– how can we wake ourselves up?
• constantly return to scripture – listen to God in it
• as you listen, do something – pray it, sing it, bow
• walk in nature – remind yourself of the mystery hidden in it
• nurture reverence – say, “I don’t know” and allow yourself to recover awe and wonder
• acknowledge yourself of the ways you numb your mind – your diversions
• do one thing every day, fully present
• whenever something surprises you, use the surprise to wake you up
• ask, “What am I missing?” Then look around
◦ perhaps you’ll begin to see differently
“Stand firm in the faith”
– when we wade in the ocean, even small waves move us
• it takes effort to resist the pressure of water rolling in and receding
◦ avoid getting into anything over your head
• we need to keep our feet planted in the faith
◦ faith is what connects us to the mystery; faith is our spiritual sight
“Act like men”
– I really do not like this phrase – “Real men don’t cry”
• the same word is found in the Greek translation of the Old Testament
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD! (Ps. 27:14)
• courage is a determination to do what has to be done,
◦ even in the face of danger, difficulty, or discomfort
– there are different degrees of courage,
• and some people have more than others
• each one of us will have to find our own way to do this
◦ I find that the courage of others inspires me
“Be strong”
– Paul is not saying, Be muscular or, Be aggressive, or abrasive
• in this regard, his prayer for the Ephesians was that God
according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith . . . to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge [and] be filled with all the fullness of God (Ep. 3:14-19)
• this kind of strength is like the deep roots of a tree
◦ it’s the strength of good health that produces stamina
◦ it’s the strength that supports courage
“Let all that you do be done in love”
– we’ve been taught, “If you can’t say something nice about someone, do not say anything at all”
• but what Paul says goes way beyond that
◦ first, it’s not just what we have to say, but all that we do
◦ second, the alternative is not “do nothing at all”
–there is no alternative; we have to do something and do it in love
Jesus: So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets (Mt. 7:12)
• we refer to this as “The Golden Rule” –
◦ however, Jesus referred to it as the “narrow gate”
For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those that find it are few (Mt. 7:13-14)
– if Christianity fails at love, it is then a total failure
Every once in awhile, in our Lexio Divina meeting, everyone will talk at once
– we’re meeting electronically, so it becomes a mess of noise
• but it is also a joyful sound,
• because it only happens when everyone is expressing their love to one individual
I admit that I’m interpreting this next verse out of context
The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord 1 Corinthians 16:19
Is there a “church” in your hoouse?
– a specific place where you meet with God
– a space where you invite others to sit and share conversations regarding your lives with God?
I will leave you to explore the question for yourself
Conclusion: And now the verse that holds the key to open every door
The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you 1 Corinthians 16:23
God’s grace makes everything impossible for us possible
– God’s grace fills the gap between where I am and where I could be
– grace is not like God’s Spirit, a source of energy or power
Rather, it is God’s attitude toward us –
his joy in giving us everything we do not deserve
The grace of Jesus is what wakes us up,
enables us to stand firm in the faith,
gives us courage,
makes us strong,
and carries us down the hard way and through the narrow gate of love
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve 1 Corinthians 15:1-5
Intro: The Corinthians wrote to Paul to get his help
They were dealing with a few issues they had not been able to resolve
– so far, their concerns were mostly practical
• but now we come to a new sort of problem
• it is theological – and Paul takes it very seriously
– Paul takes them all the way back to the beginning
• when he first came to Corinth with a message he calls “the gospel”
◦ they received it, stayed with it, and were being saved by it
• notice, it’s a process – that’s because it’s a lifetime project
◦ it is not merely a free pass to heaven, it is bringing our broken lives to spiritual wholeness
◦ and progress in it is conditional — if you hold fast to word I preached to you
When Paul outlines the gospel message, it is all about Jesus
Imagine you had to write an essay on what it means to be a Christian
– there are lots of things you could put down
• our sins are forgiven, we are made better people than we were, we have a Savior and Lord,
◦ we have specific beliefs about God, the world, and life, and so on
• is there one defining characteristic?
