ADVENT
I want to share a few comments about the Season of Advent. I will explore some of the traditions regarding Advent. I will explore some of the biblical and theological themes of the season, doing so through the texts of the lectionary.
The word "Advent" is a Latin word meaning "coming," “arrival.” The church within the first five centuries developed the season of Advent to prepare followers of Jesus for the celebration of his birth. That is why the color of Advent is purple, the same color for Lent. Lent is also a time for prayer and renewal. Its focus is the celebration for Easter. Advent, in its history, was a time for spiritual preparation as well.
We are announcing the "coming" of something to celebrate. However, the world has already gotten a jump on us. It used to start the celebration immediately after Thanksgiving. Those days are long gone. In addition, much of our culture sets aside the Christ-centered focus of the season. It has now become the season to put your credit to the test. Now is the appointed time to buy what one needs to celebrate the day in style. Allow me to ask a serious question. Have we managed to turn this season from a preparation for an awe-filled “O Holy Night” to a nightmare? Allow me to ask another serious question. For what are we getting ready? Shopping? Is it not true that the season from shopping has grown so long for Christmas that it has become a nightmare? We have turned Advent from a season of getting ready for the birth of Christ to a time of self-conscious absorption with things and money, grabbing and getting. Is it just X numbers of shopping days until Christmas? Is Jesus a shopping mall savior?
I am not suggesting that we go back to the Puritan way of punishing anyone who celebrates Christmas. However, how we observe this season is a good test of our willingness as followers of Jesus to separate ourselves from the culture and distinguish ourselves from the cultural focus of the season.
One transformation might be to turn this from a holiday to a holy day. The former becomes a frenzied vacation with chores. The latter becomes a time of becoming more whole, complete, healthy persons. The church needs to regain custody of its observation of Christmas.
When we have seen the reason for this season, there can be some pain within us. It does not have to be. We do not have to use this time just for shopping. It does not have to be a nightmare. It will take patience. It will take that willingness to take one step at a time. The Advent wreath is a reminder of that sense of marking time toward Christmas in a separate way than just shopping days. We are celebrating God's gift. If we "walk" toward that day, it can be a holy day.
We do have done all we can to lessen our waiting time. We have instant oatmeal and instant dry cleaning and instant photo developing. We expect to have everything with the push of a button, with the flick of a switch.
What is so great about patience anyway? I do not like to make arts and crafts. Never did like it. I imagine that is part of the reason. I do not mind fishing. When I was young, I would rather play tennis or jog, but now in retirement I would rather bicycle or go the fitness center. I do not have to sit patiently, you see.
Sometimes, we are too patient. We can be too patient with darkness and sin. At this season of the year, we can be too patient with how we have allowed Christmas to become focused on material things. We can excuse ourselves far too easily.
Yet, patience is an important virtue for all of us. Raising children requires patience. It is often much better to hold back comments, rather than speak too quickly. This season of the year requires patience. While our hopes and dreams may not become a reality today, if we keep at it and have confidence in God, what we hope for will become reality. It is that confidence that while we are walking toward God, God is also moving toward us.
I want to mention a few words that are prominent in preaching during Advent. I will reserve most of the discussion for the theology section.
On the first Sunday of Advent, I want you to consider your deepest prayer related to hope for this Christmas.
Hope is an important word in the Advent season. I will reflect upon it in the theological portion of this reflection.
Peace is another word on which the Advent season invites us to reflect.
I have a confession to make. This word is the most difficult of the four words for me. I have had to ask myself why that is the case. I think the reason is that I am a realistic person.
I came across a reference to a “human library.” It started in Denmark. The idea was to set up a station with 75 people with several types of stories to share. People of various religions, people struggling with various handicaps, and people from differing work backgrounds. The idea was that for a few days, you could “check out” a person for 30 minutes and talk with them. You could find out from a real person with a real story what it was like to be that person. It made me think, though, of what would happen if people outside of the Christian faith could check us out and “read” us. What would they find? Would they find a strain of this vision for peace that, regardless of how imperfectly, we might seek to write into our lives? To refer to politics, donkeys and elephants do not get along well. In economics, bulls and bears seem incompatible. We have many types of Christians today, leaning toward the progressive or the conservative. Yes, peace is difficult.
One of the blockages many people have with the Advent and Christmas is that it just does not make sense. This season of the church year invites us to think differently about our lives. It will take a stretch of our minds to think so differently.
Your prayer for peace may relate to something in your personal life, for the church, for the community, for the nation, or for the world.
A third important word in Advent is joy.
Joy is the name of a person. Almond Joy is the name of a candy bar. “Joy” is a movie, a genuinely nice one. I might add “Joy to the World” is a favorite Christmas hymn and a song by Three Dog Night. You have heard the sayings. Joy is an inside job. Choose joy every day. I choose joy.
This season seems to focus on that … or does it? Is there a difference between rejoicing, having joy, and the forced seasonal happiness so many expect us to have during this time of year? Too many people experience too stark of a contrast between their lives at this season and the rest of the year.
I am not a person who tends to display to others the things that give me joy. Yet, joy may not always show itself in smiles and laughter. It at least suggests the things in which you have inner happiness and delight. Such joy is not simply on the surface. That in which we have joy reveals the things that matter to us. Your deepest joy can reveal your unique gifts and passion. “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10). That in which you have joy can strengthen you for the journey of life. Joy reveals your life aim. Do you have joy in the wrong things?
What brings you deep joy? My prayer for joy for myself is that I might have a joy in the right things. My prayer for the church, community, nation, and world is that people will find joy in the things that really matter, such as hope, peace, and love, especially for our families, friends, and places of work.
A fourth important word during Advent is love.
We sing songs about it. Many think of it largely as romance. Yet, when we think of love coming down at Christmas, we are thinking of something quite different.
As he traveled through the Advent season, Robert Fulghum, produced the following, which is something of the way I would like to approach this season before Christmas.[1]
I usually draw up a heavy duty
Things To Do list about this time of year.
I am black belt at lists. I even have lists of lists.
Seven pages of expectations that are in themselves enough to permanently destroy the spirit of Christmas.
But this year I started from somewhere else in my mind.
New list.
One page.
A Things to Be list.
Concentrating on the feelings I wanted to have,
The condition of mind and spirit I yearned for,
The quality of life I wanted to manifest,
The vibrations I wanted to give off to other people.
A things to be list for Christians.
Then I boiled the list down into one line.
Then I took that one line and boiled it down to one word.
And then I wrote that word on a tiny piece of paper.
And then I wrapped that tiny piece of paper around a small candy cane.
And ate it.
List and all.
Shazam! Hark the Herald Angels Sing!
Oh sure, it's a little crazy. But since when is Christmas supposed to make sense?
Oh sure, it's a little early--today is December 8--but since when is Christmas a matter of time?
I mean, who makes the rules and regulations about Christmas, anyway?
Who says it must be an orderly, organized affair?
Who is in charge of Christmas?
Me, that's who.
The Christmas-list eater.
I suppose you want to know what the one word was.
Nope. You got to work it out for yourself.
Like Christmas.
'Cause if it ain't inside you somewhere, all the lists in the world won't make it happen.
Here, have a candy cane on me.
Yes, we do have to work out the meaning of this season for ourselves: deep within each of us. It will belong only to us. If we are going to discover this, we may well need to wander off the beaten path and discover the newness and surprise that God wants to bring.
Prayer:
Open our hearts, O God, to the incoming of your Spirit. Sometimes our days are long, and we grow tired. Too often, we go for prolonged periods of time with extraordinarily little attention to your Spirit. Deep within us, though, is a hunger for the richness of that presence. Overcome in us, we ask, our dullness of mind, that we may know your presence and its saving power. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
PRAYER OF CONFESSION:
If we have spent so much time shopping that we have had little time to spend with those whom we are shopping for.
Forgive us and give us sensitivity.
If we get so busy practicing for the Christmas programs that we forget to think about what they mean,
Forgive us, and give us understanding.
If we decorate our houses but neglect the inner beauty of our homes,
Forgive us, and grant us love.
If we are worried about how much Christmas is going to cost us, but have given little thought to how much Christmas cost God,
Forgive us, and give us perspective.
If we are so consumed with thinking about Christmas, that we have little consideration for the meaning of the first Christmas,
Forgive us and give us insight. Amen.
ADVENT CANDLES [although this refers to four purple candles, sometimes the third is pink]
Four purple candles in a green ring.
A message from God to you they bring.
The first candle is the flame of hope.
God empowers us and helps us cope.
The second candle tells of true shalom.
May grace and peace be upon your home.
A sign of joy is the third.
Angels make glad tidings heard.
The fourth candle is the light of love.
Agape streams in abundance from above.
Four purple candles burn in a ring -
Peace, hope, joy, love, to you they bring.
Advent wreath
It is a circle, usually made of Styrofoam or grapevine, covered with evergreen foliage, with places for four or five candles. The evergreen wreath is set flat on a platter, tray, or table. The colors of the candles may vary. We have three purple and one pink candle. We light the pink candle on the third Sunday in Advent. In this version, the three purple candles represent the Three Wise Men and the pink candle represents the Virgin Mary. A recent development in Advent wreathes is the placing of a Christmas candle, usually a large white taper, in the center of the wreath, which is lit on Christmas Eve at midnight. The circle shape of the wreath represents God’ eternal love, and each candle is symbolic of Christ, the light of the world.
Another interpretation: the first Sunday is the prophet’s candle of hope, the second Sunday is the Bethlehem candle of faith, the third Sunday is the shepherd’s candle of joy, the fourth Sunday is the Angel’s candle of peace. The fifth candle is the Christ’s candle of love.
If you do this in your family, you can share a reading or devotional guide, signing a Christmas carol, and closing with sentence prayers.
The flame of each new candle reminds us that something is happening, but something more is still to come.
An old Scandinavian custom celebrated the coming of light after a season of darkness. In that day, candles were placed on the edge of a horizontal wheel. As the wheel was spun around, the lighted candles would blend into a continuous circle of light. Today, we use a circle of evergreen to remind us of the continuous power of God, which knows no beginning nor ending.
Holly
The holly was considered the symbol of Christ’s passion. Its prickly leaves suggested the crown of thorns, its red berries the blood the Savior, and its bitter bark the drink offered to Jesus on the cross. As we hang the holy, let us rejoice in the coming of Jesus, our Savior.
Green represents renewal, new life, freshness, and rebirth. Plants such as pine, fir, holly, ivy and mistletoe are called evergreens because they do not die; through the seasons of the year, they remain every-green. Ever-alive. It is no wonder then that we deck our sanctuary and halls with evergreens during this Advent season. Advent is the season of preparation for the coming of the Christ, God’s gift to us of new and eternal life.
