THE INCARNATION – JUST AN INSTRUMENT OR THE REAL THING
(I gave this sermon in Bellville, near Cape Town on Christmas Day; however the content of the sermon is really dealing with one of the pillars of Christian theology and could be read at any time, anywhere)
Christmas Day 25
December 2016 in Bellville, The Evangelical Lutheran Church,
Cape Orange Diocese,
ELCSA, Martin Pietersen Laan
Full Communion Service
at 09h00
Texts: Isaiah 52.7-10;
Hebrews 1.1-4; John 1.1-14
SERMON
Theme:
The Incarnation, an
instrument for something more or the real thing?
General introduction
regarding God’s activities visa-vie us. On God’s creation and redemption.
Looking at our sermon
text John 1.1-14: the key word is the Word, ó Logos; the evangelist as the key
word so there is a link to the very beginning (Genesis 1.3), because when God
created he said something, a word is used. This Word would be understood by Jews as well as by Greeks. To
the Greeks it makes sense to talk about the word in relation to the ideal world
and the ideal man. To the Jews it was natural to talk about the Word through
which everything was created. For example Psalm 33.6 says, “By the word of the
Lord the heavens were made, and all their host by the breath of his mouth”. The
Word is central also in Wisdom literature (Apocrypha).
So it was through him
that everything was created (Colossians 1.16).
Yet we do not have
full clarity as to where this Word takes us. That is what this sermon will say
something about. God has arrived through Jesus Christ, but to what purpose?
The next two points will talk about incarnation
as instrument
One
John 1.14b says, “we
have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s Son, full of grace and truth”.
Here we see that the
Word become flesh (the incarnation) opens up for the glory of God, and an
existence in heaven. In other words, it must be literally true that this incarnation
eventually brings you into the glory of God the Father, also made manifest in
the Son being glorified, made omnipresent through the Holy Spirit. Is this
glory only made manifest in heaven? A good question; God’s glory was seen in
the baby in the manger. And Paul also experienced Christ’s glory on his way to
Damascus, when he still was a Saul, persecuting the Christians.
But this does not take
away that this same Paul, like so many other of us, also, almost constantly was
longing to get away from this earth, this world, this life. So we need to hear
what he wrote in the epistle to the Philippians: “It is my eager expectation
and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way… for to me living is Christ and dying is a gain; If I am to live in
the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me; and I do not know which I prefer.
I am hard pressed between the two; my desire is to depart and be with Christ
for that is far better, but to remain in the flesh is far better for you.”
(Philippians 1.21-24)
It would not be wrong
to say here that Paul in fact is expressing very classic sentiments that people
have expressed through the centuries, inevitably so, due to the chaotic
existence that this world after all, even at its best, so he is expressing the
conviction that through Christ we have a safe passage to heaven.
Two
“and the Word was God”
(John 1.1)
The incarnation carrying
the seed of the resurrection
Again one is bound to
say that Jesus Christ came here for a purpose. He came to conquer suffering,
sin, evil and even death.
We may not think about
it, but every Sunday morning service in the church is there because of what happened one morning, the day
after the Sabbath Day, that early morning when the women found the tomb empty,
that tomb, in which Jesus was buried.
The only thing that we
could find sustainable as Christians is this, that there is a victory over death,
and that this victory was made demonstrable that particular Sunday morning.
Therefore one is bound
to say that the incarnation, the event when Jesus was born, which event was God
making himself a homestead here (or rather skenoo means God making an encampment
amongst us John 1.14) carried the seed of the resurrection. If it is true that
it was God who had made himself a home here, however temporarily, that event
must eventually lead to a conquering of all those things that hold us back from
God’s heavenly kingdom.
Some of the first
Christians, for example Athanasius in Egypt in the third century, could express
the situation in the following terms: “God became human so that we may become
deified”. This is with a very fine term called “theosis”, a word indicating
that our whole existence is geared towards another and “higher” existence,
where and when we would become more like God. This may be claimed on the
condition that this inclination of moving away from here does not take away our
responsibility while here on earth (here a huge discussion is lurking in the
background as to how this expression in fact easily could be abused, see …).
The next two points
will deal with incarnation as the real thing
One
To be a Christian is
not in the first place to seek a way away from here but to seek a way of being
here, and I would add, regardless of age. It appears to be an absolutely
central issue in Jesus’ ministry. Why would he otherwise repeatedly, tell
stories which implies responsibilities in this world?
Facing these stories,
timeless as they seem to be in their application, we can only say that we
fail…… utterly.
We can start with John
1.11 which says, “He came to his own home, and his own people received him
not”. It is of course about the way Jesus was received by especially some of
his own people’s leaders at the time, who eventually wanted to do away with
him. He was even foretold by some of the prophets, but that did not help.
However, these same
words should be put in connection with some of Jesus’ own parables. We choose
one, namely that of the Judgment Day, when it again will be asked whether we
received him or not. But it is done, to some of us at least, in quite a
surprising way; in a way hiding behind others.
Jesus embodies the
human nature completely (that is the word become flesh) and is therefore
entitled to ask us how we deal with the following six categories of human
beings (I am talking about the parable of the sheep and the goats and the
judgment).
We probably are well
aware of the point made in this parable: what you did to one of the least of
these who are members of my human family, you did it to me. (Matthew 25.40)
Jesus says:
I was hungry
I was thirsty
I was a stranger
I was naked
I was sick
I was in prison
Could it be said more explicitly?
God was made flesh in order to change this world into a liveable place, where
those who are hungry will be given a meal, the thirsty running, fresh water,
the stranger an invitation to share your home, the naked a set of clothes, the
sick transportation to a doctor or nurse, and the one in prison a visitor who
is not taking for granted that all behind bars are criminals (remember
detention without trial, political prisoners, prisoners due to conscience,
religious belief etc.).
Two
“And she gave birth to
her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a
manger, because there was no place for them in the inn”, (Luke 2.7).
If it was good enough
for God to enter this world through such a vehicle, frame, body, one cannot see
lightly on the fact of the existence of children. The fact that this birth has
taken place has led to the following result:
All new-borns are
holy, eternally valuable, and directly under God, not only at the disgression
of the child’s mother or the father, or both. You cannot do what you like with
such a life.
Children’s rights will
for ever be in focus
The church must be a
safe space for children, in the ordinary church life there must be space for
them (maar ook a lekker plek) and in the Christian homes; somehow the church
must be a safe haven even for the unborn)
In brief, because of
the Christ birth, church and society must provide security and happiness for
all our children and this cannot wait. You see, the incarnation is not just an
instrument or a vehicle for transportation to heaven. More than that, the
incarnation is the real thing, which understood rightly will transform our
churches and societies completely.
To sum up:
Incarnation:
It is an instrument
for bringing us to God in a total and eternal way. But just as much the
incarnation is the real thing, through which we live a godly life here and now
fulfilling God’s purpose with humankind,
Called to becoming a
reconciled community, reflecting the image of God already in this world.
Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the
beginning, is now and will be, for ever. Amen.
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