– the Christian is a person who knows Jesus Christ and is known by him
• through Jesus we know God and he knows us as his own
• Jesus Christ is the beginning and end of our faith; the alpha and omega
Paul zeroes in on one of the points he makes about Jesus
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 1 Corinthians 15:12
– this is one of the main tenets of our faith
• so it surprises us to learn, some people can believe in our same God, but not believe in the resurrection
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit . . . (Acts 23:8)
• I think the Sadducees’ and Corinthians’ beliefs had been influenced by intellectualism
◦ before Corinth, Paul had addressed philosophers in Athens, where we read,
Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked – then the meeting broke up and Paul went out of their midst (Acts 17:32-33)
◦ intellectuals assume it is human emotion that makes people feel they need to believe in resurrection
– recently a few Christian theologians and leaders have abandoned the resurrection–or diminished it
• for some, there is no continuation of an individual self after death
◦ we cease to exist and are somehow amalgamated into God,
◦ ultimately, we are told, God will be one undifferentiated, universal Self
• but Paul’s long discussion of resurrection points us to a different future
Remember, our purpose has been to observe Paul as a spiritual guide
Christian mentors move at the pace of the disciple
– they listen, observe, and discern the student’s need
• they offer suggestions and perhaps recommend the practice of a spiritual discipline
◦ the purpose is to lead the student to the next door
◦ which is a door to deepened awareness – of God, one’s self, others, the world–everything
• there are basic truths every student needs to integrate into into his or her faith
◦ at first, the disciple may not appreciate value of each truth
◦ but as awareness develops, the truth becomes radiant
– the Corinthians were ready for a fuller awareness of resurrection
• so that is where Paul takes them
Wake up from your drunken stupor as is right and do not go on sinning. For some have no knowledge of God. I say this to your shame 1 Corinthians 15:34
All of us are aware of moving between two mental states:
– our normal “waking consciousness” and our dream state
• in reality, in waking consciousness we’re not fully awake
Arthur Deikman refers to this as “The Trance of Ordinary Life”
• much of our daily actions and reactions are automatic
◦ because we have specific notions of what needs to be done,
◦ our awareness is constricted to a narrow field
Deikman, “When we suddenly shift from such preoccupations to a full, vivid awareness of the world, the contrast is so great we may describe ourselves as ‘coming to’ or ‘waking up.’”
– resurrection awakens us to a reality larger than the lives we’re living
So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raided in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body 1 Corinthians 15:43-44
• we have come across these words before, natural (soulish, psychikos) and spiritual (pneumatikos) 1 Cor. 2:14-15
◦ Paul provided the Corinthians an analogy of a seed and then the plant it becomes
◦ similarly, our (current) natural body is like a seed and our (future) spiritual body is the plant
Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of the dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. Just as we have born the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven 1 Corinthians 15:45-49
• our physical life, this mortal existence was not designed to last forever
◦ it is fragile, susceptible to injury and disease, perishable
◦ but we are more than these temporary bodies
For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling . . . . He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee (2 Cor. 5:1-5)
– here is how I understand this (and what I suggest may be only an analogy or perhaps nothing)
• we were given these four dimensional bodies to exist in a four dimensional universe
◦ but the universe includes a dimension that is hidden from us
• our resurrection bodies will not be merely 4-D, but that and more
◦ Paul refers to this as the “spiritual body”
◦ it is not perishable, but eternal
If possible, our awareness must develop to include resurrection
We have beliefs that are no more than ideas
– that’s because we have no experience of them and can’t imagine them
• but there’s a place in our minds where beliefs are more than ideas
◦ let’s call it the “Reality Central Department”
◦ in it there’s all the stuff we bump into every day
• I think we need to get the resurrection into Reality Central
◦ in fact, I believe that’s why Paul spends so much time on defending and describing the resurrection
William James, “. . . in the distinctively religious sphere of experience, many persons . . . possess the objects of their belief, not in the form of mere conceptions which their intellect accepts as true, but rather in the form of quasi-sensible realities directly apprehended. As his sense of the real presence of these objects fluctuates, so the believer alternates between warmth and coldness in his faith.”