What was once called the “holy tree” became “holly.” Primitive tribes believed that hanging holly in their shelters would bring them good fortune. They also believed its mysterious powers would chase away witches and evil spirits.
Poinsettia
The most popular flower of the Advent and Christmas season is the bright red poinsettia. Actually, the red petals are not the blossoms; they are the small yellow clusters found at the center. Somehow the red and green leaves of the plant give to Christmas an added touch that would not be the same without them. This attractive flower was discovered growing in Mexico by Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett who served as our America’s first foreign minister to that country from 1825 to 1829. In Mexico the plant was referred to as the Flower of the Holy Night or the flame leaf. Dr. Poinsett brought several of the new plants to America where a Philadelphia nurseryman developed it into the type of flower we see today. Many legends exist. One is that it was a merely a weed that grew in Mexico, until it was placed at the feet of the Virgin Mary by a poor peasant girl who had no other gift to bring. As it touched the feet of the statue, it was transformed immediately into a flower of scarlet brilliance. Another legend states that blood fell from the broken heart of a young Mexican girl, and a poinsettia grew where each drop fell. It speaks to us symbolically in several ways. First, the star-shaped formation of red leaves calls to mind the star that shown at that first Christmas. In a less joyous sense, the color of the flower is blood red. This reminds us of the blood of the male infants killed by Roman soldiers as King Herod sought to eliminate any threat to his throne. We sometimes forget this part of the story that made the trip of Mary, Joseph, and the Christ child to Egypt a necessity. The color of the flower also symbolizes the fact that the babe of Bethlehem’s manger became the Savior of the world, as he shed his blood upon the cross of Calvary.
Tree
The most famous story about the early use of the evergreen tree at Christmas centers around Martin Luther. As he walked through the forest one starry night, with snow covering the ground, the marveled at the beauty of the starlight as it shown upon the branches of the fir trees. When he tried to tell his family of the glory and beauty of the forest, they failed to comprehend what he had seen. He then brought a pine tree into the house and placed candles upon it to represent the twinkling of the stars.
In America, a German tailor, August Imgard, set up a fir tree in his home at Wooster, OH in 1847, and decorated it. The first tree to appear in a church was in Cleveland, OH in 1851. some members of the congregation thought the act was sacrilegious and were very critical of their pastor. Few trees appeared in churches in the mid 1800’s, since many still considered it to be a pagan custom. However, the tree has now become a symbol of the glory of God and the promise of eternal life. Various decorations were added that symbolized various aspects of our Christian faith.
Advent Scripture
My reflections on the texts owe much over the years to my studies with Homiletics magazine. I attempt to combine theological and spiritual insights.
First Sunday of Advent
Year A
Year B [longing for restoration, for the Lord to act mightily, a prayer to preserve us to the end, and the Day of the Lord coming like a thief]
Year C
Second Sunday of Advent
Year A
Year B [the Lord speaks peace, comfort, tenderness, good tidings, waiting with lives of holiness and godliness, and John the Baptist as a voice in the wilderness]
Year C
Third Sunday of Advent
Year A
Year B [reaping with shouts of joy, greatly rejoice in the Lord, rejoice always, John the Baptist as a witness to the light entering the world through the Word]
Gospel v
Year C
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Year A
Year B [sing of and declare the faithful love of the Lord to David and his descendants, magnifying the Lord and rejoicing in God my Savior, the Lord will establish forever the House of David, revelation disclosed in Jesus Christ through the prophets, the son of Mary is the Son of the Most High, receiving the throne of his ancestor David, Son of God, to which Mary responds with faith]
Year C
Theology
The season of Advent has a theological focus that I want to focus upon here. I will explore the theological and spiritual insights of the of the biblical texts for the Sundays of Advent.
First, several New Testament passages suggest a continuing role for the Old Testament in the shaping of Christian preaching and teaching.
As precious as the Old Testament is to the Jewish people, it is also precious to the Christian. They are not just for Israel or the Jewish people. They are for all the people of God. Considering what the Father has done in the sending of the Son for the reconciling and redeeming of the world, both Jew and Gentile find hope and encouragement in the sacred text of the Old Testament. They exist today as instruction for all the people of God. We have confidence in this because Jesus, a Jew, welcomed the Gentile so that the God of Israel would receive honor among all people. His coming confirms the promise made that Abraham would be the one through whom the nations would be blessed (Romans 15:4-8). Those commissioned in the New Testament as apostles were servants of the Lord, called to deliver the gospel of what the God of Israel was saying through Jesus as the Christ. They were heralds of good tidings which God promised through the Jewish scripture. The apostolic witness is in line with the prophetic witness in the Old Testament. While Jesus of Nazareth was fully Jewish, he was declared to be the Son by the Father through the Spirit who raised him from the dead, making Jesus our Lord (Romans 1:1-7).
When the letter to the Hebrews says that Jesus abolishes the “first” to establish the “second” (10:9), a shallow reading would dismiss what I am suggesting. Bringing out that God does not desire animal sacrifices, God abolishes the first covenant, and Jesus came to do the will of God. For those who hold that New Testament theology supersedes Old Testament theology the book of Hebrews presents considerable fodder for debate. For example, the opening chapters of the letter to the Hebrews contend that Jesus as God’s Son is superior to the angels, Moses, and the former high priests. In short, the author of Hebrews persistently argues for the supremacy of Christ’s priesthood when compared to the liturgical practices of the prior covenant. I suggest, however, that it remains inappropriate and misguided to conclude that the author of Hebrews is attempting to undermine and disparage the Hebrew Bible and its promises. Even in this passage, the author selects certain portions of the OT (specifically, Psalm 40) to privilege over other portions (sacrificial law codes such as those found in Leviticus). Thus, he does not envision a New Testament replacement of the Old Testament so much as he uses a selective choosing of texts. Indeed, the choice to understand Christ through the sacrificial system suggests that that system retained symbolic power for the author of Hebrews. This author would agree with Paul in saying that as regard to the election, God loves the Jewish people, for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Romans 11:28b-29).
Christians need to acknowledge that the good news the churches proclaim is the revelation of the mystery. A genuine mystery suggests that our intellect may not be equal to the task. A mystery says something about our inadequacy to solve it. They are unsolvable because they are beyond the capacity of our intellect.[2]The word “mystery” is common in Jewish apocalyptic. It relates to the unveiling and disclosure of things formerly hidden. It also encompasses the revelatory nature of the Christ event. If one receives the gospel, one changes the way one perceives the world, for Christ is the divider between the old and new age.[3][2] God has kept this mystery a secret for long ages, but has now disclosed or revealed it, consistent with the prophetic message of the Old Testament. The preaching of Christ discloses in it the mystery of the divine plan of salvation that God had hidden through the ages, but God now shows the plan through Jesus Christ. This connects preaching to the prior intimation of this salvation by the prophets of the Old Testament. This relates the revelation that has taken place in Jesus Christ in a remarkable way to the prophetic writings, saying that even these writings made known the event of revelation to the nations. Yet, they also differ from the revelation that took place in Jesus Christ. However, from the prophetic promises, we know that in Jesus Christ the revelation of the divine plan has taken place. Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the kerygma is the crux of revelation, but his work is the revelation of the divine plan of salvation only in its reference back to the prophetic intimations in which its secret meaning finds disclosure (Romans 15:25). Among the questions all this raises: is it true?
Second, a theology of Advent recognizes that Christians read the Old Testament selectively, focusing upon the promises contained in the passages related to Zion and to the dynasty of King David. The Jewish people learned to live without the ability to practice much of the Torah during the exile. They set aside animal and grain sacrifices, priests, Temple, the land, the chosen city of Jerusalem, and the chosen House of David. A Christian reading of Torah even sets aside dietary laws, purity legislation, circumcision, and a strict interpretation of Sabbath. Judaism and Christianity part ways in some of these places, but both have had to focus upon what is essential in Torah, such as the Shema, the Ten Commandments, and other ethical portions of the commands in it.
The prophetic writings have a universal message. This message breaks through a narrow view of the people of God to one which the people of God embrace all nations. Such texts have a hope that all nations would worship the Lord, whose covenant with Israel would expand to a covenant with all nations, where the Lord will be the teacher of all peoples (Isa 2:2-4, Micah 4:1-4). God’s eschatological future breaks down the barriers that separate people from one another and offers an opportunity for all people to learn God’s ways and “walk in his paths.” They can look forward to salvation for Egypt (Isa 19:16-25). These passages share a vision of a new world order where ethnicities will remain distinct, but all nations will adopt monotheism and will worship the God of Israel. Egypt receives judgment, but this oracle includes the promise that the Lord will heal Israel and Egypt. On that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the center of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord at its border. The altar refers to Jewish settlers in Egypt the beginning of God's blessings to Egypt. The prophecy legitimizes a practice that is prohibited in Deuteronomy 7:5, 12:3. It will be a sign and witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt. The Lord will cause the Egyptians to know the Lord and they will worship on that day and make vows to the Lord. He envisions a time when Egyptians will participate fully in cultic rites of the Temple. III Isaiah 56:1-8 The law does not prohibit foreigners, though Deuteronomy 23:2-7 does give some restrictions. The sexually mutilated, the children produced outside of the marriage, and those from Moab and Ammon, are not part of worship. We can also find a rigorous attitude toward foreigners in Ezra 9-10 regarding mixed marriages. In addition, III Isaiah rejects Deuteronomy 23:1-8 and the later exclusive emphasis of Ezra and Nehemiah. It does so by promising eunuchs and foreigners full participation in worship. Zechariah 2:11 affirms that the nations shall become the people of the Lord. Zechariah 8:18-23 The summoning of the exiles is an anticipation of the still wider promise. The nations will recognize one God and Judaism as primary. The prophet envisions that the people of the world will find their way to the Lord through those who already stand in relation to the Lord. The point here is that the New Testament is selective in focusing upon this universal intention of the God of Israel, deliberately setting aside passages that suggest a narrow vision of the people of God.
During the time of the monarchy in Israel, the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to Zion, to the City of David, was a meaningful one. It was a characteristic of Israelite piety to have such feeling. At this place, one expected to encounter the Lord and one expected to feel the connection with others who united in this covenant with the Lord. Individual tribes, with all their distinctiveness and their separate geographies, could unite in this place of worship. People came with their offerings. The pious prayed for the peace of Jerusalem. It was the political and religious center for the tribes in the early days. It was a symbol of their unity, safety, and security. A time is coming when the desert is no longer a trackless void in which travelers can easily lose their way. The Lord leads the people of God on this miraculous highway, back to the temple city that had once been their home. Moreover, like the orders of nature, the people themselves are better than they were before (Isaiah 35:1-10). Now a highway exists on which not even fools could not get lost, and it leads straight to Zion.
