Blinded by the Light: Jesus as The Light of the World

How do we adjust our eyes to the brightness of Jesus and the Gospel ?

Year A • The Fourth Sunday of Lent

1 Samuel 16:1–13 • Psalm 23 • Ephesians 5:8–14 • John 9:1–41

Scroll Down for the Texts of the Scriptures

Sermon available on YouTube by clicking here,

as an Audio File by clicking here, Coming S.

and as a PDF by clicking here.

The Sermon

Come, Holy Spirit, and kindle the fire that is in us.
Take our lips and speak through them.

Take our hearts and see through them.

Take our souls and set them on fire.  Amen.

Blinded by the Light

I grew up on a family farm in Woodward, Oklahoma, which is a small town located in the northwest corner of the state. As you might expect, we had to get up really early to get our chores done, especially on school days, because the bus picked us up around 7:00 o’clock. For me, there were chickens and rabbits to be fed and watered, and breakfast to be eaten. In the winters, chores took longer because warm water from the house had to be hauled out to the animals, since we couldn’t use the outside faucets for fear of them freezing. I remember many a morning loading up a wagon with six or seven jugs of warm water, and dragging the wagon through the snow to the chicken coup.

     Needless to say, none of this was particularly fun or easy. But my Dad was really great. He did what he could to make all of this as painless as possible. For example, when he got me up in the morning, he would come in quietly with a candle, sit down on my bed, and softly say, “Hey Son, it’s time to get up.” And I would wake up slowly.. It was wonderful.

     Or rather, it would have been wonderful had it actually happened that way. But it didn’t; not even close. Instead, Dad would throw open my bedroom door at 5:30, flip on the overhead lights, and say in a rather loud voice, “Get up you lazy bum.”

I think this was Dad’s idea of a joke. You know, anybody who could still be in bed as late as 5:30 must be sleeping in. The problem is, I never quite found the humor in this little morning routine. This had to be one of the worse ways to wake up, this being blinded by the light.

Light is Not Always Welcome

I tell this story to make a point. Light is not always welcome. Light is not always perceived as a blessing. In today’s gospel reading, Jesus proclaims himself to be The Light of the world, and he demonstrates his claim by healing a blind man. Pretty amazing stuff. Pretty wonderful, isn’t it? Well, not for everybody. For the blind man, certainly, and for some others. But not for everyone. Not for the Pharisees and many of the other Jewish leaders.

     Jesus of Nazareth is The Light of the world, and he was sent by God to bring the light of life to a world groping about in the darkness of death—the darkness of sin and violence, the darkness of hatred and injustice. But not everyone was eager for the Light. Having grown accustomed to the darkness, some had a hard time adjusting their eyes to brightness of the gospel. This is what we see dramatically played out in today’s reading.

     But from the very beginning of his gospel, John has prepared his readers for those who would resist the coming of the Light. In the prologue, John writes:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.… [I]n him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.... He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God (John 1:1, 4–5, 11–12).

The Light came into the world that had been created through him. He came to those who owed their very existence to him. Yet they did not recognize him; they did not acknowledge or welcome him (1:11). There is a bit of a mystery there.

     Later, Jesus talks with Nicodemus about the polarizing effect that his coming will have. He speaks first of God’s love for the world, of God’s desire to rescue and restore all humanity, but then he offers this candid assessment of the world’s response to the light.

This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God (John 3:19–21).

So again, Light is not always welcomed. Though the Light came to bring life to the world God loves, not everyone perceived it as a blessing. The Light pierces the night of our brokenness and our estrangement from God. And while some are drawn to the Light like a moth to the flame, others flee in fear, hiding themselves in the shadows.

     The Light is not going to win everyone over, at least not initially. In this way, John prepares us for the mixed response that Jesus’ words and actions will evoke. So, readers of John are not particularly surprised by the Pharisees’ negative response to Jesus’ healing of the blind man.

Rejecting the Light

Of course, Jesus doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in winning any popularity contests. He certainly hasn’t gone out of his way to endear himself to the Jewish leadership. Prior to today’s healing, he has criticized their running of the temple, he has healed on the Sabbath, and he has said things like, “You are not from God” (8:47b), “You are from your father the devil, and you choose to do your father’s desires” (8:47b). So, it is little wonder that, by the time we arrive at today’s episode, many leaders are ready to do away with Jesus, this false prophet from backwater Galilee, who is deceiving the people with his signs and wonders.