– if we let go of the resurrection, we lose our connection with the spiritual dimension
• the dimension we will one day fully enter in our spiritual bodies
• we do not live for the moment, our orientation is toward the future – to eternity
Who are you? What determines who you are?
– identity is a combination of history and destiny
Jesus, “Even if I do bear witness about myself, my testimony is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going . . .” (John 8:14)
• he could faithfully represent himself, because he knew who he was
◦ and he knew who he was, because he knew where he was from and where he was going
• if we let go of the res, we lose our destiny and our identity
– resurrection is hope
• hope of a fullness unattainable in this life
• hope of completing a long, difficult, and exhausting journey
• hope of arriving home and seeing our heavenly Father “face to face”
Last Monday I was reading in Mark 12
The Sadducees brought a resurrection riddle to Jesus that they assumed could not be solved, but he answered them,
Is this not the reason you are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God? (Mk. 12:24-27)
– Jesus gave them two examples:
• one example illustrated how they did not know scripture
(how God identified himself to Moses from the burning bush)
• the other example illustrated how they did not know power of God — look at this:
For when they rise they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels in heaven
◦ this bothered me because I assumed what Jesus meant by “power” was the magnitude of God’s might
◦ but how is that revealed in his description of those who are resurrected?
◦ what Jesus was saying about God’s power was more like this:
You do not even know what God’s power is; you do not know its nature. It is not like the forces you know in the 4-D universe; it belongs to another realm–the realm of angels in heaven
– I realized that Jesus was explaining their ignorance
• they had no awareness of the realm of the spirit
◦ so they were unable to read the Scriptures with awareness-insight
◦ and they were unable to imagine or believe in the resurrection
• those belonged to a spiritual dimension of which they had no awareness
◦ it is the dimension Paul was trying to open the Corinthians to all through his letters
Whatever problems we may have with the resurrection and life after death,
– it stems from our unawareness
– and Paul is telling us, “Wake up!”
Conclusion: In verse 2, Paul made that unsettling statement,
. . . unless you believed in vain
The Greek word translated “vain” means “without purpose,” “without having any effect”
– in v. 10, the grace God had showered on Paul was not in vain
• the Greek word there means futile or useless
• that word appears two more times in verse 14
And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain
– but when the same word appears in verse 58, it is full of hope
Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain
Resurrection to life with God himself makes every instance of
trust,
endurance,
good deeds,
devotion,
and worship,
to be meaningful,
fruitful,
and worthwhile
One day we’ll see
none of these hardships and heartaches,
none of the hard work and backaches
that we live through in this world
will have been in vain
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church 1 Corinthians 14:1-4
Intro: You have heard something about the Jesus’ Movement
But a few years prior, there was another religious explosion
– it began with a husband and wife – John and Joan Baker
• a Christian couple who were Episcopalians
◦ they heard Pentecostal preacher teach on the baptism in the Spirit and speaking in tongues
◦ they wanted to have that experience – and they did!