The record of the kingship over its 500 years of existence was a dismal record of disobedience to the Mosaic covenant. This theological judgment meant that the loss of sacred kingship did not devastate this people. Priest and people were learning to be a people of the Lord without Zion, Temple, or sacrifices, a possibility for which the pre-exilic prophets had already prepared them. The exilic period puts a question mark over institutions that had seemed indestructible. Sacral kingship as an office that presided over the Promised Land could now be viewed as temporary. The promise of the enduring nature of the House of David was now part of a promise that marked the end of human history and the inauguration of the messianic age. Historical Jerusalem/Zion would never match the ideal, so it too became a promise for the end of this age and the inauguration of the new. Prophets like Jeremiah were already envisioning a new covenant between the Lord and the people and Ezekiel could envision a new spirit emerging among the people of the Lord.
There are two times when the hearts and minds of Christians turn toward Israel and Jerusalem quite naturally. One is during Advent and Christmas. The other time is the season of Lent and Easter. The cradle and the cross, bound in a unity just a few miles apart.
Jerusalem. Jews revere it as the city of the great king. Christians honor it as the site of the cross and the empty tomb. Muslims embrace it as a sacred city of Islam — the site of Mohammad’s ascension into heaven on a white stallion. It is a holy city. If you ever take your pilgrimage to that city, I suspect you will find it profoundly moving. To go to the traditional sites of the birth of Jesus, the Temple court, the place of the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the trial, the crucifixion, the burial, and so on, can be a spiritually moving and inspiring event in our lives.
Jerusalem is also an unholy city. The Wailing Wall is the only part of the Temple from the days of Jesus still standing. The Romans left it standing to intimidate the Jewish people. Over the years, it became a place of prayer for Jews. Today, it is an open-air synagogue. One of the meaningful moments for me in the city was when I went to the wall, wrote a prayer on a slip of paper, and placed the prayer in the wall. As I thought of the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian Israelis I met, as I looked at the black marks left from explosives, I could only pray for its peace.
Such historical experience led to a hope in Israel. The righteous will of God is normative for all nations in every time and place. Jerusalem becomes a symbol that all nations will receive instruction from the Lord, and thereby the conflicts that have divided the nations will find resolution. The election of Israel serves the cause of humanity in the eschatological hope that the nations will find their unity and peace symbolically in Jerusalem. Abandoning the instruments of war is the eschatological future of humanity and of the nations (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3). As the spiritual put it, “I ain’t gonna study war no more / Study war no more / Ain’t gonna study war no more.” It refers to laying down my sword and shield, put on the long white robe, talk with the Prince of Peace, shake hands around the world, cross the river Jordan, climb upon that mountain, and climb the road to heaven. Such a peaceable rule is the eschatological hope that the Bible holds out and invites all persons to actualize that hope in all that we say and do. In an increasingly polarized world, the Lord has invited all nations to this place that the Lord has chosen. In the New Testament, this hope focuses upon Christ, already partially fulfilled in the church, where male/female, Jew/Greek, slave/free, receive a common baptism in Christ, pointing to a time when every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord (Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10).
Peace seems like something reserved for dreamers, for naïve people, and for wistful thinking. If peace is to happen it will be in heaven. Yet, I also think of some Scripture that challenges me. Philippians 4:7 refers to the peace of God that passes all understanding, even while Paul is in prison. Romans 5:1 refers to us having peace with God. Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Jesus said God will bless the peacemaker. Thus, it seems like peace is more important for my life now than what I imagine.
Peace is difficult. This world contains so much violence. Pesky lions lunch on Zebras, wolf packs still gang up on sheep, snakes keep after children. Where can we find true peace? Wolves still attack lambs. Living things still get sick and die. Why can we not eliminate conflict? We cannot because peace in this world is unnatural. Wolves eat lambs. Lions eat antelopes. Human beings conduct violence and wars against each other, so swords are still made instead of plowshares.
Why is peace important?
Some students of human behavior suggest that the existence of language produces the possibility of peaceful relation with the other. The existence of language testifies to the previous reality of the welcome to the other. In that sense, language is the first ethical gesture. It invites us reasonable discourse. Through language, we cooperate with others in the use of power to bring about a proper ordering of life with nature and life together. If we still long for peace, it may be the continuing influence of this impulse toward the development of language.
A favorite hymn of mine is “It is Well with my Soul,” written in 1873.
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Rivers can be peaceful. As Psalm 23 puts it so beautifully and memorably, “He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.” Yet, life has another, darker dimension to it. The sea of life can indeed by rough, dangerous, and life-threatening. As I understand it, the waves of the sea can be relentless, if one is caught in them. Life can feel that way. Again, as Psalm 23 puts it, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley ...” Now, the Christian has the assurance of the presence of God even then: “you are with me. Your rod and your staff - they comfort me.” As Horatio G. Spafford penned the words, “It is well with my soul.” The companion he had in good times remains his companion when life is difficult.
Peace refers to harmony. In terms of one’s relationship with God, it refers to inner rest, harmony, peace, and freedom from anxiety. It refers to a state of reconciliation with God. Such peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Hebrew shalom refers to health and welfare, a state of agreement between persons. Such peace exhibits love, gentleness, and forgiveness. Such peace will bring unity. Paul emphasizes peace because he longed for that which would bring Jew and Gentile together in one church.
Do we not all have a longing for peace? Hope and peace meet in this longing, even as Isaiah noted in his vision of peace embracing the natural and human world and of fashioning swords into plowshares.
We long for peace, at some level. John Wesley had early Methodists in England ask each other, “How is it with your soul?” Your soul integrates mind and will on the one hand with bodily life on the other. A healthy soul moves toward wholeness, integrity, and authenticity. Faith, hope, and love will be present in a healthy soul. A damaged soul will show itself in being at war that leads to haste, envy, disappointment, and discouragement. In a healthy soul, peace will be present, even in chaotic times. A healthy soul has a hopeful approach to the future. A healthy soul is thankful. Yet, it seems so difficult for us to live it.
The rule of King David became a paradigm for later generations for the ideal human king. Some Christians today express the concern that the covenant with David (II Samuel 7) and his descendants was an abuse of power. However, this covenant within the Old Testament serves the hope and promise of a just and righteous rule. Such texts also form the basis for the Messianic hope of the Jewish people, the hope for a just rule prevailing in the world, the hope for the return of Jesus Christ as Lord, and became the basis for the development of the Christian notion of the Trinity. While the psalms celebrate the faithful of the Lord, they can single out the covenant with the House of David as an expression of that love. David is exalted, chosen, and anointed as servant of the Lord, and the faithful love of the Lord is with the House of David, having the special relationship of son to the Father (Ps 89). The hope and prayer were that the Lord would grant wisdom and justice to the ruler. The honor given to the king would reverberate upon the people, who would receive honor and blessing through the just rule of the king. The king was to abide by the covenant, which protected the poor and weak in the land. Regardless of how war-like this present reality may become, we must not forget that our destiny is to live in peace with each other and with nature. There will be no more struggles for existence and therefore slaughter between people and beast. The prophets occasionally anticipate a new king coming out of the line of the father of David, Jesse. The House of David now rules a small and weak territory, but it promises the dynasty of David will continue. The Spirit will infuse this king, who will, therefore, practice justice and righteousness toward the needy. He will rejuvenate the social process, heal creation, and cause the reconciliation of creation. The just social order affects the natural order, which expands our vision of the radical nature of the arrival of the new ruler involves. The Lord will alter the socio-political realm of human relations, and in a parallel universe of all living things, a paradise of unprecedented calm and peace will prevail (Isa 11:1-10). During our historical times, which are perpetually in turmoil, Immanuel, God is with us (Isa 7:10-16). Bethlehem and the clan of Ephrathah were small and insignificant, but the choice of the God of Israel for the unlikely is a biblical pattern. The coming ruler of Israel will be like David in that way. The smaller, younger, or otherwise less obviously superior person or group was to achieve prominence. Unlike David, he will be the one of peace, salvation, and deliverance (Micah 5:2-5a). The Lord will bring a promising shoot or fresh growth from the stump of the dead tree of the dynasty of David who will bring justice and righteousness. Even in exile, that promise remains. Because the king was the Lord’s anointed representative on earth, social justice and personal righteousness were the indispensable twins of all legitimate rule in ancient Israel (Jer 33:14-18). Even in exile, when despair and loss of hope seem like reasonable options, we need to go deeper to avoid despair and higher to imagine a future filled with hope. The “anointed one” (mashiach) became a technical term for the kingly figure in the line of David who would deliver the people of God. In English, it became “Messiah” or “Christ,” the latter word is the Greek form of “anointed one.” The promise of the anointed one bolsters the hopes of those who, while God returned them from exile and redeemed them, the people are still waiting for the glory of a new creation (III Isa 61:1). Creation itself will be set free from its bondage and decay (Rom 8:20).
The hymn by James Montgomery (1771-1854), “Hail to the Lord’s Anointed,” refers to “greater David’s greater Son,” as he comes to break oppression, set the captive free, and rule in equity. He comes to bring help for those who suffer wrong, such as the poor and needy. Such persons are precious in the sight of the Lord’s anointed. He shall be like a shower upon the fruitful earth of love, joy, and hope. Peace and righteousness will flow. His rule still increases and is without end. “The tide of time shall never his covenant remove, his name shall stand forever, that name to us is love.” In the hymn by Isaac Watts (1674-1748), “Jesus Shall Reign,” suggests that blessings about wherever Jesus reigns, for prisoners lose their chains, the weary find rest, and those who suffer from want find blessing. Every creature is to bring honors to “our King.”
Third, in the New Testament, the texts reflect the context of personal devotion.
The type of piety expressed here involves the whole being of the person directed toward the beauty and glory of the Lord. We do not often think of the attraction of beauty as a power. We receive a hint of its power when we encounter beauty in our world. We might even stop and gaze upon such beauty. It had the power to draw us out of ourselves and focus upon that which has attracted us. God can help us to see in a new way, convincing and persuading us to attend to the beauty of the Lord. The Lord is that beautiful if we have eyes to see.