And nothing Jesus does today changes their opinion of him. In fact, his healing of the blind man only serves to reinforce their view that he is a sinner and a false prophet. But why? After all, Jesus heals a blind man, and not just any blind man, but a man who has been blind from birth, a man who has never seen anything. Jesus does not simply restore this man’s sight, he gives him sight. He truly is The Light of the World. As the man himself so eloquently testifies,

We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing (John 9:31–33).

The Pharisees and the Sabbath

And yet, the Pharisees maintain that Jesus is a sinner. Why? Because he healed the man on the Sabbath. But why should that matter? Well, I wish we had time to explore this in greater detail because, as I have said on numerous occasions, if we do not understand why Jesus’ opponents were so violently opposed to him, if we simply dismiss them as petty or legalistic, then we miss something of who Jesus is and what it means to follow him. Moreover, in dismissing the Pharisees, we are in danger of overlooking how we might be like them.

So let me say this. For the Pharisees, as well was for most first-century Jews, the keeping of Sabbath was a very serious matter. Not only had it been commanded by God—it is after all one of the Ten Commandments—but it was also a key marker of Jewish identity, which was especially important for a people who had been living under foreign occupation for the better part of five hundred years. In fact, along with circumcision, kosher food laws, and the reading of Torah, Sabbath keeping was one of the practices that had sustained the Jews during their exile in Babylon. Moreover, in 167 b.c., these pillars of Jewish identity were all outlawed by their pagan overlord, Antiochus Epiphanes. And rather than forsake those things that God had commanded them, the Jews fought back, and many died.

     So, when Jesus comes along healing on the Sabbath, it causes great offense. In part, because he seems to be showing contempt for Jewish identity; he seems to be dishonoring the memory of those who had given up their lives rather than break the Sabbath. And so, I would argue, that the offense Jesus generated by healing on the Sabbath is comparable to the offense that is triggered when somebody today burns the American flag.

Moreover, healing on the Sabbath seems to count against Jesus being from God. Because as everybody knows, God himself rested on the Sabbath after the six days of creation. How can Jesus claim to be performing the work of God, when God himself doesn’t work on the Sabbath? Listen to the response a Jewish leader makes in Luke’s gospel when Jesus heals a woman on the Sabbath. “The leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, ‘There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day’” (Luke 13:14).

     That’s such a great line: “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the sabbath day.” It offers such insight into the mindset of the Pharisees. It helps us gain an appreciation for how someone could look at a miraculous healing of a blind man—regardless of the day on which it occurred—and conclude that it was anything other than the work of God, that it was anything other than a sign that this Jesus was in fact The Light of the World, sent by God, to reflect the very glory and grace of God.

Adjusting Our Eyes to the Light of Christ

I belabor this point because I don’t think that the Pharisees are unique or exceptional in their blindness. I see evidence of their blindness in myself, in our American society, and even in the Church. And this raises some questions. 

     Are there things that we value—not just as individuals, but as communities, as a nation and a society—are there things that we value that blind us to who Jesus is? Are there things, dark things, that we have grown accustomed to, things that we have come to rely upon in order to maintain our identity and our way of life, things that define us which are contrary to God’s vision for the world, things that make us shield our eyes when the Light of the Gospel reveals them for what they are?

     In short, where are our blind spots? It’s a critical question, and one worthy of serious reflection, especially during this time of Lent, this season where we are called to “self-examination and repentance; by [means of] prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word” (BCP 264–265).

     And when our blindness is revealed, what can we do about it? After all, blind people cannot heal themselves. That’s one of the reasons why we flee from the Light in the first place. When the Light shines into the dark recesses of our lives, we feel naked and exposed. We feel the guilt of our brokenness and the shame of our past failures, we feel the shame and guilt of our inability to change and our unwillingness to be changed. We know that we are blind, and we would just as soon forget it. For if we could make ourselves see, then we wouldn’t be blind in the first place. So what’s to be done?

     Very simply, we need to come into the Light. Or at a minimum, we need to resist the temptation to hide when the Light reveals something in us that is contrary to the Gospel. We need to come into the Light, and remain there until we grow accustomed to the Light. Sometimes, the Light blinds us and that can be very painful, but if we remain in the Light, our eyes will adjust, and we will be able to see.