• they told their Episcopalian pastor and he went to his colleague, Dennis Bennett
◦ they had little knowledge, and no experience of these things
◦ both priests also experienced the infusion of Spirit and speaking tongues
– this was the humble birth of the Charismatic Movement
• it spread rapidly through mainline churches and the Roman Catholic Church
◦ many of these people had not known an experience of God like this was possible
◦ the excitement was palpable and contagious
• but it also rattled a lot of people and religious hierarchies
Joan Baker learned about a Pentecostal minister in Riverside county
– he was gaining a reputation as a gifted Bible teacher
• friends of hers visited his church and after hearing him,
◦ invited him to teach a Bible study in their home
◦ (until then, not a lot of Episcopalians were interested in Bible Studies)
• that minister was my dad
– you wouldn’t know it, but when he was younger, he was a lot like me
• always looking for trouble
• Dad wasn’t thrilled about his Pentecostal roots
◦ he considered Pentecostalism excessively emotional – “charismaniacs”
◦ but–he loved teaching the Bible,
◦ so for a few years he taught the Bible in several homes
Dad was correct regarding the excesses
– and there were more issues than emotionalism
• a lot of silliness was tolerated, a lot of ego, and a great deal of greed
◦ at times Charismatic meetings were a spiritual circus, a free-for-all
• when people go wild and blame it on the Holy Spirit,
◦ it is inevitable that others will be abused
– some the Corinthians were infected with Charismatic craziness
If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are out of your minds? (v. 23)
• Paul wanted to pull in the reins, slow them down, and redirect them
. . . all things should be done decently and in order (v. 40)
Where Paul begins
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts (v. 1)
Paul said the same thing, basically, at the end of chapter 12
. . . earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31)
– earnestly translates Greek word zelote, zeal or zealous
• I get the appeal for spiritual fireworks
◦ it’s a heady experience to see God work signs and wonders
◦ we’re tempted to think, “At last! God is doing something”
• but we are human, and often zealous for the wrong reasons
◦ an ego need, or a need to feel empowered, or a need for acceptance and belonging
– what would Paul classify as the “higher gifts”?
• perhaps what he describes in verse 3 — gifts that have value for other people
◦ encouragement and consolation
• whatever reason I have for wanting a spiritual experience,
◦ or to be spiritually gifted, it must be in the pursuit of love
◦ so whatever good I can do is to promote growth and healing in the lives of others
Entering the realm of things unseen
For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but i will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also 1 Corinthians 14:14-15
This is the thread of Paul’s thought that we’ve been tracking
– God has equipped us with two separate ways of knowing
• the one we’re most familiar with he refers to here as “mind”
◦ how we know world through our senses and rational thought
• the other way of knowing he refers to as “spirit”
◦ an awareness awakened and enlightened by God’s Spirit
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit . . . . (1 Cor. 2:12-13)
– these are two levels of awareness and action – think of it like this:
• with our minds, we can be aware of another person in a room
◦ we can communicate that experience to other people,
◦ and they will understand us, know what we mean
• with our spirits, we can become aware of God’s presence in the room
◦ we can try to explain that to someone else,
◦ but they won’t understand if they’ve never experienced it
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor. 2:14)
– Paul is saying he can pray in both in both levels of awareness
• typically when we pray with mind, we are engaging an active mode
• when we pray with spirit, we engage a receptive mode
◦ our mind is still conscious, but it is “unfruitful”
◦ that is, the mind is not doing anything or perceiving what is happening
For one who speaks in a tongue speaks . . . utters mysteries in the Spirit (v. 2)
A key statement of the chapter is made in verse 12
So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church
Translators supply the word “manifestations” – it is not in the Greek text
– it could just as easily be translated “spiritual experience”
• and again, “eager” is “zealous”
• they were zealous for spirituality, but Paul’s does not say, “Drop it. Move on. Study theology”
◦ rather, “Be zealous, but zealous for the building up the church community”
◦ the building up theme is emphasized by its repetition
builds up the church (v. 4), so that the church may be built up (v. 5), the other person is not built up (v. 17), Let all things be done for building up (v. 26)
– it used to be that we imagined the Christian monk or mystic,
• as someone who lived away from the world
◦ kept their distance from its demands and influence in order to be free
• for Paul, freedom from the world comes by not being conformed to it (Ro. 12:2)
◦ Paul’s spiritual awakening did not take him out of world, but into it — and around the world
