Christmas- Luke 2: 12

Christmas can be so beautiful and meaningful. There are so many things that can be said about this feast. This time, I would simply focus on the humility of the glorious event.

St. Luke 2 stresses the humility of Christ's Birth, The holy family goes to Bethlehem because of the requirements of the Roman oppressor. In the crowded village, Joseph does not have the power or wealth to insure better lodgings; so they end up in a stable where Mary gives birth. In St. Luke 2:12, the angel tells the lowly shepherds, “And this shall be a sign unto you; ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”  

The Birth of the Savior is not first announced to the powerful, rich, or learned. It is announced to humble shepherds on the outer edges of society. And this unique infant will not be found in an impressive palace or temple. His glory is worthy of heavenly messengers, but it will not be obvious to the world. Instead, He is clothed like an average Jewish peasant baby, wrapped in strips of cloth. And His bed is even more lowly than average. The only bed offered Him is a manger- a rough trough for cattle.

In other words, the shepherds are to recognize their King and Savior by His lowliness rather than by His worldly greatness. The glorious child has finally come, and this is truly good news. Yet, the irony of the heavenly message is that simple shepherds will be the first to pay homage to the new-born King, and they will recognize Him by His humility.

Christmas continues to bring us a similar message. The Savior that we all need still comes through simple means- through the Word and the Sacraments.  His coming is good news; Christmas does bring tidings of great joy. However, this joy is not to be confused with external worldly merriment. Whether we have a great external celebration with lots of people, gifts, and food or (more likely in 2020) we just have a simple and small observance, the key is for us to focus upon what God does- how He sends His Son, the eternal Word, to humble Himself, become flesh and dwell among us. Glory to God in the highest!

Advent IV- Philippians 4: 4-7; John 1: 19-28

The Fourth Sunday in Advent continues the theme of Christ's coming. The Collect asks the Lord to "come among us." It keeps up the penitential emphasis of the season by praying that He overcome our sins, and that He help and deliver us by His grace and mercy.

The Epistle from Philippians 4:4-7 has a somewhat lighter tone because of the exhortation to rejoice, but still reminds us that "the Lord is at hand." When we think of the coming of Christ, we must first recall our need to repent. The human condition is serious, but we do have a true reason to rejoice. Despite our sinfulness, we have hope because of the peace that God brings through Christ.

The Gospel from St. John 1:19-28 is another Advent reference to the message of John the Baptist. When the Jerusalem authorities send representatives to ask who he is, John refuses the usual titles. He will only admit to being "the voice of one crying in the wilderness" (John 1:23 ; Isaiah 40:3). He makes the way ready for the Lord; he baptizes with water to represent repentance and cleansing from sin. But the One coming after John is much greater. 

This Gospel puts a brake on our rush to celebration. John the Baptist reminds us that the way for the Christ must be prepared. The One who is to come is greater than even the greatest human prophet. So let us use the last days of Advent for spiritual preparations. Let us focus on prayer, meditation on Scripture and renewed efforts to run the race set before us. As we get ready to celebrate Christ's first coming in humility, let us also remember that He keeps coming to us. Because He is holy, He naturally brings judgment upon our sin, but even more importantly, He offers us grace, mercy and peace.

Advent III- I Corinthians 4: 1-5; Matthew 11: 2-10

The Collect for the Third Sunday in Advent provides an interesting approach to the themes of the day and the season. It calls upon Christians to continue preparing the way of the Lord. As John did in his ministry at Christ's First Coming, we need to call others- and ourselves- to repent and to prepare hearts for Christ to come among us. Such preparation also looks ahead to Christ's Second Coming to judge the world. We continue to hope that through grace we will be an acceptable people, a people prepared anew each day for our Lord's holy presence.

The Epistle from I Corinthians 4:1-5 brings up the theme of Christian ministry. (This theme is especially appropriate because the Advent Ember Days occur this week.) All Christians are called to ministry or service for Christ, and all too often we forget this, at least in practical daily speech and behavior. Every person baptized has been set aside and transformed in the name of the Holy Trinity. This setting aside for service has a special application to the ordained ministry. The clergy are called to be "stewards of the mysteries of God." These mysteries emphasize the core of Christ's Gospel- from the Annunciation and Nativity to the Crucifixion, Resurrection, and Ascension. And these mysteries become visible and immediate for us in the concrete sacred mysteries or sacraments, Baptism and the Eucharist. So during this Advent, let us pray that all Christians, especially those ordained, may be constantly renewed by divine grace for God's service.

The Gospel from St. Matthew 11:2-10 considers the theme of Christ's Coming by referring to the ministry of John the Baptist. When the imprisoned John sends followers to clarify the mission of Jesus, our Lord responds by citing the fulfillment of Messianic prophecies (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5-6, 61:1). Our Lord also speaks of the work of John the Baptist as the Forerunner, the messenger who comes before the Lord to prepare His way (Malachi 3:1). Like John, may we prepare the way of the Lord, especially as Advent draws to a close.