     But how is this done? It begins and ends with acknowledging that Jesus is indeed the Light of the World. It begins and ends with putting our trust in Jesus as the one who reveals most fully the grace, truth, and love of God. Jesus grants us the power to become children of God (John 1:12), he empowers us to live as children of the Light (Eph 5:8). So it all begins and ends with him.

Recall that Jesus did not simply give the blind man physical sight, he returned later and granted him spiritual sight, which began with trust.

Jesus said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshiped him (John 9:35–38).

Now, I should add, that putting our trust in Jesus is not a one-time affair. It is an ongoing process, a daily process of acknowledging who Jesus is, of believing in him and worshipping him. It is a relationship of increasing dependence & reliance upon him.

     Moreover, this trust will grow and mature as we develop the habit of bringing things into the Light, as we develop a habit of acknowledging our blindness and our resistance to change and offering these things up to Jesus.

     We do this in prayer, we do this in worship, and above all we do this in community. So I invite you to come into the loving, life-filled Light of Christ, again and again and again. At times, you may find yourselves blinded by the Light, but resist the temptation to throw the covers over your head. Just remain in the Light, and listen to the voice of your heavenly Father who says very gently, “Wake up Daughter; Wake up Son; it’s time to get up.”

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Delivered on Sunday, March 30th, a.d. 2014

at St. John's Episcopal Church (Wichita, Kansas)

The Scriptures

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The Conversation That Leads to Life: Jesus and Nicodemus

How do we know if Jesus is from God?

Year A • The Second Sunday of Lent

Genesis 12:1-4a • Psalm 121 • Romans 4:1-5, 13-17 • John 3:1-17

Scroll Down for the Texts of the Scriptures

Sermon available on YouTube by clicking here.

as an Audio File by clicking here,

and as a PDF by clicking here.

The Sermon

Come, Holy Spirit, and kindle the fire that is in us.
Take our lips and speak through them.

Take our hearts and see through them.

Take our souls and set them on fire.  Amen.

Locked in Without a Sermon

Good Morning on this fine blustery, spirit-like day. This past Friday night, I was at Eighth Day Books working on my sermon. I had been reading and writing throughout the day, but I still had no idea what I was going to preach. It was 8:30 in the evening; the Eighth Day staff had gone home; and I was locked in the bookstore…. On purpose, mind you, not by accident. I wasn’t trapped or anything. Warren Farha, the owner, is very generous and thoughtful. He lets me stay late when I am working. I just let myself out when I am finished.

     Anyway, I was struggling with what I was going to focus on in today’s sermon, really struggling with how to even begin it, when I looked up. There across this room filled with books, was a book whose title caught my eye: Sermons that Work. “Holy cow,” I thought, “I could sure use one of those.” So I walk over, picked up the book, and read the full title: Sermons that Work: Ten Prize-Winning Episcopal Sermons. The hair stood up on the back of my neck. If this isn’t a sign from God, then I don’t know what is. I begin feverously flipping through its pages to see if there might just happen to be a ready-made sermon on John, chapter three: Genesis 22, Genesis 18, Mark 6, John 21,… I go through all ten sermons, but not a single one has anything to do with John 3.

     But maybe, just maybe I could modify one of these award-winning sermons. I flip to the beginning of one sermon and read, “When I was in the Navy in the Philippines…” Well, that’s no good. I’ve never been in the Navy, nor have I ever gone to the Philippines.  So I turn a few pages more, and the next sermon begins with, “My great aunt’s name was Lolo.” I did have a grandmother we used to call Momo, but no Great Aunt Lolo. “Oh well,” I said to myself, “I guess I better just bite the bullet and write my own sermon.” But as I think back, finding that book wasn’t a total loss, it may not have given me a sermon, but it did give me a way to begin.

Enter Nicodemus

And, it raises a question. Was seeing that book of sermons a sign from God, or not? Perhaps it was just my unconscious self pointing me in that direction, because it knew I needed a sermon, and it had seen the book out of the corner of my eye? Or perhaps it was all just a coincidence? But how do we know? How do we decide? How do we determine when something is from God, and when it isn’t?