◦ his total identification with Jesus is what freed him from the world
But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal. 6:14)
The more a Christian enters the realm of things unseen,
– the more valuable that person becomes to the church and society
• both the church and the world need these many more of these free-spirited people
– remember that Paul has given us the illustration of a body
• the spiritual community is an organism that nourishes itself
• it is equipped with systems that enable the body to heal itself
. . . speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Ep. 4:15-16)
– this happens each week in our Lexio Divina meetings
• Henri Nouwen relates a story about a deep conversation he enjoyed with a friend
◦ his description of it it reminds me of what I experience in Lexio Divina
Henri Nouwen, “I feel grateful for these insights, which emerged from our discussions. Thinking alone is so different from thinking together. As we return [to] tomorrow, there will be much good to remember”
• we can engage in serving each other like this all the time
◦ it does not have to be in formal meetings
◦ our casual conversations – our private prayers – phone calls and emails
Conclusion: I am slowly reading through Mark’s gospel
Wednesday morning I came again to one of my favorite stories
Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember . . . ? (Mk. 8:17-18)
– it was the word perceive that stood out to me
• much of Jesus’ ministry was devoted to helping us with this
◦ to create in us a new perceptive ability
◦ a perception of the kingdom of God – of things spiritual
• a hardened heart is one that cannot change
◦ its perspective, categories, beliefs, prejudices, and values are fixed and inflexible
– “having eyes” he asked – “having eyes” he asked
• Jesus had recently healed a deaf man, and he would soon heal a blind man
• the blind man had eyes and the deaf man had ears – but those eyes and ears didn’t work
◦ Jesus touched them and made them work
Eyes, ears, heart–
these are our organs of perception
This is what Jesus is doing for us–
he is making them work with his touch
And in the process,
he’s cracking open our hardened hearts
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
Intro: In chapter 12, Paul told the Corinthians they were body of Christ
That they should not be surprised at the diversity within the church
– they were not all the same, because they were not supposed to be same
• each person had his and her own place
• the body is a living example of diversity within unity
– after listing a variety of gifted people, Paul says,
And I will show you a still more excellent way (1 Cor. 12:31)
• chapter 13 is the more excellent way for us to be the body of Christ
Until now I have concentrated on the mystery of Christian spirituality
– the transcendence of God, the hiddenness of our own spirits,
• and a “secret wisdom” unknown to the rulers of this age
◦ this mystery is the spiritual foundation underneath this letter
• now we are going to see how the hidden life of the Spirit is manifested in our ordinary world
– first, let’s look at a negative example;
• what I mean is, how can you tell if the hidden life of Spirit is not present?
Paul has told them, I could not address you as spiritual people, but as people [who belonged to this world], as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not ready, [because you still live as the people of this world live]. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not [people of this world] and behaving only in a human way? (1 Cor. 3:1-3)
• in other words, there is physical evidence of what lies below the surface
◦ a person without life in the Spirit acts like any other human
◦ so what is the evidence points to the spiritual person?
Some assume the supernatural comes to surface only in signs and wonders
That God reveals himself to the world through miracles
– plagues, divine healing, walking on water–that sort of thing
• those spectacular phenomena are not the normal Christian life
◦ miracles are a rarity – Paul made that point clear
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? . . . Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? (1 Cor. 12:29-30)
• in the Roman Catholic Church, to be canonized as a saint, a person must have worked miracles
◦ but in that tradition, only a few people rise to sainthood
◦ at any rate, God is not limited to the miraculous
Frederick Schmidt, “What we need . . . are not signs and wonders but a deeper determination to nurture the presence of God in the midst of the commonplace.”
“When we take the miraculous and the exceptional to be the measure of God’s presence, rather than think of God as an enlivening presence throughout creation, we do not [make the world sacred]. Instead, we confine God to its margins and gaps. The key to seeing God at work in our world lies not in defining the events that reflect the movement of God but in what Paul describes as the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).
– I agree with this statement up to the last line
• the renewing of our minds is interior and not physically visible (although the results may be)
• so, when Paul asks, Do all work miracles?
