After a Sunday morning service last week, there was a sheet of sermon notes left behind in the pews at Saint John's. The notes read, "God rested on the 7th day, why don’t we rest?” This got me thinking. Indeed, why don’t we rest? And, more importantly, what is true rest? The Ten Commandments prescribe a day of rest, but observing the Sabbath is not a Christian necessity. In fact, Sabbath observance is “only a shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.” (Col. 2:17)
The New Testament witness is clear (especially in Colossians and Hebrews): the true meaning of the Sabbath is revealed in Christ. God made us so that we would enter into his rest, but God’s rest is not merely the cessation of activity. That’s why Jesus, when he was persecuted for working on the Sabbath, said to his persecutors, “My Father is still working, and I also am working.” (John 5:17)
So if true rest is not merely the cessation of activity, then what is it? The story of Martha and Mary is eye-opening. (Luke 10:38-42) Whereas Martha “was distracted by her many tasks,” her sister Mary simply “sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying.” The purpose of the Jewish Sabbath is to rest in the presence of God, and because Jesus is God, to sit quietly and listen to him is to find the true Sabbath.
Today’s would-be Christians have the same opportunity as Mary to enter this Sabbath rest. If only we would listen, Jesus still speaks to us: in prayer, in Scripture reading and reflection, in the preaching and teaching of the Church’s apostles and their successors. Most especially, Jesus speaks to us in his Holy Meal: “This is my body, given for you…this is my blood, shed for you.” Hello, Sabbath rest.
Sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to him may require us to flip off the TV when our favorite show is on, or it may require us to get out of bed on Sunday morning when all we want to do is sleep in. It may also require us to be very active, loving one another even and especially when we we’d rather have “me time”. Even though we’re active as we follow Jesus, it is his Spirit who activates us and, therefore, we find that we’re actually at rest in the midst of such activity.
Ultimately, sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to him will require us to say “no” to activities that distract us from Jesus and turn us into busy-bodies. It can be difficult to say “no” to mere busy-ness, and it can be disconcerting to fall silent in God’s presence. (He may say things we’d rather not here.) Despite the difficulty and disconcertedness, it is at Jesus’ feet that we find true rest. We would do well to remember Jesus’ words: “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken from her.”
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Friday, June 17, 2011
The Great Commission
This Sunday’s lectionary gospel reading is Jesus’ “Great Commission” to the apostles. (Mat. 28:16-20) One thing that stands out is the intimate relationship between baptism and obedience. Jesus sends the apostles to “make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”
Baptism and obedience are the two sides of the Christian discipleship coin, and we can’t have one without the other. It’s worth considering each of these two aspects and how they’re related. First baptism…Often overlooked is the name into which we’re baptized. To be baptized into “the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” is to be baptized into the triune life of God. Man was created in order to participate in the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), and the divine nature is – in itself – love. Baptism into the triune name immerses us into that life of divine love.
St. Augustine described the triune life of God as the life of Lover (the Father), Beloved (the Son), and Love (the Spirit). This is most evident in Jesus’ baptism, where Jesus the Son comes up from the water, the Holy Spirit descends on him, and God the Father says, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well-pleased.” (Mat. 3:17) To be baptized into this triune life is to be united to Jesus the Son, thereby making us “the Beloved”. In baptism, God’s words about Jesus are spoken about the one being baptized: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well-pleased.” That’s pretty good stuff.
Of course baptism is no magic trick. When it’s severed from the other aspect of discipleship – obedience – then it remains unfruitful. It’s fully possible to reject one’s baptism, never letting the seed of God’s Word to take root and flower in the form of good works (i.e. love). To do this is to walk away from the divine life and, like Esau, sell one’s birthright for a mess of pottage. (Gen. 25:29-34)
In contrast, true Christian discipleship entails both baptism and obedience. Baptism immerses us into the triune life and saves us from sin without us doing a darn thing, but God’s will is that we be personal participants in this salvation. (Consider the Parable of the Sower.) Obedience to Jesus’ commands, then, is the way in which our baptism takes root and produces the fruit of the Spirit. It might look quite ordinary, but Christian obedience immerses one deeper and deeper into the triune life of love. Such obedience is not a way to progress beyond baptism, but rather it’s the way to enter into baptism more deeply and personally.