     These are the questions that kept Nicodemus up late at night. These are the questions that compelled him to leave his house after dark in order to seek a clandestine audience with this Jesus of Nazareth, this new Jewish rabbi who has been causing such a stir. Is Jesus from God, or not?... And, does it even matter?

Well, it mattered to Nicodemus; it mattered a lot, in fact. For Nicodemus, it was a matter of life and death, not just for him personally, but for the nation. You see, Nicodemus was a leader among the Jewish people; he had some political responsibilities. He was also a Pharisee, a man devoted to studying and living out God’s law, something that had become increasingly difficult in a world that was being taken over and shaped by those pagan Romans. And now, he is faced with another dilemma. Jesus of Nazareth has been performing some noteworthy signs, but where do they point? Do they point to God, or somewhere else?

     For example, Jesus attended a village wedding in Cana of Galilee. It was reported that on the third day of the celebration, he turned water into wine. And it wasn’t just a small amount of water; it was a hundred and fifty gallons worth. And it wasn’t just any water, it was the water used in Jewish rites of purification. The Pharisees had worked so hard to remain pure and undefiled. They had also worked hard to get all the Jews to live pure and undefiled lives as well, all in the hopes that God would finally forgive his wayward people and send his Messiah to rescue them. And now, this Jesus had transformed ritual water into wine. And not just any wine, the best they had ever had. Was this a sign from God?

It sure seemed like it, until Jesus went up to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover. He was visiting the temple, when suddenly he started going about like a crazy man. He made a whip and drove out all of the vendors and the sacrificial animals. “Take these things out of here!,” he shouted, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” Many people believed in Jesus because of these signs, but some didn’t (2:23).

Nicodemus seems genuinely undecided. On the one hand, Jesus turned water into wine, but on the other hand, he engaged in a public demonstration against the temple. Is Jesus from God, or not? Does he speak for God, or not? These are tricky questions because Nicodemus would no doubt have been familiar with some Old Testament texts that warned God’s people against being taken in by false prophets. For example, in Deuteronomy 13 we read:

¹ If prophets… appear among you and promise you omens or portents, ² and the omens or the portents declared by them take place, and they say, “Let us follow other gods… and let us serve them,” ³ you must not heed the words of those prophets…; for the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you indeed love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. ⁴ The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. ⁵ But those prophets… shall be put to death…. So you shall purge the evil from your midst (Deut 13:1­–5).

Then, in Deuteronomy 18, the Lord God, speaking to Moses, says:

Any prophet who… presumes to speak in my name, a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die” (Deut 18:20).

So the question of who Jesus is, is a tricky one. It is not as simple as pointing to his miracles because it is just possible that he is a false prophet trying to lead the people astray. So how is Nicodemus going to decide if this Jesus speaks and acts on God’s behalf? It’s critical that he make the right decision, because if Jesus really is from God, then he must be followed and obeyed. But if not, then he needs to be eliminated. There is no middle ground. And so, Nicodemus goes to meet Jesus, but he does so at night because he doesn’t want anybody to know.

Enter Jesus

Shifting gears a bit, I have a question for you: Have you ever been in one of those conversations where the other person keeps changing the subject?—Perhaps I should also ask, have you ever been that person?—Anyway, you know the sort of conversation I am talking about. You feel like you are always trying to catch up. You are never quite able to get a word in edgewise, maybe a question here or a head nod there. And when it is all over, you feel a bit exhausted and a bit confused.

     I wonder if that’s how Nicodemus felt when he was talking to Jesus, or rather, when he was listening to Jesus talk, because Jesus pretty much takes over the conversation from the very beginning. Each man speaks three times, but Nicodemus’ contributions get shorter and shorter, while Jesus’ get longer and longer. Granted, if you had the opportunity for a one-on-one conversation with Jesus, I think you would want to listen more than talk. But the problem is, Jesus keeps changing the subject, so that even we readers of the story sometimes find it hard to follow the logic and flow of Jesus’ thought.

     For example, Nicodemus begins the conversation very politely by saying,

Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God (3:2).

To which, Jesus responds:

Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above (3:3).

Well, Nicodemus hadn’t said anything about the kingdom of God, but he goes along with it, and he responds with a couple of questions.