◦ the answer is No – but all love
◦ and love is the evidence of the supernatural working below the surface
Love is the embodiment of God’s Spirit in life of the Church
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another (Jn. 13:34-35)
– any identification of Christian spirituality–regardless of how enlightened a person may seem or whether someone is performing miracles–
• falls short if there is no evidence of love like the Lord’s
• what does Jesus’ love look like? Well, it looks like the cross
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers (1 Jn. 3:16)
◦ Paul gives more specific details of what Jesus’ love looks like here in chapter 13
He begins by exposing the emptiness of religious ambitions
There were believers in Corinth who made a big deal of speaking in tongues
– perhaps they felt special, because not everyone had that gift
• Paul tells them, without love, you’re just making noise
– others in Corinth were impressed with the gifts associated with the apostles:
• prophetic power, understand mysteries, exceptional knowledge
◦ and then the extreme act of faith Jesus mentioned – faith that moves mountains
• but Paul concludes that none of these things make a person
◦ instead, he says if all this was his, without love he would be nothing
– of course, everyone is impressed by the devotion of martyrs
• but Paul says even that, without love, wins nothing
It did not take long for Christians to adopt attitude of Pharisees
– to assume their knowledge of Jesus made them superior to unbelievers
• or that acts of devotion and charity could be performed without love
• that is essentially a gesture of ugly religion
– Paul exposes the pretensions of our piety and the false piety of our pretensions
• love alone gives an action spiritual value
• love alone makes a person’s spiritual life meaningful
In verses 4-7, love is personified
It appears as an active agent: it “is,” it “does not,” “is not,” etc.
– of course, Paul is describing how love expresses itself in human lives
• it is also how love expressed itself in Jesus
• as young Christians, my friends and I found we could replace “love” with “Jesus” in this chapter and every verse was still true
– maybe Paul personifies love, because we are meant to be love personified
There may be another possible reason why Paul uses this form
– I don’t think he is telling us, “This is how you are to love”
• that would demand too much – it would set the bar too high
• rather, he is saying, “This is what God works into us”
– this is the summit of Paul’s insight into the secret wisdom
• Christian spirituality grows love and love grows Christian spirituality
Frederick Schmidt, “. . . a love of God and a romance with God nurtures in us a capacity to see God where God is present.”
• Jesus’ new command to love one another,
◦ has a different feel from “Be moral”
◦ it has a different motivational energy than a long list of rules
Love is the beautiful face of righteousness
The true face of holiness
I will limit what I have to say about verse 7
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things
Love really is the essence of a mature spirituality
– love endures the lows and the lulls; the disappointments and drudgery; the unfulfilled dreams and unmet needs; the physical or emotional distance
• love persists at times when we would rather that it not
◦ and other times we’re pleased when we find that it does persist
– love has no limits – it travels everywhere, from dungeons to the stars
• love can build bridges and also set boundaries
◦ but it does not do either only for its own sake
◦ love is the most God-like expression of a human life
In verses 8-1, Paul is simply saying love will outlast all other virtues
All the gifts and ministries listed in chapter 12,
– all these things that nurture and deepen our spirits,
• all the things that hold our lives together now,
• will come to an end – they will no longer be needed
– like old toys, we’ll pack them in a box and never again pull them out
• love is infinite and eternal, because God is love (1 Jn. 4:8 and 16)
• these are the three great triads of Christian spirituality: faith, hope, and love
but the greatest of these is love
Conclusion: E. Stanley Jones was an open-minded missionary to India
He once had opportunity to read 1 Corinthians 13 to Mahatma Gandhi
– Gandhi responded that it was the most beautiful statement he had ever heard
• so what will we do? How will we get there?
◦ how will the love described here come to characterize our lives?