Advent II- Scriptural Authority- Romans 15: 4

(This week's post is a revision of a post first published in 2011.)

This Second Sunday in Advent has often been called "Bible Sunday" among Anglicans and other English-speaking Christians. The collect and lessons for the day were developed by Archbishop Cranmer for the 1549 BCP. They all refer in differing ways to the importance of Scripture and reflect the Reformation's influence on Anglican foundations.

We also see this theme in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. Article VI is titled Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation, and it says: Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.

Thus, authentic Anglicanism believes in the supremacy of the Holy Scriptures. There may be other things in life that are good, useful, or beautiful, but Scripture reigns supreme in matters of  doctrine and in matters of salvation. Church tradition and human logic and experience guided by the Holy Spirit have their places in Christian life and thought, but they must always be in harmony with God's revelation contained in the long-accepted canon of Holy Scripture. There is no surer foundation in this world, and consciences must not be burdened by those who would impose other standards.

Some people claim that the Scriptures are not clear, but the general teachings of the Bible are clear and have been agreed upon by sensible and honest Christian readers for two millennia. Although there are legitimate debates about how to understand some particular passages, there are clear teachings about the basics. These basics are the kinds of things that have been summarized in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, in the Ten Commandments, in the Two Great Commandments, and in the Catechism. Such clear teachings permeate the whole canon of Scripture, and any verses that seem obscure should be understood in ways that are consistent with the clearer passages.

Accepting the principle of divine revelation as recorded in the ancient canon of Holy Scripture is a basic Christian supposition.  Like other basic points (such as the existence of God or the centrality of Jesus Christ), either we accept Holy Scripture as a basic foundation of Christianity or we refuse to accept the Christian message.

Christians believe that God's Spirit inspired human beings to write down various stories, histories, poems, and prophecies, that the same Holy Spirit has guided the community of faith to accept these writings rather than some others and that God continues to speak to believers through the words of Scripture applied through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

If we accept Christianity and its Scriptures as given by God, then we see the purposes of Scripture. The Bible was "written for our learning" (Romans 15:4). Apart from Scripture, we know very little about God. We might philosophize about a creator. We might even theorize about some sort of moral order in the universe. Yet, such philosophy is rather vague and does not do much to satisfy human souls. And apart from Scripture, we would not know about Jesus Christ. From general history, we might believe that there was some Jewish teacher by that name from Galilee who impressed some ancient people. However, apart from the canonical Scriptures, we would not know much about His person, teachings, or deeds. And apart from Scripture, we certainly would not know Him as the living Word and Son of God who laid down His life and took it up again to save our very souls.

The Bible also helps us deal with real life, with our situation as imperfect believers within an imperfect world. And despite our own frailties and the corruptions we see in the world around us, Christians are characterized by hope. We have true and lasting hope. We have hope for the grace to be faithful in this world and hope to dwell with God eternally after our time in this world.

Advent is a season characterized by hope, but Christian hope must not be nebulous. From ancient Israel, through the New Testament period and down through Christian history, true hope depends upon divine revelation in the Holy Scriptures. In particular, our hope depends upon Jesus Christ, the living Word to whom all Scripture bears witness. He is the One who was to come, who has come, who keeps coming into our lives, and who will come again. "O come, O come, Emmanuel."

Trinity 23- Philippians 3:20; Matthew 22:21

In differing ways (and somewhat ironically in view of the present American situation), both the Epistle and Gospel for this Twenty-third Sunday after Trinity deal with issues of Christian citizenship. In Philippians 3:20, St. Paul reminds us of our ultimate loyalty. As believers, our true citizenship is in heaven, not in any earthly nation or empire. While we respect the just claims of civil authority, and while we may love a land, its people, and its culture, only God and His rule deserve our highest and deepest loyalty. So we must elevate God above all men and beware of political leaders, party platforms, or governments that claim too much for themselves.

Our gospel from St. Matt. 22:15-22 is the familiar passage where opponents try to trick Christ in political matters. Jesus avoids the trap, and more importantly, He gives believers a general theological and moral principle for dealing with the governing authority. In St. Matthew 22: 21, our Lord tells us all: Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s.

The implication is that all residents benefit to some degree from Caesar’s political and economic system represented by his money. So despite the real failings of any government, all residents owe the powers-that-be some tax.  On the other hand, all human beings have also been created in God’s spiritual image, and so we owe God much more than taxes. We owe God ourselves, body, mind, and soul.

Together these two passages establish basic Christian principles for political and social life. Whatever we do in worldly matters, we must always look to our Christian values and priorities. God always deserves our highest and deepest loyalties. His Law and His Gospel must be our guides. We may respect Caesar’s function in this world, but we serve God first, even when it means opposition from earthly powers. We pray for our country and for officials- even as Christ and the apostles did for those who killed them. But our chief calling is to strive to live in ways consistent with our heavenly citizenship and consistent with the example and teachings of Jesus Christ our true King.