How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can a person enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born? (3:4)

Jesus picks back up with talking about the kingdom of God, but now, instead of talking about being born “from above,” he talks about being born “of water and the Spirit.” “What is born of the flesh is flesh,” Jesus says, “and what is born of the Spirit is spirit” (3:6). Then, when Nicodemus asks, “How can these things be?,” Jesus leaves off talking about the kingdom and the Spirit altogether and instead begins talking about snakes in the desert, the Son of Man being lifted up, and about eternal life.

     I should say that I don’t really think that Jesus keeps changing the subject, but he does employ a variety of metaphors to refer to the same reality: seeing the kingdom of God, being born again, having eternal life, being saved. He also employs a number of stark contrasts: heavenly and earthly; spirit and flesh; life and death; light and darkness. These contrasts suggest that there is no middle ground when it comes to Jesus. Today, there isn’t time to explore these images, metaphors, and contrasts in detail, but they will reappear in the weeks ahead as we listen in on Jesus’ conversations with other individuals—a Samaritan woman, a blind man, and the sisters of Lazarus. But today, the question we must answer is this: Through all of these images and metaphors, what is Jesus trying to convey to Nicodemus? What does it all boil down to?

The Point of It All

Nicodemus wants to know who Jesus is. He wants to trust Jesus, to believe in him. He has an inkling that Jesus is from God, but he wants a greater level of certainty because so much is at stake. But here’s the deal, we cannot know for certain who Jesus is apart from the exercise of faith, apart from actually putting our trust in him. Seeing with our natural eyes and reasoning with our natural minds can only take us so far. For Nicodemus and for us, there has to be a leap of faith. It isn’t a blind leap of faith, nor is it an irrational leap of faith, but it is a leap of faith nonetheless.

     For example, a child standing on the edge of a table cannot know for certain that his father will catch him until he jumps and is caught. Certainly, the child sees the father standing there with arms outstretched. So the child has some reason to suspect that his father is willing and able to catch him, but the child will never know for certain until he exercises faith and jumps, again and again and again.

     This is what Jesus offers to Nicodemus and to us. The signs that he has been performing point to his identity as the Son of God, but they do not constitute proof. Evidence, certainly, but nothing like irrefutable proof, which is why some believed and some didn’t. The signs Jesus performed were true, but ambiguous, at least when observed without the lens of faith, without being born of the Spirit, which is itself as mysterious as the movements of the wind. It’s there, you see the effects, but you can’t quite pin it down. It takes faith, which is to say, that it takes submitting ourselves to the movements and inklings of the Spirit. For you see, faith is not something that we generate. We exercise it; we put it into practice. But faith does not originate with us; it is a gift given to us by God. More specifically, faith is the gift of the Spirit, that is, faith is the gift of the indwelling presence of the Spirit. To be possessed by the Holy Spirit of God, that’s what it means to be spiritual. That’s what it means to be born of water and the Spirit, to see the kingdom of God. And this gift has been made possible by another gift, the gift of God’s one and only Son who became flesh and blood for our sakes, who submitted himself to human death, that we might have the opportunity to possess and be possessed by God’s divine life, which is, the eternal kind of life.

What Became of Nicodemus?

There is so much more than could be said about his, but I am sure that you are all dying to know what became of Nicodemus. Did he get his questions answered? Did he ever figure out who Jesus was? Here’s the rest of the story.

     Nicodemus appears two more times in the gospel. In his first reappearance, Jesus is causing another disturbance in the temple precincts. The temple guard are dispatched to arrest him, but they are unsuccessful. When they return to give their report, they are reprimanded by the chief priests and Pharisees. However, Nicodemus stands up and asks, “Our law does not judge people without first giving them a hearing to find out what they are doing, does it?” (7:51). His colleagues bite back, “Surely you are not also from Galilee, are you? Search and you will see that no prophet is to arise from Galilee” (7:52). Nicodemus’ question may not be a public declaration of allegiance to Jesus; nevertheless, he is putting his reputation and standing at some risk by posing the question.

     Nicodemus’ final appearance occurs during the postlude of the crucifixion. Jesus is dead, his disciples are in hiding, and his body still hangs limply on the cross. Out of the shadows come two men. Joseph of Ari­ma­­thea and Nicodemus. Joseph secures Pilate’s permission to remove the body, and Nicodemus joins him, having brought along a hundred pounds of burial spices. They prepare the body according to Jewish custom, and lay it in a tomb. By why? Why would these two respected members of the Jewish community risk their reputations and possibly their lives to bury a man, a criminal, an enemy of the state who was obviously a false prophet, for the crucifixion of Jesus was the surest sign yet that he was not from God.