Note how Mary's song, the Magnificat, highlights various contrasts. – that in opposition to brokenness, wrongs, sorrows and sighs, God will prevail, and one day all shall be well. We could also list many wrongs. In naming what is wrong, we can give it power over us. The more we focus on the wrongs, the more power we give them, for they seem even larger than they are. We must not forget what is right. We need to look for places where the reign of God is evident in our personal lives, in our community, and in the world. As you praise God, you will draw strength knowing that no matter the issue, joy truly “comes with the morning” (Psalm 30).
When Mary magnifies the Lord and rejoices in God, it is part of the notion of the beauty of the Lord attracting people to do so. God, who stoops down to humanity whose heart is “wicked,” becomes an object of desire, joy, pleasure, yearning and enjoyment. In a sense, the desperate condition of humanity is confuted and overcome by the fact that God must be the object of joy.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is a symbol of this type of piety. Future generations will call her blessed, despite her position as a humble servant of the Lord. She opens herself to this new act of the Father that will be the life of her son, Jesus, becoming a humble servant of the Lord. Future generations of every time and culture can learn from her model of submitting to the word the Lord has given. This type of piety is an event or encounter one has with God, grasping us in such a way that we are no longer simply our own. We need to treasure what the Lord has said and done and make them part of our lives. The biblical story includes acts of deliverance and mercy toward the Jewish people, and the church must find a way to see itself within that perspective. Granted, the city, the Temple, and the land do not have the significance for Christians that it does for the Jewish people, but all have a prominent place in our understanding of who God is as the Father of Jesus of Nazareth. The promise to Abraham and his descendants finds completion in the mission of the church to disciple the nations, but that does not mean the abrogation of the promise to the Jewish people. The church is fortunate that God has grafted it onto the root of which the Jewish people have come.
Fourth, the texts suggest the struggle of the human condition.
Even in our time of darkness, we pray. Even if it feels like the Lord has become our enemy, we pray. We want the Lord to restore what we might have lost. If we can get anthropomorphic here, we want the face of the Lord to light up, smile, and shine upon us in kindness, compassion, and generosity. Too often, we are in darkness because of our choices and our darkened way of thinking, so we need the Lord to act in a saving, rescuing, delivering, and victorious way. God may not act in the way we have prayed and hoped.
The Talmud has a beautiful comment: "A sense of shame is a lovely sign. Whoever has a sense of shame will not sin so quickly; but whoever shows no sense of shame in their visage, their father surely never stood on Mount Sinai." Contrary to many forms of psychology, both shame and guilt are signs of mental, emotional, and moral health. However, they can weigh us down and oppress us if we do not have a way to repent and receive forgiveness. We will need courage to face our sin, to allow sorrow and shame, to recognize the alienating power of sin, and to turn from sin.
Living a human life is complicated. Too often, we are the ones who make it so. We stir up the dust and complain we cannot see. We make our lives messy. Very simply, life is difficult. Thus, we may need to have some peace with loose ends. Frankly, I would give nothing for simplicity if it has not gone through the difficult waters of complexity. Yet, as we wrestle with the complex issues of a human life, we often find a hard-won simplicity. [4] The answers are not simple. Yet, we can live in peace amid complexity.
One way to think of the biblical story is that it is a rescue story (Luke 1:68-79).
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
’Till he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
—O Holy Night
To save us all from Satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O, tidings of comfort and joy, comfort and joy …
—God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Hark! the herald angels sing: “Glory to the newborn King!
Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.”
—Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Oh, come O Rod of Jesse’s stem, from ev’ry foe deliver them
That trust your mighty pow’r to save;
Bring them in vict’ry through the grave.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to you, O Israel!
—O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
Jesus was born because after sending sages and prophets into the company of human beings to no effect (see Hebrews 1), a personal visit by the Creator to his creation was deemed to be necessary — the last resort. Thus,
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail the incarnate deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus our Emmanuel
—Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!
Fifth, the primary emphasis of these texts is the surprising way in which Jesus fulfills the promise contained in the promise to Abraham, Moses, and King David. Jesus of Nazareth becomes the guarantee that the God of Israel will fulfill the promises made to Israel, even if that fulfillment is far from what one might expect.
Among the promises of the God of Israel was possession of a land, a city, a Temple, and a dynasty, all of which the enemies of Israel have taken away, or which God has taken away because of their sin. In either case, how can we trust in God? A theological transformation takes place for the New Testament authors, for in Jesus of Nazareth the God of Israel has fulfilled the promises made to Abraham, Moses, David, and the people of Israel. God has done so by confirming the promise that the descendants of Abraham would become a blessing to all nations. This man, a descendant of David and thoroughly Jewish, would open the way for the God of Israel to become God for Jew and Gentile alike. As in the Old Testament, the New Testament interprets the fulfillment of the promises in unexpected ways. This Jesus would have a birth something like that of Moses (Matthew) and Samuel (Luke), the Holy Spirit would anoint him to bring good news, he would have his wilderness temptation and remain true to his Father, he would have an inaugural sermon on a mountain (Matthew), experience opposition from religious and political leaders (as did Jeremiah), and accept suffering and death for the sins of the Jewish people in rejecting his message and for the sins of the world in its judgment of Jesus (fulfilling the role of the suffering servant in Isaiah). When Jesus said during the Last Supper, This is my body … This is my blood,” he indicated that his death would be redemptive for others. Jesus did the will of God through his atoning death by the offering of his body. Because of Jesus' sacrifice, the people of God no longer need the Levitical offerings and the law (Hebrews 10:5-10). This is quite consistent with other passages in the New Testament in this matter. Christ loved us, giving up his life for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God (Ephesians 5:2). Christ bore our sins in his body on the cross so that we receive healing of our sins by his wounds (I Peter 2:24). This would mean that the elaborate system of animal and grain sacrifice for sin, the fellowship offering, and the thank offering, would find their fulfillment in his death (Hebrews 10:5-10). The Father vindicated his life, message, and death by restoring him to life with the Father through the life-giving Spirit in resurrection. He would thereby fulfill the roles in the Old Testament of prophet, priest, king, and teacher of the people of God.
Sixth, although gratitude for what God has done in Jesus of Nazareth would be a faithful response, but it might be difficult one.
It can be so difficult to approach our lives with a spirit of gratitude. Suffering, frustration, and challenge, all occur here. We can experience such profound loss of family and friends that we wonder how we can go on. We can become incredibly bored with our lives. Should we wait until some future date, when we think everything will be better, before we give thanks?
Of course, we often get ourselves in trouble. We seek deliverance, healing, and direction in life from all the wrong places. For many of us, pleasure and materialism have become a well from which we have drunk. We listen to false teachers. They may satisfy us for a while. Yet, they become empty wells. We seek meaning and happiness while recognizing that the things we do often lead us further away.
Even if giving thanks, even if approaching life with gratitude requires courage today, it looks with faith toward what God is doing and with hope toward what God will do. We do not have to understand it all. What we can do is drink deeply from the satisfying well of living water the Lord has provided (Isaiah 12:2-6). Life does not become easy or smooth when we do this. We can discover, however, a satisfaction that we have not tied so closely to circumstances or how we feel. Even if giving thanks is difficult, give thanks anyway. A spirit of gratitude in life does not depend upon the circumstances of your life. The modern praise song goes like this.
Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name when I’m found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be Your name
Every blessing You pour out I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord still I will say
Blessed be the name of The Lord Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of The Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name
Blessed be Your name when the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s all as it should be
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be Your name
on the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say, blessed be Your name
God does not lift us out of the trials and struggles of life. Rather, God gives us grace and confidence amid them. Every congregation goes through challenging times. Yet, what does God have prepared for us on the other side? We do not know. Yet, we will give thanks, even for the tough times.
"A Creed for Those Who Have Suffered."
I asked God for strength, that I might achieve. I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked for health, that I might do great things. I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I asked for riches, that I might be happy. I was given poverty, that I might be wise.
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of people. I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life. I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing I asked for - but everything I had hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among people, most richly blessed!
We need to stop. It is time to look at our lives once again, not considering this day, or even this week, but considering eternity. We can then stop long enough to draw water from the wells of salvation. I will give thanks to you, O Lord.
There are many wells out there. You may look for happiness in wealth, in success, in family and friends, and yet that well will be empty. We look around us and all we see may be wilderness. Yet, we can go to another well. I would call this a personal, vital, and life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. We can let that bucket down deep into the water of salvation.
Seventh, John the Baptist becomes a model.
The evangelical address of the church is in the situation and function of John the Baptist (Mark 1:1-8), which is also a voice crying in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord, and baptizing with water. He was not worthy to untie the sandal of the one to come, recognizing his modest role and his readiness to step aside and make way for Jesus. The church is not worthy to unloose the shoes of its Lord. The church has the duty of summoning people to knowledge of Christ and readiness for baptism with the Spirit.[5] He summoned people to repent and submit to baptism. This act admitted sin and the need for forgiveness. Such an act involved a turning around and living in a different direction than one had lived before. He preached the soon arrival of the rule of God coming as a day of wrath, believing that repentance was necessary for his fellow Jews, who may have thought it was enough to be Jewish (Matthew 3:7-10). He preached of the One to come who would baptize with the Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11-12). He wondered (Matthew 11:2-6) if Jesus was the One, and Jesus pointed to his ministry fulfilling Isaiah 35:5-6, 29:18-19, 26:19, and 61:1. The lordship of God means salvation, beginning in the public ministry of Jesus. He would pronounce a blessing upon those who do not take offense at him. Jesus identifies John as a prophet of God (Matthew 11:7-19, Mark 9:13), as does Mark (1:2). He was a witness to the light that entered the world through Jesus (John 1:7). As a poet put it:
A candle light is a protest at midnight.
It is a non-conformist.
It says to the darkness,
“I beg to differ!”[6]
Eighth, who was Jesus of Nazareth?