So that’s the Christian life: baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and entering into that triune life of divine love through the obedience of faith, hope, and love. That’s the Christian life, and there’s a pretty great promise that Jesus attaches to it: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” His Word, his Meal, and his Body (the Church) are with us always – He himself is with us always – guiding and sustaining the life of discipleship toward its final goal: full participation in the life and love of God.
Baptism and obedience are the two sides of the Christian discipleship coin, and we can’t have one without the other. It’s worth considering each of these two aspects and how they’re related. First baptism…Often overlooked is the name into which we’re baptized. To be baptized into “the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” is to be baptized into the triune life of God. Man was created in order to participate in the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4), and the divine nature is – in itself – love. Baptism into the triune name immerses us into that life of divine love.
St. Augustine described the triune life of God as the life of Lover (the Father), Beloved (the Son), and Love (the Spirit). This is most evident in Jesus’ baptism, where Jesus the Son comes up from the water, the Holy Spirit descends on him, and God the Father says, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well-pleased.” (Mat. 3:17) To be baptized into this triune life is to be united to Jesus the Son, thereby making us “the Beloved”. In baptism, God’s words about Jesus are spoken about the one being baptized: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well-pleased.” That’s pretty good stuff.
Of course baptism is no magic trick. When it’s severed from the other aspect of discipleship – obedience – then it remains unfruitful. It’s fully possible to reject one’s baptism, never letting the seed of God’s Word to take root and flower in the form of good works (i.e. love). To do this is to walk away from the divine life and, like Esau, sell one’s birthright for a mess of pottage. (Gen. 25:29-34)
In contrast, true Christian discipleship entails both baptism and obedience. Baptism immerses us into the triune life and saves us from sin without us doing a darn thing, but God’s will is that we be personal participants in this salvation. (Consider the Parable of the Sower.) Obedience to Jesus’ commands, then, is the way in which our baptism takes root and produces the fruit of the Spirit. It might look quite ordinary, but Christian obedience immerses one deeper and deeper into the triune life of love. Such obedience is not a way to progress beyond baptism, but rather it’s the way to enter into baptism more deeply and personally.
So that’s the Christian life: baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and entering into that triune life of divine love through the obedience of faith, hope, and love. That’s the Christian life, and there’s a pretty great promise that Jesus attaches to it: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” His Word, his Meal, and his Body (the Church) are with us always – He himself is with us always – guiding and sustaining the life of discipleship toward its final goal: full participation in the life and love of God.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Pentecost as Harvest Festival
This Sunday, a lot of churches will celebrate Pentecost. Maybe I’m just an idiot, but I didn’t know until just last week that Pentecost has a Jewish counterpart, also called Pentecost. (It’s also called the “Festival of Weeks”. See Lev. 23:15-22.) Perhaps expectedly – since Christ came not to abolish but to fulfill the law and the prophets – the Jewish Pentecost prefigures the Christian Pentecost. Thus, it sheds interpretive light on what this Sunday’s Pentecost celebration really means. A few things are worth noting:
First, just as the Jewish Pentecost comes fifty days after Passover, so the Christian Pentecost comes fifty days after Easter. Passover and Easter, of course, are parallel events in salvation history. More specifically, Passover prefigures Easter. Passover celebrates God’s deliverance of his people out of slavery in Egypt; Easter celebrates God’s deliverance of his people out of slavery to sin. (John 8:31-36) At Passover, Israel commemorates how God saved his people by the blood of the lamb. At Easter, the Church commemorates how God saves his people by the blood of the definitive Passover Lamb, Jesus.