     Their actions just don’t make any sense, unless… unless their eyes had been opened to see who Jesus really was, a king of a very different sort of kingdom. And so I think we have our answer, Nicodemus’ presence at the tomb was an exercise of faith. In the cross of Jesus, he had seen the kingdom of God by faith, he had seen God’s love by faith, and now he was in possession of eternal life by faith.  

     Thanks be to God!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Delivered on Sunday, March 16th, a.d. 2014

at St. John's Episcopal Church (Wichita, Kansas)

The Scriptures

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what the eagle saw: st. john and the four living creatures

Feast Day of St. John, Evangelist and Apostle
Exodus 33:18–23 • Psalm 92 or 92:1–4, 11–14 • 1 John 1:1–9 • John 21:19b–24
(Scroll Down for the Texts of the Scriptures)

Sermon available on YouTube by clicking here.

Sermon available as a PDF by clicking here.

The Sermon

[The Lord] gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless.

Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted;

but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,

they shall mount up with wings like eagles,

they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

— Isaiah 40:29–31   

Our John

Here this morning at St. John’s, we are celebrating our Patronal Feast. Now, if you are not sure what a Patronal Feast is, let me begin by saying that it has absolutely nothing to do with a Patronus Charm in the wizarding world of Harry Potter. I mean that’s the first thing I think of when I hear the word patronal, but apparently there is no connection between the two. Instead, a Patronal Feast is the occasion on which a parish honors the patron saint of the parish. So today, we are celebrating the Feast of St. John—Apostle and Evangelist—from whom this parish took its name some seven score and three years ago. (For those of you who are trying to do the math, that’s 143 years ago).

     In the Bible, there are a handful of persons who go by the name of John. There is John Mark, occasional traveling companion of Paul and Barnabas. There is the John of the book of Revelation who received a heavenly vision on the island of Patmos. There is John the Baptist, or as the Presbyterians prefer to call him, John the Baptizer. (Presbyterians don’t really want anyone in the Bible to be called a Baptist.)

Our John, however, is none of these. Our John is the son of Zebedee and the brother of James, who abandoned the security of the family fishing business to follow after the itinerate prophet, Jesus. Thus, our John was one of the Twelve disciples. Our John also belonged to Jesus’ innermost circle, a circle of three who witnessed events the other disciples didn’t. For example, Peter, James, and our John were present when Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter. Peter, James, and our John saw Jesus’ transfigured on the mountain, and later they witnessed Jesus’ agony in the garden on the eve of his execution. Our John dined at the Last Supper; he was the beloved disciple seated next to Jesus. Our John was at the foot of the cross, where he agreed to take responsibility for Jesus’ mother, Mary. Our John outran Simon Peter and reached the empty tomb first, and upon seeing the piled-up grave clothes, our John was the first of the male disciples to believe in Jesus’ resurrection. Along with the other disciples, our John met the resurrected Jesus and later on received the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Our John outlived all of the other disciples, and presumably was the only disciple to have died of natural causes. Our John saw Jesus’ glory as well as his agony.

     In short, our beloved St. John saw a lot. Perhaps that is why he has most often been represented by an eagle, as we see on our St. John’s banner. As we know, eagles are generally regarded as having the best eyesight of any living creature; they can see farther and with greater clarity.

The Four Living Creatures of Revelation and the Four Gospels

But our John wasn’t always an eagle; sometimes he was a lion. For nearly 2,000 years now, the writers of our four gospels have been represented in Christian art and icons by four figures: a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle. This odd assortment of creatures is taken from the book of Revelation. In Revelation, another John is granted a vision of heaven. In this vision, John sees God seated on a throne in all of his glory, surrounded by various attendants. For example, in a wide circle around the throne are twenty-four smaller thrones, on which are seated twenty-four elders, clad in white robes and golden crowns. Within that circle, on each side of the throne are four living creatures, whose sole function is to preside over the liturgy and worship in heaven. They do this by giving glory, honor, and thanks to the One who is seated on the throne. “Day and night without ceasing they sing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and is and is to come’” (Rev 4:8).