He is the Son of the Father through the life-giving Spirit. His name, Jesus, discloses his mission, to save the Jewish people from their sins, but his second name is Emmanuel, signifying the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. In the time of turmoil for the Jewish people, here is a sign that God remains with them (Matthew 1:18-25). The Father stands at the beginning of this man, Jesus. Based upon the witness of the apostles concerning the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, Luke can say that in the power of the Spirit he was the Son from birth. The relationship of Jesus to the Spirit is so close that he owes his existence to the Spirit. The Spirit represents the creative movement of the Father in the world and is present in the birth of Jesus as well. He is the Son through the work of the Spirit. He is the Son of God and will receive the throne of his ancestor King David. Unlike King David, however, his rule will never end. The lordship of the Son honors the Father. (Luke 1:26-38). He is the way the God of Israel has fulfilled the promise to the patriarchs and to Moses in remembrance of the covenant the Lord had with Israel. He is the Light dawning upon those in sit in darkness and in the shadow of death (Luke 1:79), a somber reminder of the basic human truth that the end that has yet to come casts a shadow in advance and defines the whole path of life as a being for death in the sense that our end has not integrated into our existence. Rather, it threatens each moment of our living self-affirmation with nothingness. We thus lead our temporal lives under the shadow of death.[7] He will guide humanity into the way of peace. The work of peace seems impossible. Some enemies are so devoted to evil that all that one can do is defeat them. In many other situations, however, if we want to make peace with the enemy, we will have to figure out a way to work with the enemy. At that point, the enemy becomes a partner.[8] The path to such peace will involve goodness and forgiveness.[9] That God, who is Infinite and Eternal, would become human, is beyond anything our rationality could imagine. God has chosen the weak and foolish things of the world to confound the wise. Christians do not go to Washington DC or Wall Street to find their answer to the longing for peace. They go to Bethlehem, to the stable, and the manger where the babe lies. At some point, we may need to confess our ignorance, and come to the babe in the lap of Mary.[10]
"Our Muslim brothers and sisters do not believe that God would so lower himself because 'Allah Akbar,' God is great, and would not demean himself to be an ordinary human being. "But Christian Faith believes that precisely because God is so great, he shows his greatness in this great Christmas act of humility and condescension ... by becoming one of us and even going to the ... extent of dying for us as a common criminal."[11]
Ninth, Jesus preached the imminent rule of his Father.
Jesus proclaimed the coming of a day or hour that would be the judgment and mercy of the Father. The timing was not central to him. He shares in the human uncertainty of that end (Mark 13:32). The church and individual Christians would show some wisdom in not claiming to possess more knowledge than does the Son or the angels![12] He said it would be sudden and unexpected, with people carrying on with their daily tasks (Matthew 24:37-41). He urged people to keep awake spiritually (Mark 13:33). We find it difficult to stay awake. John Wesley wrote that spiritual sleepiness, that deep sleep of the soul, is part of our sinful nature. Sleepiness is the result of a certain type of cluelessness to our true condition. Such a sleeper is dead but is not aware of it. We believe nothing is wrong with our current condition or with the world around us. Spiritual sleepers can view sin in their lives as being a mere character flaw rather than disobedience. The day or hour will come like a thief, and thus, will be a form of judgment (Luke 12:39-40). Like a master who leaves his servants in charge of the house, they do not know when the master will return (Mark 13:34-35). He believed the generation to which he was preaching would see this end (Mark 13:30). His counsel was to be ready.
Tenth, the eschatology of the New Testament becomes the basis for ethical action.
If we read such texts properly, the world becomes a place of judgment and promise that places the politics, economics, and culture of the status quo in a properly temporal arrangement. The rule of God is at hand and that "salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near" (Romans 13:11-12). If the judgment of fire descends upon the earth, followers of Jesus are to become a holy and godly people (II Peter 3:11-12). If individuals and communities live from this perspective, they will find their priorities reorganized toward faithful service as they await the coming of the Lord and we will find ourselves in the right posture from which to read scripture.[13]
An analogy with ethics is the present work of the Spirit. The Spirit now at work in the gifts of the Spirit to the people of God is a foretaste of what shall come. Spiritual gifts today do not mean the eschaton has already appeared. Such gifts are an earnest of what is yet to come. Such gifts provide the community with a glimpse into the future glory that awaits them. The gifts are not fully present. If a day is coming for a revealing of Christ, then the present is a time of some hiddenness of whom Christ is. The present is a time of waiting for the fullness of revelation. The present is a prolepsis of the fullness of future revelation. We can exercise our gifts in the present as we look forward to final revelation. We can look beyond our present poverty, slavery, and victimization by evil and see the glory to come. Thus, we live between two advents or comings of Jesus Christ.
The anticipation of the eschatological crisis envisioned by the prophets and by the New Testament contains in it a calling for special ethical consecration (Romans 13:11-14). The end pictured here becomes a hope for the future and calls the people of God to live a certain way today in preparation for that end. Confronted by the human plight of sin and darkness, the New Testament affirms the hope of a new creation in Christ. Much of humanity is asleep in that it does not see either its plight or its hope and are thus spiritually inattentive. The people of God also go through times when they are asleep. The awareness of the eschatological crisis calls us to awaken from slumber. Every moment contains the possibility of being our time for God. The night is here while we wait for the full light of day to come. The form such waiting takes is to live in the light we see coming in Christ. It will be a battle. The darkness is not yet gone. The light is not yet fully come. So, we need to put on the armor. We need to have the mentality of a soldier when it comes to spiritual life. The people of God are to be children of light rather than night. They must awaken the first time, a time often referred to as conversion, but the tendency is always to sleep, so we need to awaken repeatedly, which is grace. This event or moment reveals the secret of our time or history. In Christ, the turning-point of history has occurred, the light has dawned. The Moment has arrived for humanity. Now is the time to make that Moment our own Moment, so that we may live awake, in the light, and in the day. The vanishing of the night and the arrival of the day have already begun. This light becomes the armor we bear to face the battle with the darkness that persists. We see signs of that darkness in the lack of respect to parents, in expressions of anger that often lead to violence, in greed and envy of what others possess, in failure to properly channel our sexual desire, in our deception of self and others, and in our divisive spirit. We are to abound in love toward all as the Lord strengthen us in holiness until the coming of the Lord Jesus with all the saints (I Thessalonians 3:12). Holiness begins with love but does not reach its completion until Christ returns. Such abounding in love is a difficult path, given the realities of our world. We respond to live with love. We take the initiative with love. Every moment is an occasion to let that love shine. We are to let the Spirit fill us, receive with discernment the prophetic word, hold fast to what is good, abstain from every form of evil, trusting that God will sanctify us entirely as we wait for the coming our Lord, Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 5:23-24).
If we step back for a moment and remember that the original language of our New Testament is Greek, we might receive some help. “Love” has several Greek words that have differing nuances. The most obvious is that one of the words refers to the affection we might find between friends. However, I want to focus on agape, which refers to a conscious evaluation and choice that result in concern and interest in the other. It suggests sincere appreciation and high regard for the other.
Can you name a time that you experienced undeserved love?
Think of it this way. To love, agape, is to begin reflecting upon our moral relationship to the other. Love embraces the other. Love means that something matters, moving against our nagging suspicion that nothing matters. In fact, a moral sickness or malady is to move toward apathy and isolation. Love heals that sickness. It suggests knowledge of the other. It helps the other. Love points the way toward that which we hope. Love is joyful acceptance of the other. To love is to suggest that what is truly valuable is beyond or outside me. To love is to move beyond what the law requires. We become loving people. Our capacity to love is the affirmation of our own life, happiness, growth, and freedom. The Old Testament Law found its reaffirmation in the second of the two great commandments Jesus identified: Love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus defined this love in the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:29ff. Such love involves caring and thoughtful action toward the other; not just warm feelings you may or may not have toward the other.
The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out of love, and to let it come in. When we love, we are in tune with God, for God is love. Love binds Father, Son, and Spirit, with the Spirit inviting us to participate in this love. Prayer is an expression of love to God and neighbor. Yes, God loves this world, and we join God in that love.
God is love. God is also Spirit. The Holy Spirit works to bring us into the orbit of the love that binds the Father, Son, and Spirit. Our love reflects the Trinity. Such love is the basis of prayer. Prayer is an expression of love toward God and the neighbor. Prayer commits us to developing our friendship with God and genuine care for the world. Colossians 3:14 sums up all the virtues by reminding us to clothe ourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. The writings of John find the source of the centrality of love in the command of Jesus.
John 13:34
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
John 15:12
"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
John 15:17 I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.
1 John 3:11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.
The writings of Paul continue this emphasis upon the centrality of love.
Romans 13:8
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
1 Corinthians 13:13
And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
Galatians 5:6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything; the only thing that counts is faith working through love.
Love is the outer garment that holds all the others in their place. Paul's concern is for corporate life, not individualistic piety. To play with the clothing metaphor, love is the last garment that holds the whole outfit together (the suspenders, belt, overcoat, tie, scarf, etc.).
It is amazing that even prison, Paul was able to pen such powerful words of joy, thanksgiving, and love. The Lord began an excellent work and will bring it to completion in that day to come, the day of Jesus Christ, reminding us that even at death our lives are not complete, for God is the one who will bring that completion. Recognizing the unfinished quality of a human life should help us to live life with humility, recognizing that we are not all that God intends for us to be. This humility should make us gracious and willing to listen in our dealings with others. It should make us beware of certainty. The unfinished nature of our knowledge means that our opinions are not the last word on the topics of life. Some of our notions may even turn out to be “half-baked” — which is a synonym for unfinished. It should make us work on growing in love. We do that by saying yes as God reveals new things to us that we need to convert to go forward in our relationship with Christ and with others. Consistency in the Christian life is not usually the outcome of our initial commitment to Christ. Rather, it comes slowly and sometimes even painfully through subsequent submissions to God’s call.
No, my God’s not done
Making me a masterpiece
He’s still working on me
He started something good and I’m gonna believe it
He started something good and he’s gonna complete it
So I’ll celebrate the truth
His work in me ain’t through
I’m just unfinished.[14]
Our love is to overflow, and our discernment is to help us determine what is excellent. All this will bring honor to the God we serve and to whom we are accountable (Philippians 1:3-11). Thus, we need to the armor of light, which is love both for God and for others, maintaining our faith and hope during it all.