• I have only one word of instruction: Receive God’s love
We love because he first loved us (1 Jn. 4:19)
Let Jesus love you the way he loves
You let Jesus love you when:
• you accept his forgiveness and stop condemning yourself
• you walk in nature and its beauty speaks to you
• you trust him with your anxieties
• you remember every good thing in your life is a gift
Give yourself a time-out
Relax the tension from every muscle and joint
Take slow deep breaths
Feel God’s love
Receive God’s love into every particle of your body and being
Love is the energy of authentic spirituality
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed 1 Corinthians 12:1
Intro: In the 1960’s, the Roman Catholic Church began a project of renovation
According to a friend of mine who is a priest,
“Vatican II, opened windows to allow fresh air to enter the church”
– in hindsight, we could say they missed a few dark corners
(but perhaps the changes made then set in motion the way that the Roman Catholic Church handles those things today)
• by the 1970’s, the Evangelical movement was placed under the microscope
◦ in 1970 Larry Richards published A New Face for the Church
◦ in 1975 Howard Snyder, published The Problem of Wine Skins
(religious systems that have become so rigid they are unable to accommodate the Holy Spirit)
• they argued that the biblical design was more relational and less institutional
– the church has always had its critics
• but also, it has always had its problems
◦ and it will always have problems, because the church is human
Fr. Romuald, “When people talk about Christian churches and how scandalous they’ve been throughout history (and in the present age too), that doesn’t bother me, because it’s the same thing again on a corporate level as the broken individual.”
• Church lives on, because there’s more to it than our failures
What keeps the church going is mystery
Paul begins this section with his concern that the Corinthians would be uninformed regarding spiritual gifts
– the Greek text does not mention “gifts”
• that is supplied because “gifts” appear in verses 4-11 as an example
◦ I don’t think Paul was thinking of gifts exclusively
• Greek says simply “spiritual”
David Prior, “Paul probably is referring to what today is, in a broad sense called ‘spirituality’”, i.e., all the many diverse ways in which we experience spiritual reality.”
– Paul is going to explain to the Corinthians what being a church means (cf. 1 Cor. 1:2)
• at the heart of it, there are spiritual realities
• these are the divine mysteries that make a group of people a church
The mystery of God
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone 1 Corinthians 12:4-6
You’ve heard the saying, “Variety is the spice of life”
– if that is so, the church is well-seasoned
• Paul is saying, if we look at the Church, we see lots of diversity
◦ however, behind the diversity there is one source
◦ and that source ties every other thing together
– there is a rhythm to these verses, and the key words are varieties and the same
• but notice, what he says is “the same” in each time, is not the same
◦ instead, they are the same Spirit, the same Lord, the same God
• this is where the mystery begins — with God’s nature
◦ the church reflects the nature of God
Fr. Romuald, “The fundamental revelation of the trinity is relationship.”
◦ and that is also a fundamental characteristic of the church
There’s a concept floating around that’s become popular among Christians
– that the nature of reality does not consist of bipolar opposites
• or at least when it comes to spirituality, all is one
◦ this concept is often referred to as “nondual”
• this has long been a tenet of Eastern philosophies
◦ it is a classic myth of overcoming contradictions
◦ it is itself a contradiction – “non” tells us what it is not
◦ i.e., dualism is not its opposite, and right there you have dualism (i.e., dualism and nondualism)
– dualism could be considered a part of the worldview of science and religious dogma
• everything can be divided into categories: up/down, in/out, back/front, etc.
• that you take things apart, name the pieces, and discover how all the parts make a thing work
The Christian view of God is neither dual or nondual
– it is diversity within unity
• we affirm the oneness of God
◦ but that oneness encompasses a universe of varieties
• the oneness is not sameness
◦ it is a union of many moving parts
The mystery of our lives in God
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit 1 Corinthians 12:7 & 13
We can see why Paul would begin, I do not want you to be uninformed
– because what he describes is not obvious to us
• we are not always aware of God moving in and through us
◦ in exercising our “gifts,” our “service,” our “activities”
– explaining how the Spirit brought us to this condition, Paul uses a fluid metaphor
• we are immersed in the Spirit and drink-in the Spirit (he also refers to being filled with the Spirit in Ep. 5:18)
◦ life in the Spirit flows
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience described a person being “in the flow” when engaged in an activity that runs in a channel between anxiety and boredom. The challenge of the activity is neither too high to cause anxiety or too low to be boring. The same applies to the skills required to perform the challenging activity. He says, that when the flow occurs, “people become so involved in what they are doing that the activity becomes spontaneous, almost automatic; they stop being aware of themselves as separate from the actions they are performing.”