     The four living creatures are very strange indeed; they are hard to envision in one’s mind. They each have six wings, and they are full of eyes all around and inside. The first living creature is like a lion, and the second like an ox. The third has a human face, and the fourth is like a flying eagle. In the early church, among other things, the four living creatures were understood to represent the four Evangelists, the four writers of our New Testament gospels. However, there was not always agreement as to which living creature represented a given Evangelist. In all the proposed schemes, Luke was represented by the ox. But in some schemes, Matthew was the human figure and in others the lion. John was sometimes depicted as the lion, but most often as the eagle, while Mark could be the man, the eagle, or the lion. The scheme that eventually won out identified the man with Matthew, the lion with Mark, the ox with Luke, and the eagle with our beloved St. John.

      We have an example of this scheme from the sixth century, from Pope Gregory I—who is perhaps better known as Gregory the Great. Gregory makes a connection between the way each gospel begins and the characteristics of a given living creature. Matthew’s gospel begins with Jesus’ human genealogy, so Gregory thinks Matthew is best represented by the man. Mark’s gospel begins with John the Baptist as the voice crying out in the wilderness, much like a wild lion that lives out in the wilderness. Luke’s gospel begins with the scene of Zachariah in the temple. Since oxen were used as sacrificial animals, Luke is the ox. Finally, our John is the eagle. Eagles were known for their ability to look directly at the sun, and John’s gospel begins by looking directly at Jesus’ divine nature. Here is Gregory in his own words:

The beginning of each Gospel, shows that “these four winged creatures denote the four holy Evangelists. Because he began from the generations of humankind, Matthew is justly represented by a man; because of the crying in the wilderness, Mark is rightly indicated by a lion; because he started from a sacrifice, Luke is well described as an ox; and because he begins with the divinity of the Word, John is worthily signified by an eagle, he who says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” [W]hile he stretched towards the very substance of divinity, he fixed his eye on the sun as if in the fashion of an eagle.

Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Ezekiel, Daniel ; OT XIII; p. 5.

The Four Living Creatures Here at St. John’s

So again, Matthew is the man, Mark the lion, Luke the ox, and John the eagle.

This is the same scheme represented here in our own house of worship.

Banner on South Wall

For example, look at this banner on the south wall. There we see the four evangelists. Mark as the lion in the top left corner, John as the eagle in the top right, Matthew as the man in the bottom left, and Luke as the ox in the bottom right. Where else do you see the four living creatures representing by the four gospel writers? 

Pulpit

Yes, they are engraved here on the pulpit. Matthew and Mark are on the left side, John and Luke on the right. If you look closely, you will notice that each of them is holding a book, which represents their gospel. Their presence on the pulpit reminds me that, as a preacher, I have been called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to make Christ known, and to focus our attention upon him. Where else might we find the four living creatures?

Gospel Book Cover

They can also be found on the ornate cover of our Gospel Book. It is a beautiful cover. At the center is Jesus, seated on a throne. Surrounding him are the four living creatures of Revelation, with a banner designating the name of each evangelist: St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke, and St. John.

If you look closely, you will notice that their heads are turned, and they are focusing their gaze and attention upon Jesus. That, of course, is their primary purpose, to bear witness to the gospel, to the good news which is Jesus Christ. Why? Because they believed, they knew that Jesus held the key to life. As our beloved St. John writes near the end of his gospel, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30–31). 

Chalices

We also find the four living creatures imprinted on the base of our chalices. Their images surround the bowl of the chalice, much as the four living creatures surround the throne in heaven. This is fitting because the chalice, which holds the blood of Christ, reminds us of the cross. And in John, the cross is presented as Christ’s throne, for it was Jesus’ crucifixion—even more than his resurrection or ascension—that was his exaltation, his enthronement as the Son of God. As Jesus says in John, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified…. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself” (John 12:23, 32).

      So, when you come up to this table to partake of the body and blood of Jesus, to taste the salvation and life that he poured out for you, take a moment to look at the chalice. Behold the four living creatures and remember that this cup is the throne of Christ and that you are kneeling in his presence.

Altar–Table

Now, so far as I know, there is only one more location where the four living creatures of Revelation can be found in this place. This is my favorite, perhaps because it is so subtle. They are hard to spot. I wouldn’t have ever noticed them had they not been pointed out to me during my first week here.