Such a life is to lead to rejoicing (Philippians 4:4). Joy, we say, is a true satisfaction in the Christian life -- a kind of gladness in the Lord that is not dependent on fluctuating feelings or the circumstances of our life. Paul even says joy is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). When we have joy, we know something better exists. Joy can surprise us. Something outside us has stimulated our inner joy. It will unleash our imagination and stimulate us to consider new possibilities. Joy unites us to the world and people around us. What we say with our lives is what gives our lives its meaning. Now is the time to have joy for the time we have and the people who have made it meaningful and joyful. We repeatedly know the original joy in life, joy in the richness, breadth, and beauty of creation and in each new day, joy in the illuminations of the life of the spirit, power from action within the order of community life, and a turning to others and participation in their joys and sorrows.[15]
The word “blessed” can have the translation of happy. The Hebrew word is asher and the New Testament word is makarios. For us to understand what the Bible means by these words, we must think of "happy" (the feeling of satisfaction) and "blessed" (God's favor) together. When God evaluates what we are doing as good, and thus favors us, we are in the best position to feel satisfied with our life. Theologians like Augustine and Aquinas pondered the experience of happiness as well. However, Protestant reformers were more concerned with relief from the anxiety and guilt before God than with the experience of happiness. In the 18th century, some theologians -- notably the Anglican Joseph Butler and the Methodist John Wesley -- began promoting happiness as a legitimate goal for Christians. Wesley understood the Bible to say that the way to be happy was to be holy. Butler contributed to the conversation about happiness because he said that we could find pleasure in doing the things that the Christian faith calls us to do. He said that doing the right thing is self-love, and that self-love is, in fact, obedience to God. According to these theologians, happiness is a feeling that comes from doing what pleases God. Wesley researcher Sarah Heaner Lancaster expresses Wesley's thought by saying that when our lives fit the way God calls us to be, we are happy in the sense that we have a life one can evaluate as good and upright, we are personally and deeply satisfied, and we lead a life suited for God. This suggests that followers of Jesus are to be happy. Something around 70 sermons of John Wesley include references to happiness. He devoted some of these sermons solely to the subject. Wesley linked happiness with holiness. His concern was often with true religion, by which he meant that religion is not something for just outward show or to wear as an unearned military decoration. Such true religion includes gratitude and benevolence, that is, offering love to God with all that you are and loving your neighbor as yourself. Wesley would conclude that righteousness, peace, and joy are present in those who have true religion. In one of his sermons, Wesley maintained that God made us to be happy just as Adam and Eve were happy before they disobeyed God. When they turned away from him and sinned, they lost that happy state. If we do not live holy lives for which God made us, we will also not be able to enjoy a happy life. Happiness is not so much an intentional goal as it is the byproduct of a well-lived human life. Wesley distinguished happiness from merriment. Merriment is pleasure, as we might put it today, whereas happiness is a mood arising out of connecting with the view God has of right living. He granted that Christians would experience heaviness, the weight of difficult circumstances, sorrow, ill health, and similar life experiences that bring life down. Yet, for Wesley, trust in God sustains us through such times, even in the strange experience of rejoicing in sorrow. One may be poor, in mourning, or persecuted for one’s faith, but still be aware of the blessing of God upon one’s life. Life circumstances that induce feelings of heaviness do not threaten genuine happiness. When we properly connect with God and live in the way God intends, our lives will have an underlying balance that has a solid place to stand, even when life itself is rocky.[16]
What do we think of happiness? For Aristotle, happiness is a goal that encompasses an entire life. It is not something that one can gain or lose in a few hours, like pleasurable sensations. It is more like the ultimate value of your life as lived up to this moment, measuring how well you have lived up to your full potential as a human being. Philosopher Martha Nussbaum used the term “human flourishing” to communicate this notion of happiness. For this reason, one cannot really make any pronouncements about whether one has lived a happy life until it is over, just as we would not say of a football game that it was a "great game" at halftime (indeed we know of many such games that turn out to be blowouts or duds). For the same reason we cannot say that children are happy, any more than we can say that an acorn is a tree, for they have not yet realized the potential for a flourishing human. As Aristotle says, "For as it is not one swallow or one fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy."[17] In conclusion, according to Aristotle, what is happiness?
- Happiness is the ultimate end and purpose of human existence.
- Happiness is not pleasure, nor is it virtue. It is the exercise of virtue.
- Happiness arrives at the end of one’s life. Hence it is a goal and not a temporary state.
- Happiness is the perfection of human nature. Since humanity is a rational animal, human happiness depends on the exercise of his reason.
- Happiness depends on acquiring a moral character, where one displays the virtues of courage, generosity, justice, friendship, and citizenship in one's life. These virtues involve striking a balance or "mean" between an excess and a deficiency.
- Happiness requires intellectual contemplation, for this is the ultimate realization of our rational capacities.
The statistic I am about to share remains true. It does not vary much from decade to decade. When offered a choice between describing their lives as very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy, religious people, defined as those who attended worship regularly, are significantly happier than those who attend occasionally, and even more than those who do not attend at all. The gap is not present because of money. People who are externally identical in other ways will show this difference.[18]
We are to be gentle, kind, and magnanimous (Philippians 4:5). Such behavior contrasts with violence, quarrelsomeness, and harshness. Gentleness is non-retaliatory. It promotes peace. It suggests flexibility in the face of conflict. It even suggests a deliberate strategy of adaptability and accommodation that the situation of this congregation may demand.
We are to live with the awareness that the Lord is near (Philippians 4:5). The nearness of God is not temporal but eternal, and it is precisely through prayer that one recognizes God as near. The Lord is near to you now, even if you do not feel it or believe it.
Since the Lord is near, we have no need to worry about anything (Philippians 4:6), for this suggests lack of trust. Worry can function like an addiction. We are familiar with worry, so it feels safer than real life does. If we worry, we must think that at some level the terrible things we imagine will not happen. For example, we have already given ourselves the pain of failure through our worry, so we might escape such pain in real life.
In contrast to worry, offer prayer and requests to God with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6). Christian prayer has its starting point and its context in gratitude. Gratitude is to move through all our prayers.
Adopting such ethical perspectives will enable us to experience the peace of God (Philippians 4:7). Such peace flows from confident well-being.
Eleventh, eschatology relates to hope.
Hope can be fragile. Hope is more important that we know. C. S. Lewis once said that among our greatest problems as human beings is not that we ask too much out of life, but that we expect too little. We are far too easily pleased. People who see little hope fill our world. God understands the pain and discouragement. Yet do not have contentment with too little. Do not become too pleased with the little morsels of life the present gives you. Instead, he counsels courage and hope, that these people will not simply accept a disappointing life. St. Augustine says that hope has two beautiful daughters: anger at the way things are and courage to see to it they do not remain the way they are. Hope knows this life has an incomplete character. While hope is important for us individually, the Christian hope embraces humanity and creation. By faith, the content of that hope is the promise of the Father in the resurrection of Christ and the sending of the Spirit. Christians offer their lives and their witness in the light of that hope. All of us wish. We want something. We think we need something. We project our wish into the future. Wishing extends our ego into the future. We can imagine a wish as a line coming out from us with an arrow on the end, pointing into the future, pointing toward the thing for which we wish. Wishing orients itself toward what we are doing. Our wish, regardless of how holy our wish might be, contrasts with a hope that arises out of our faith. Biblical and Christian hope rests on faith. Sustainable hope grounds itself in what is outside oneself, and yet in which one participates as a small part of the Infinite and Eternal. One who has such faith and hope directs one’s life toward a goal. One lifts the heart and soul in the right direction, rather than that which is finite and temporal (Psalm 25). Hope orients itself to what God is doing. We can imagine hope as a line that comes from God out of the future, with its arrow pointing toward us. Hope opens us up to surprise, for we do not know what is best for us or how our lives are going to find completion. If we are going to cultivate hope, we need to put aside our wish. Rather than fantasizing about what we want, we live in anticipation of what God is going to do next.[19] As C. S. Lewis put it, we have better things ahead of us than the things we leave behind.
This leads us to discuss directly and specifically what we do with the eschatology of the prophetic witness and the witness of the apostles, and the proclamation of Jesus. I admit my discomfort with such texts. My explorations will not remove this discomfort. If anything, they heighten it. Those who value science will find it tempting to set aside all talk of the end. However, I think the church that does so will do so at their peril.
What is this apocalyptic talk and what are contemporary Christians supposed to do with it?
Apocalyptic language is language about what we might call earth-shattering events. We strain for language to describe those events, those moments when it as if the world tilts on its axis and everything that once was crumbles and something new is born. Though there are no great cracks in the earth, an earth-shattering event is usually more disrupting and shaking than an earthquake, though we are speaking metaphorically. When, in the book of Daniel, or Ezekiel, Jewish writers speak of the moon turning red, the clouds descending, angels gathering Israel, they are speaking in this way, speaking in metaphors about earth-shattering events. They spoke in poetry, which is always better than prose for this sort of active, energetic language pushed to the limit. They could have said it more prosaically: God's people are badly oppressed, yet God will soon help us, and when this happens it will be an earth-shattering event in which God's people will at last be set up over all the world. Instead, they said it in poetry, for only poetry has the power to move us to the depths, to shatter, to tear down and rebuild a world.
So, when we read about the Son of Man descending in the clouds (Mark 13:24-27), we are not so much reading about supernatural events that occur in some other time and place, but earth-shattering events that take place here in earthly political, military, economic events. The odd, poetic language is not meant as secret code to hide things from us but is meant to reveal the true theological significance of these events. The end is life rather than death. For this reason, Christians rightly long for the coming of God, for if God does not come, only death and destruction will come. The hope is also the closing vision in Revelation 21:4. Despite present appearances, God is sovereign, and God is faithful to the promise of new life. Today, Christians inherit the hope and promise of the return of the Lord Jesus. “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” says the Lord’s Prayer. “From thence he shall come again to judge the living and the dead,” “we believe in the resurrection of the dead,” and “we believe in the life of the world to come,” says the Creed of Nicaea. Martin Luther King Jr., in his sermon shortly before his death, said, "I fear no man. Because my eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." This is the world changing, apocalyptic vision that gives us both freedom and boldness. When we ask God to interfere with our affairs on this world, we are asking for an end to the world, as we know it. When the author walks on the stage, the play is over. The world as we know it, says apocalyptic hope, will melt away like a dream and something else that never entered our heads to conceive arrives, something so beautiful to some and terrible to others.[20]
Here is another concern I have with this language. An emphasis upon the end time or the end of the world leads some persons to otherworldliness, passivity in this life, and acceptance of the status quo. Yet, for all that Christian faith means to everyone who embraces it, the church cannot continue to permit, much less endorse, a subjective captivity of the gospel. Not even the community of faith is adequate as the arena of Christ's saving work. The whole creation stands at the window eagerly awaiting the arrival of the day of redemption for the children of God. When we think we have educated ourselves above primitive apocalyptic thought, we need to suspect that such a negative assessment has more to do with our social location. As people in power, people on the top, are always more comfortable with the status quo than are those who embrace apocalyptic, which envisions the dismantling of the the social, economic, and political status quo. Further, such passages remind us that human effort will not bring us to the desired end. It rests upon the assumption that human history will not be a genuine story unless we think in terms of ultimate ends. A proper estimation of eschatology will help the church avoid the danger of always adjusting the church to the needs and anxieties of the culture.[21]
I do get it. The attraction of apocalyptic in every age and culture is to a people in crisis. People at the end of their rope and feel as if they have reached bottom, if they appeal to God at all, will do so with a sense of urgency. They want God and they want God now. I sometimes wish God were always obviously present, like the blinding flash of light or an unmistakable voice from above. Have you ever been at the end of your rope with God? I get it. Our perception of time and circumstances suggest immediate action in a certain direction. I do understand that. Here is my discomfort.