Those are the parallels between Passover and Easter, and they point to the parallels between the Jewish Pentecost and the Christian Pentecost. Fifty days after Passover, the Jewish Pentecost is a harvest festival that celebrates two things in particular:
(1) God’s law (torah) written on stone tablets (according to Exodus 19:1, this occurred fifty days after Israel was delivered from Egypt)
(2) The abundance of food produced in the Promised Land (Lev. 23:15-22)
Fifty days after Easter, the Christian Pentecost recalls how Christ sends his Spirit into and among his people. Like its Jewish pre-figuration, it’s a harvest festival that celebrates two things:
(1) God’s law (torah) written not on stone tablets but on human hearts by the Spirit of Christ (2 Cor. 3:3)
(2) The abundance of “food” (namely the “fruit of the Spirit”) produced in the true Promised Land
The Christian Pentecost is a “harvest festival” because the Holy Spirit comes not just to hang out, but to produce and reap the “fruit of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23) Ultimately, this is the true fruit of the true Promised Land, yes? If so, then the Jewish Pentecost prefigures and is fulfilled by the Christian Pentecost. Indeed, the latter initiates the definitive Harvest Festival.
A final point I’d like to propose. This might be a stretch, but it might also be true. In Leviticus 23, the Jewish Pentecost is followed by a description of another celebration, called the “Festival of Trumpets”. It’s written: “you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall present the Lord’s offering by fire.” (Lev. 23:24-25) Could it be that this “Festival of Trumpets”, which follows the Jewish Pentecost, prefigures what Christianity says will follow the Christian Pentecost (namely, the return of Christ on the Last Day)? The Festival of Trumpets sounds awfully similar to how the New Testament describes Christ’s return: complete rest (Heb. 4:9-11), trumpet blasts (1 Cor. 15:52), and a fire that burns offerings to the Lord (1 Cor. 3:13).
Maybe, and maybe not. In the meantime, enjoy the Harvest Festival called Pentecost. Let’s hope the Spirit continues to make the message of Christ intelligible and effective (just like in Acts 2), so that the fruit of the Promised Land might grow for the pleasure and glory of God.
First, just as the Jewish Pentecost comes fifty days after Passover, so the Christian Pentecost comes fifty days after Easter. Passover and Easter, of course, are parallel events in salvation history. More specifically, Passover prefigures Easter. Passover celebrates God’s deliverance of his people out of slavery in Egypt; Easter celebrates God’s deliverance of his people out of slavery to sin. (John 8:31-36) At Passover, Israel commemorates how God saved his people by the blood of the lamb. At Easter, the Church commemorates how God saves his people by the blood of the definitive Passover Lamb, Jesus.
Those are the parallels between Passover and Easter, and they point to the parallels between the Jewish Pentecost and the Christian Pentecost. Fifty days after Passover, the Jewish Pentecost is a harvest festival that celebrates two things in particular:
(1) God’s law (torah) written on stone tablets (according to Exodus 19:1, this occurred fifty days after Israel was delivered from Egypt)
(2) The abundance of food produced in the Promised Land (Lev. 23:15-22)
Fifty days after Easter, the Christian Pentecost recalls how Christ sends his Spirit into and among his people. Like its Jewish pre-figuration, it’s a harvest festival that celebrates two things:
(1) God’s law (torah) written not on stone tablets but on human hearts by the Spirit of Christ (2 Cor. 3:3)
(2) The abundance of “food” (namely the “fruit of the Spirit”) produced in the true Promised Land
The Christian Pentecost is a “harvest festival” because the Holy Spirit comes not just to hang out, but to produce and reap the “fruit of the Spirit”: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23) Ultimately, this is the true fruit of the true Promised Land, yes? If so, then the Jewish Pentecost prefigures and is fulfilled by the Christian Pentecost. Indeed, the latter initiates the definitive Harvest Festival.