• I think when we are in the flow of the Spirit, it is something like that
◦ we can relax into it
◦ but most of the time, I don’t think we realize when the Spirit is at work in us
A few years, a dear friend of ours told Barbara, “You have a very important ministry.” Later Barb, who is a physical therapist, said to me, “I’ve never thought of what I do as a ‘ministry.’ I’ve just seen it as my job.” I replied, “Your job is assisting in the healing and rehabilitating of people in need, and you do it well because you are able to connect with them and demonstrate that you really care. That can definitely be considered ministry.”
Paul lists a few gifts here – he provides another list in Romans 12, and Peter also mentions a few gifts (1 Pet. 4:9-11)
– most of them operate in our interactions with each other
• in both formal meetings and informal conversations
• some operate in our everyday lives (hospitality or charity, for instance)
– I think these gifts include all our talents
• all our aptitudes, our natural abilities and attributes,
◦ and also all of our developed skills
One other thought: I believe we have underestimated the value of our brokenness as a spiritual gift to others
– those who have experienced brokenness are some of the most empathic people
Vv. 12-14 and 26-27, The mystery of our spiritual community
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. . . . For the body does not consist of one member but of many.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it 1 Corinthians 12:12, 14, & 26-27
The analogy Paul uses here is the human body
– think of how that differs from the analogy of a flock of sheep
In Mental Hospital, researchers reported, “Built solidly into the procedures, techniques and even the language of the mental hospital is the assumption that patients are mere passive objects of treatment: they are to be ‘cared for,’ ‘protected,’ ‘treated,’ ‘respected,’ ‘handled,’ ‘controlled.’ Psychiatric administrative language consistently speaks of the patient as if he were not actively a participant, as if he were an unconscious or half-conscious body upon an operating table.”
• it struck me how much this sounds like pastors and churches
• sheep have to be led, tended, and fed
◦ members are not considered participants in the process
◦ they’re expected to believe what they’re told, and follow rules
– the analogy of the body tells us that all of our interactions have a spiritual potential
• that the Spirit of Jesus is using us with each other
◦ and that underlying all differences of our human personalities, there exists an essential union
• no one can break this bond
◦ it is an invisible connection to each other, and an invisible connection with Jesus that we share
There is a psychological disorder known as Messiah complex
A person believes he or she is destined to be a savior
– that their role is to save others now or in the near future
• in its most severe form it is a delusional state
• but I would say most pastors have at least a mild form of that
◦ they feel they must be everything to every person
◦ they must be everywhere, have all the answers, know all the solutions
◦ that the church could not survive without their constant busyness
– when Jewish priests were sent to interrogate John the Baptist,
• the first question they asked was, “Who are you?”
◦ and his first reply, “I am not the Christ”
◦ every pastor should have that motto posted on his refrigerator and office door
• you don’t have to be Jesus – you only have to be you
◦ you have Jesus – you have a community – you have us
◦ we are all part of the group and we belong here with each other
• and somehow Jesus embodies himself in all of us together
I am not concerned that some people have said,
– they have a more genuine experience of church in our Lexio Divina meetings than here on Sunday mornings
• I’m not offended, because I feel the same way
• every week I receive new perspective and new insights from the others in the group
– this is how Paul imagined the church functioning
Conclusion: “I do not want you to be uninformed”
Paul has given us useful tools for knowing who we are as a community
– he has given us several analogies
– but knowing is not the same thing as perceiving
• can we use this tool to awaken ourselves to a new consciousness
• a new way of perceiving our connection with each other
That even though we’re very different from each other,
we’re nevertheless “one,”
and no one can never say to anyone else, I have no need of you
Because the heart of Jesus beating in you, beats also in me
Daily Meditations From the Scriptures