In another positive aspect of this imagery, eschatology and apocalyptic make the valid point that humanity has reached the end of its rope. All our schemes for self-improvement, for extricating ourselves from the traps we have set for ourselves, have come to nothing. Such texts suggest that we cannot save ourselves. In fact, apart from the intervention of God, we are lost. I can appreciate our need to learn that lesson. Yet, such texts promise that God will reign. They even suggest irresponsible passivity. We do not like that. We would rather hear that if we could just be a little better next year than we were this year, we could make the world a better place. Such texts remind us that God has come in Jesus Christ to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. As eschatology, this means the focus is upon the action of God in its cosmic and political dimension, in which God is creating a new heaven and new earth. The good news of such texts is that God is making all things new. We are interesting creatures. We want to believe that we have the power to destroy the plant. We want to believe we can save it. We have the world in our hands. We may feel guilt or empowered by that belief. Such texts say that the world is in the hands of God and that the future belongs to God.[22]
Here is a major issue I have with these texts. It seems as if God more often whispers. The eyes and ears of faith will get the message. We need to be leaning toward God to hear what God is saying to us. God may be present but standing in the shadows. Human time and divine time are two quite different things. The hymn by Isaac Watts, “Oh God, Our Help in Ages Past,” offers a beautiful sentiment as well. "A thousand ages in thy sight are like an evening gone. Short as the watch that ends the night before the rising sun." The Infinite and Eternal God relates to time in a way separate from the way we do. When we have frustration regarding divine timing, we are to remember the promise we have from God. When we have our customary impatience, we need to remember that the Lord works on a different schedule than we do. Good timing in the mind of the Lord is not the same as our sense of good timing. If we are patient, we will grow through times of waiting in our lives. We will grow through the difficulties we must face, even if it seems like we struggle without help from the Lord. The Lord will reward our patience. In our waiting, we must have some care for the soul. Our frustration with waiting will weaken our ability to resist temptation. The hope is for the coming of God who remembers even when we have forgotten God.
Charles Wesley has a line in one of his hymns that goes like this:
Father, let our faithful mind
Rest, on thee alone inclined;
Every anxious thought repress,
Keep our souls in perfect peace.
An Amy Carmichael song goes like this:
Thou art the Lord who slept upon the pillow,
Thou art the Lord who soothed the furious sea.
What matter beating wind and tossing billow
If only we are in the boat with thee?
Hold us in quiet through the age-long minute
While thou art silent, and the wind is shrill:
Can the boat sink while thou, dear Lord, art in it?
Can the heart faint that waiteth on thy will?
To put it a bit philosophically, when we lose our trust in what is finite and temporal, we might turn to what is Infinite and Eternal. Such moments can remind us of truths we have long forgotten. God-forgetfulness is strong, even among the people of God.
Apocalyptic is a Greek word that means a revelation or uncovering. Such texts reveal or uncover a truth that has been present all along the course of history. God has ruled, even if in a way mysterious to us. Such texts reveal the truth of the early confession, “Jesus is Lord.” The work of reconciliation begun in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the work of reconciliation continued in the sending of the Spirit and preaching of the gospel, will reach its completion in the revelation of Jesus as the promised Jewish Messiah, the coming Son of Man, and the Savior of the world. We wait for the revealing or revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Corinthians 1:7), suggesting that the revelation contained in the good news is provisional until that final revelation. Its provisional quality means faith and hope will always be important qualities of a Christian life. Even today, congregations sing prayerfully, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” We sing, “Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus,” from Charles Wesley (1744):
Him the people to deliver, born a child and yet a King
Born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring
By Thy own eternal Spirit, rule in all our hearts alone
By Thine all sufficient merit, raise us to Thine glorious throne
I see another dimension of such language in the Bible. People are ready for apocalyptic speech when they are desperate. Do we really want such earth-shaking occurring among us? Would such an expectation be a threat or promise to us? Our lives stretch between the times. Many people have good reason look at their lives with a sense of enjoyment and satisfaction. They are at peace with the world. Apocalyptic expectation in the Bible challenge present arrangements of society and look forward to something more and better. For those who experience this world as painful and tragic, the shaking of heaven and earth would be welcome. In fact, we need to take to heart the notion that Christianity is completely and restlessly eschatological.[23] One sign of the church adjusting its message to its contemporary setting too much is the loss of its apocalyptic speech and therefore its eschatological dimension. Regardless of our current setting, we need to know that the future of humanity and a concern for its destiny is not so much a matter of how or when, but a matter of who. Thus, dreadful things happen in this world, but do not despair. God has not given up on us. We must not give up on God or ourselves. The future is not in the hands of beastly powers. The future belongs to the Human One. The future has the human face of Jesus Christ, the one who died for us so that we might find life.
The delay of the Day, felt in the first century, often dealt with by referring to that Day as coming like a thief and that the Lord experiences time differently than do human beings (II Peter 3:8-10), is a delay some Christians feel deeply. Do I dare say it? In this setting, skepticism seems quite natural. On the other hand, if we have grown uncomfortable with the way the world is, we may become convinced that things have gotten so bad that surely the Lord will come soon. We want relief. We want it now.
One might think that apocalyptic thinking was for only for an ancient time. One would be wrong. The eyes of some Christians light up even today with asserting that all we need to do look at what is happening in the world today and see that we are in the last times, so get ready, for the Lord Jesus is returning soon.
The secular world can have an apocalyptic mood. Have you noticed how often a movie looks toward a post-apocalyptic situation, sometime after a major war, or a dystopian future, where the future takes a terribly negative turn? Hunger Games is an example, but thee are so many. This movie looks backward to a time when a major war broke out that led to tyranny in government.
Craig C. Hill explores the notion in his article, “The End of the World – Again,” in Dallas Morning News, October 26, 2002. As he sees it, some people thought the end would happen in 2012. A journalist named Lawrence Joseph has written Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization's End, a book which predicts widespread catastrophe beginning this month. He looks to the sky and sees "signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars," just as Jesus did. Specifically, he notices that on December 21 of this year, the sun will line up with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in 26,000 years. Joseph says, "Whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m." Well, he pieces widely scattered facts, some maybe and probably, and draws a frightful conclusion.
Lawrence Joseph was not alone. According to USA Today (March 27, 2007), several people thought that the Apocalypse was coming because of something else that happens on December 21, 2012: The Maya's "Long Count" calendar comes to the end of an era that has been running for 5,126 years.
A spiritual healer named Andrew Smith predicts a restoration of a "true balance between Divine Feminine and Masculine." Author Daniel Pinchbeck looks forward to a "change in the nature of consciousness," which he connects to psychedelic drug use.
Rumors of the demise of the world have been around for centuries. Consider the example of William Miller, a Baptist farmer from New York who was convinced that Christ would return to Earth in the early 1840s. With the assistance of Boston preacher Joshua Himes, Miller persuaded tens of thousands of Christians that the "day of the Lord" was at hand. Some followers even quit jobs and sold property in anticipation of the Second Coming. What came instead was the so-called Great Disappointment, and with it the discrediting of William Miller. Within a brief time, however, other people reinterpreted the writings of Miller, re-worked the math, and issued new and equally assured predictions. With that, we have the beginning of the Seventh Day Adventist denomination.
Harold Camping studied the Bible and concluded the world would end May 21, 2011. He placed his message on 5,000 billboards. He estimated 7 billion people would die. He used millions of dollars to convey his message. When the date came and went, he amended the date to October 21. By then, the fad had subsided.
In our time, we are naturally and justly skeptical of such language. A well know story from colonial New England says that during an eclipse panicked several state legislators. They moved to adjourn, thinking the end of the world must be near. However, one of them said, "Mr. Speaker, if it is not the end of the world and we adjourn, we shall appear to be fools. If it is the end of the world, I should choose to be found doing my duty. I move you, sir, that candles be brought."[24]
In her post-apocalyptic novel, Jennifer Bosworth says in Struck (2012)
If you want to remain in control of a doomsday cult, do not give a date for the end of the world unless you are really, really sure it's going to happen. Being wrong tends to undermine your authority.
The advice is well taken but not often heeded. Yet, on occasion, the failure leads to the growth of a movement.
In Christian circles, of course, the idea of a rapture is popular. The first End Times best seller was not Volume 1 of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins' Left Behind series; nor was it Hal Lindsey's 1970s' blockbuster The Late Great Planet Earth. That distinction belongs instead to William E. Blackstone's 1878 book Jesus Is Coming, which was published in three editions and 47 languages. Since that time, waves of Last Days enthusiasm have swept regularly over portions of American Christianity. The current peak in interest is attributable to several factors, not least the effective use of mass media on the part of a handful of self-described fundamentalist "prophecy scholars."
"The Rapture" is prominent in several twentieth- and twenty-first-century approaches to interpreting the Bible's apocalyptic passages. Most people who use this term are unaware that it was all but unknown in Christian theology prior to the late nineteenth Century.
The only place in the Bible where anything resembling a "Rapture" is mentioned is in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, describing how the risen Christ will one day descend from heaven. At that time, Paul teaches, the "dead in Christ" will be raised, and "We who are alive... will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air" (v. 17). "Rapture" is another way of rendering into English the phrase, "caught up." The underlying Greek word is the uncommon arpagnesometha, which one can translate "snatched up" or "kidnapped." The word bears a keen sense of violent coercion. It is, in fact, related to the English word, "rape" – not in the sense of a sexual act, but the snatching up and carrying off the wives and daughters of a defeated enemy.
Most rapture theologians describe the moment as Jesus coming to the earth just in time to rescue the faithful and just before God abandons the earth to its evil. Yet, if we read I Thessalonians 4 carefully, the faithful meet the coming Lord, not to escape, but to join in his triumphal return to redeem the earth and human history. With such a hope for the future, we can indeed comfort each other, as Paul advises.
I do want to be clear that I do not expect God to intervene or act to disrupt nature or human history in the way that many Christians think. I do have a belief in the hope contained in this eschatological and apocalyptic language of the New Testament that I want to share. I want to offer a possibility for contemporary Christians to honor scripture and its eschatology that would move us away from the popular approaches that may draw crowds but, in the end, discredit the Christian message. The key here is the New Testament, in which eschatology becomes the basis for an exhortation to live today a life that reflects what God wants. The failure of the arrival of the end in the first century did not lead to the dissolving of Christian faith but led to re-envisioning that faith and that hope. I ask the reader to think along with me here. There is something far more valuable in the gospel, the kerygma of the church, than the expectation of God intervening in the natural courses of nature and of human history. An analogy I would draw is with Judaism. Its Torah cannot be practiced fully without the Temple, priests, sacrifices, and rituals. For some, land and a descendant of David seemed essential. Yet, Judaism has lived without any of this. Judaism remains a vibrant faith community throughout the world, discovering that certain parts of Torah were more significant to it community than others were. In a comparable way, Christianity has learned that it can survive and thrive without thinking that this generation is the last generation of humanity.