A final point I’d like to propose. This might be a stretch, but it might also be true. In Leviticus 23, the Jewish Pentecost is followed by a description of another celebration, called the “Festival of Trumpets”. It’s written: “you shall observe a day of complete rest, a holy convocation commemorated with trumpet blasts. You shall not work at your occupations; and you shall present the Lord’s offering by fire.” (Lev. 23:24-25) Could it be that this “Festival of Trumpets”, which follows the Jewish Pentecost, prefigures what Christianity says will follow the Christian Pentecost (namely, the return of Christ on the Last Day)? The Festival of Trumpets sounds awfully similar to how the New Testament describes Christ’s return: complete rest (Heb. 4:9-11), trumpet blasts (1 Cor. 15:52), and a fire that burns offerings to the Lord (1 Cor. 3:13).
Maybe, and maybe not. In the meantime, enjoy the Harvest Festival called Pentecost. Let’s hope the Spirit continues to make the message of Christ intelligible and effective (just like in Acts 2), so that the fruit of the Promised Land might grow for the pleasure and glory of God.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Ascension: What's That About?
Today is the day on which the Church commemorates the Ascension, when Christ “was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.” (Mark 16:19) I remember a conversation at Beer & Theology (a lovely Wartburg Seminary tradition) about the Ascension. Quite honestly, we didn’t know what to make of the whole thing. I’ve been thinking about it occasionally since then, and though I won’t pretend to have it figured out, I have a few thoughts that have begun to crystallize.
First, the fact that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God is significant. The right hand of God is the place from which God reigns (Psalm 110:1), and therefore Jesus’ placement there indicates that he is the definitive King of creation. More specifically, he is the definitive David: the King of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2) and the Lord of Israel “according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29) Christ’s commandments and promises are not just the commandments and promises of a good man or wise teacher. Because he sits at the right hand of God, his Word has the authority of God himself: “On the Last Day the Word that I have spoken will serve as judge.” (John 12:48)
Second, the fact that the still-incarnate Christ has ascended to God indicates a fundamental change in the relation of the creation to our Creator. Whereas the incarnation of Christ is the descent of God to humanity, the ascension of Christ is the ascent of humanity to God. Ultimately, the former – God’s descent – is for the sake of the latter – humanity’s ascent. This means that God descends into creation not merely to be with us, but in order to lift us up to himself. That’s why Paul’s account of the Last Day (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) speaks of both Christ’s descent and our ascent, when we will be “caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever."
So ultimately I think Christ’s ascension to God points to two things: (1) that Christ is our authoritative Judge and definitive King, and (2) that God’s plan is for his people (those ruled by Christ the King) to be lifted heavenward and made to live with Christ and all his saints.
If you're reading this and going to Beer & Theology tonight, please put my vote in for the Ascension to be the topic of discussion. Happy Ascension of Our Lord Day.
First, the fact that Jesus now sits at the right hand of God is significant. The right hand of God is the place from which God reigns (Psalm 110:1), and therefore Jesus’ placement there indicates that he is the definitive King of creation. More specifically, he is the definitive David: the King of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2) and the Lord of Israel “according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29) Christ’s commandments and promises are not just the commandments and promises of a good man or wise teacher. Because he sits at the right hand of God, his Word has the authority of God himself: “On the Last Day the Word that I have spoken will serve as judge.” (John 12:48)
Second, the fact that the still-incarnate Christ has ascended to God indicates a fundamental change in the relation of the creation to our Creator. Whereas the incarnation of Christ is the descent of God to humanity, the ascension of Christ is the ascent of humanity to God. Ultimately, the former – God’s descent – is for the sake of the latter – humanity’s ascent. This means that God descends into creation not merely to be with us, but in order to lift us up to himself. That’s why Paul’s account of the Last Day (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) speaks of both Christ’s descent and our ascent, when we will be “caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever."
So ultimately I think Christ’s ascension to God points to two things: (1) that Christ is our authoritative Judge and definitive King, and (2) that God’s plan is for his people (those ruled by Christ the King) to be lifted heavenward and made to live with Christ and all his saints.
If you're reading this and going to Beer & Theology tonight, please put my vote in for the Ascension to be the topic of discussion. Happy Ascension of Our Lord Day.
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