Here is my suggestion. Most of us who think in biblical and Christian terms have made peace with the scientific description of the beginning of the world as a big bang rather than occurring in seven 24-hour days as in Genesis 1:1-2:4a. We have accepted some form of gradual creative activity over 14 billion years, with humanity arising on earth just 200,000 years ago. Not as many have made peace with the scientific description of the end of the universe, which will occur in over a trillion years, or the end of the earth within 2 billion years. I would suggest that we need to do so. If we can think of God as involved in the creative transformations of the universe out of which humanity emerged, then maybe we can think of apocalyptic as a poetic way of describing a worthy future in which evil is minimized and in which truth, goodness, and beauty will reign. It portrays a future of justice and peace, opposing forces now finding a basis for reconciliation. Such a worthy hope can inspire us to keep moving toward an increasingly just and peaceful future for humanity and for our relationship with creation. Such a vision understands that God is present now, through the life-giving Spirit, to lure or attract us toward that worthy future. Such attraction occurs patiently and in the form of persuasion, for if God wants a world of justice and peace for humanity, then God will use just and peaceful means to bring humanity to that place. It will be a way of suffering, but God has chosen to respect human choices along the way toward a world of justice and peace. We know this because of the path Jesus of Nazareth in his life. Thus, the hoped for “end” will not arrive because God acts coercively and violently in an apocalyptic destruction of evil, but it will arrive the life-giving Spirit has attracted humanity through the persuasive power of the fruit of the Spirit and the rest of the virtuous qualities described in the New Testament.
“The end” is not so much a matter of chronology but a debate over who, in the end, is in charge. Alternatively, as H. Richard Niebuhr put it, eschatology “does not lie in the time-factor so much as on the God-factor.” Eschatology, as John Howard Yoder says, is the peculiar way we Christians remind ourselves of the weird truth that “There is no significance to human effort and, strictly speaking, no history unless life can be seen in terms of ultimate goals.”
The idea that apocalyptic is poetic language could move our reflections in another direction.
Robert Frost wrote a few verses in which he mused upon the significance of "God's own descent" into our troubled world in the incarnation in which God engaged "in risking spirit in substantiation."
But God's own descent
Into flesh was meant
As a demonstration
That the supreme merit
Lay in risking spirit
In substantiation.[25]
Apocalyptic visions promise the fulfillment of humanity's deepest desires for a better world. One reason this biblical literature may no longer speaks to us is that we are too satisfied with the present, too content with current arrangements! The writer Flaubert spoke of that sad place where we reach our "accomplished desires."
"Our desires, though they often make us restless and unhappy, keep us moving. Perhaps the saddest thing that can happen to us is to arrive at that place where our desires have been accomplished."
Christian belief that God is at work in the long march of history and is moving humanity toward the day when the Son of Man will come with power and great glory. This may be a fearful time, but it will be a celebration, for God will replace all the brokenness and injustice of this world by healing and righteousness. The basis of this hope is the promise of God. Such hope is not just for the individual but also for humanity. Eschatological hope includes this-worldly hope but orients them to divine fulfillment.
Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus. I wonder if one can have a genuine and vital faith if that prayer is not in some way powerful.
And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend.
“Haste the day” when the times that seem so out of joint now, the times that are so ambiguous today, the times today when I can see no further than the nose on my face, yes, haste the day when it shall all become clear. I have pondered why it is that the hymn “It is Well with my Soul” has affected me so powerfully for so many years. It may be the possibility and hope I find in it. My life has had its share of joys and sorrows, of everything moving easily and when life seems burdensome. Clouds rolling back, trumpets sounding, and the Lord descending, with all its mythological language, still speak to me. At times, when I contemplate what such images may mean, “it is well with my soul.” I am not sure that either apocalyptic or hope will make much sense to you if some part of you does not have that hope.
Why is hope such an important part of life? We can move toward the future with confidence, patience, and cheerful expectation of the revelation of the will of God for humanity. Christ is present as the living, resurrected Christ. Christ is present in the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit. Yet, Christ has not uttered the final word. Christ is on the way to a future that for us remains open and unwritten. We hope for the one in whom we believe and love. While the specifics of that future elude us, we know what is most important. The content of the future is Jesus Christ in his final form, as he completes the work begun in his life, death, and resurrection and in the sending of the Spirit. The content of our hope is Jesus Christ coming in glory. This hope means pardon for humanity. It means a movement out of darkness and into light. It means transformation and eternal life. The hope is for the final redeeming act of God and thus the completion of the reconciling act of God in Christ. Such redemption means peace between Creator and creation. The Christian who has hope in this way represents the rest of humanity, who may have trouble having this hope-filled approach to the future. The Christian can look forward to the rising of the Sun of righteousness, the end and goal of all things, and therefore to their new beginning. Slumbering humanity needs to awaken to the significance of the coming of Christ as providing the basis for this hope. Such a hope is a seed of eternity sown in the world. Such a hope does not mean this time and place is without hope. We do not have such a warm love for the eternal and a cool contempt for the temporal. The time before the fulfillment of history is hardly empty or hopeless. Christians offer their witness and service today considering that hope. We move toward the goal. This time is provisional. We live with the hope for the dawn of the great light, but we also have joy today over the little lights we experience today. The Holy Spirit is the one who awakens us to this hope.[26]
In the meantime, as William Barclay put it: “The only way to prepare to meet God is to live daily with God.”
O Lord, how shall I meet You, how welcome you aright?
Your people long to greet You, my Hope, my heart’s Delight!
O kindle, Lord most holy, a lamp within my breast,
To do in spirit lowly all that may please You best.[27]
[1] Christmas Friarworks.
[2] Rabbi David J. Wolpe, Why Faith Matters (HarperOne, 2008), 11.
[3] (For more on this apocalyptic theological perspective see J. Louis Martyn, Theological Issues in the Letters of Paul [Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1997])
[4] Oliver Wendell Holmes said it well:
I wouldn't give a fig for the kind of simplicity which exists on this side of complexity, but I would give the whole world for the simplicity that exists on the other side of complexity.
[5] Barth Church Dogmatics IV.3 [72.4] 854.
[6] (Peter Storey. With God in the Crucible: Preaching Costly Discipleship, [Nashville; Abingdon Press, 2002], 33, 142.)
[7] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology, Volume I, 272.
[8] Inspired by Nelson Mandela.
[9] Inspired by Nelson Mandela.
[10] Martin Luther gave a sermon in 1533 in which he said: It is a ridiculous thing, that the one true God, the high Majesty, should be made human ... Reason opposes this with all its might. Here those wise thoughts with which our reason soars up towards heaven to see God in His Majesty, and to probe how God reigns there on high, are stripped from us. The goal is fixed elsewhere, so that I should run from all the corners of the world to Bethlehem, to that stable and that manger where the babe lies, ... Yes, that subdues reason ... there it comes down before my eyes, so that I can see the babe there in His Mother's lap ... Where, then, are the wise? Who could ever have conceived this or thought it out? Reason must bow, and must confess her ignorance in that she wants to climb to heaven to fathom the Divine, while she cannot see what lies before her eyes in the manger. - Martin Luther
[11] Theologian F. Dale Bruner, cited in K. Connie Kang, "A Christmas story of the Incarnation," The Los Angeles Times, December 22, 2007, http://articles.latimes.com.
[12] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 3, 621.
[13] Inspired by Richard B. Hays, "The Future of Reading the Bible in the Church," The Circuit Rider, September 1999
[14] “Unfinished,” sung by Mandisa, genius.com.
[15] The Greek word for joy refers to having joy in something, having gladness and great happiness as well as the reason for it. It refers to inner happiness and delight. Joy is not a surface-level happy – it is deeply seated in one’s character. Joy may not always manifest itself in smiles and laughter, but rather in grace and assurance. Joy might be described as knowing something better exists, and holding onto that which is better. Joy surprises us. We contemplate something true, good, and beautiful and it brings enjoyment. We savor the experience, for to analyze it would be to stifle it. It would be difficult to think of something giving you joy as also something practical and useful. What brings joy is more than that. Most often, joy is something we share with another. That in which you have joy reveals your life aim. Something outside us stimulates us, but joy brings it within us. The orientation of a human life is toward what brings fullness of life. That which you love, in which you have joy, and in which you hope, reveal that orientation. Feelings like this unleash our imagination and stimulate us to consider new possibilities. Such feelings unite us to the world and to the people around us. Negative feeling tends to isolate us from the world and from others. The choice of living life authentically and in freedom leads to genuine joy. Life is on loan, a loan that has a beginning and an end. We must take the loan seriously and joyfully. We need to receive the gift of life joyfully. Without the beginning and end, our lives would not be a story.
[16] Lancaster, Sarah Heaner. “Happiness: A word for our time.” Journal of Theology, Summer 2005.
[17] (Nicomachean Ethics, 1098a18).
[18] Brooks, Arthur C. “The ennui of Saint Teresa.” The Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2007, A18.
[19] Eugene H. Peterson (Living the Message: Daily Help for Living the God-Centered Life)
[20] C. S. Lewis, Sunbeams: A Book of Quotations, ed by Sy Safranksy (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 1990, p. 80.
[21] Inspired by Fred Craddock.
[22] A re-thinking of an article by William Willimon, Proclamation 5, Series B, 1993).
[23] Karl Barth, Romans, p.
[24] Lamar Williams Jr., Mark, (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1983) p. 242.
[25] (Robert Frost, "Kitty Hawk," In the Clearing [Holt, Rinehardt, 1962], p. 49.)
[26] (Barth, Church Dogmatics 2004, 1932-67) IV.3 [73].
[27] (Paul Gerhardt, 1653)
my sister comment:
ReplyDeleteVery good article George. Agree, Christmas has become very materialistic and the meaning of it has been lost. Hustle of gifts, decorating, parties and dinner take up most of our days.
Luke 21:27 and then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Rev 14:14 and I looked and behold a white cloud and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man. Following is a reaping of the earth event.
What this will look like, I do not know, when this will happen, I do not know. Could this be a rapture event? We are definitely seeing changes in the political and religious relms. Could the return of Christ, as promised, be near? Maybe, maybe not.