      You will notice that this altar, this table of the Lord, has four wooden pillars. Feet have been carved at the base of each pillar. On the left, we have the claws of an eagle. Next comes the hooves of an ox, then the feet of a man, and finally, a lion’s paws. Once again we find our four Evangelists: John, Luke, Matthew and Mark. These four pillars serve to remind us that everything we do at this table is based on, rooted in, and supported by the testimony of the four-fold gospel witness.

      These pillars could also serve as a convenient mnemonic device for remembering the foundations of the Christian faith. Again, let us listen to the words of Gregory the Great. Here he applies the four living creatures, not to the evangelists or their gospels, but to the person and work of Jesus himself.

[T]he only begotten Son of God truly became man; he deigned to die like an ox at sacrifice for our salvation; he, through the virtue of his fortitude, rose as a lion.… Furthermore, ascending to heaven after his resurrection, he was carried aloft to the heights like an eagle (ACCC. OT XIII, 5).

      In short, Jesus is “a man by being born, an ox in dying, a lion in rising again, and an eagle in ascending to the heavens.” Man, Ox, Lion, Eagle; Life, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension of Jesus—the historical pillars of the Christian faith.

What Did the Eagle See?

Our beloved St. John—Apostle, Evangelist, and Eagle in Flight—witnessed some truly unique and remarkable things as a companion and follower of Jesus Christ. These are the things that he shares with us in his letters and his gospel. As he writes in today’s epistle:

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

      Through his faithful witness and testimony, our beloved John has given us life, so how can we best celebrate and honor him on this his feast day. First, by doing what we do every week, by worshipping the God who has revealed himself fully, finally, and decisively in Jesus of Nazareth and by celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

      But I also have another suggestion. In this church, we are blessed in that we get the opportunity to encounter so much Scripture on a weekly basis with our readings from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the Epistles, and the Gospels. Unfortunately, those readings come to us in relatively small packages. Rarely do we get the opportunity to read and listen to large portions of Holy Scripture. Rarely do we take the time to read a gospel or other biblical book straight through in one sitting.

      So, as a way to honor our beloved St. John, I am suggesting that we read what he wrote, that we go home this week, even today, and read the Gospel of John in one sitting. In my Bible, John covers about 27 pages, so I would estimate that it will take you about an hour to read, maybe an hour and a half, a bit longer if you decided to get together with others and read it aloud. If you need to do it in two sittings, then I suggest chapters 1–12 and then 13–20. The first twelve chapters detail the three years of Jesus’ public ministry, while the last eight chapters cover the last 24 hours of Jesus life.

      As you read, keep this question in mind: Who is this Jesus? When you are finished with your reading, jot down your thoughts in a journal or tell somebody. What did you see? What did you hear? What did you touch and taste?

      The story of Jesus that John tells is critical to our Christian faith for, as Holy Scripture, it helps us answer the four fundamental questions: 

                                                Who is God? 

                                                     Who are we? 

                                                          Why are we here? 

                                                               How then shall we live? 

John wrote so that his readers might come to know Christ and so it is important that we hear John’s story in its entirety.

      So, happy Feast of St. John’s, and happy reading.

     

      In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Scriptures

The Feast Day of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist 

Exodus 33:18–23

1 John 1:1–9

John 21:19b–24

Psalm 92 or 92:1–4, 11–14

The Collect

Shed upon your Church, O Lord, the brightness of your light, that we, being illumined by the teaching of your apostle and evangelist John, may so walk in the light of your truth, that at length we may attain to the fullness of eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Exodus 33:18–23

Moses said to God, “Show me your glory, I pray.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

Psalm 92 or 92:1–4, 11–14 • Bonum est confiteri                                                   BCP 720

1      It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, *

               and to sing praises to your Name, O Most High;

2      To tell of your loving-kindness early in the morning *

               and of your faithfulness in the night season;

3      On the psaltery, and on the lyre, *

               and to the melody of the harp.

4      For you have made me glad by your acts, O Lord; *

               and I shout for joy because of the works of your hands.

5      Lord, how great are your works! *

               your thoughts are very deep.

6      The dullard does not know, nor does the fool understand, *

               that though the wicked grow like weeds, and all the workers of iniquity flourish,

7      They flourish only to be destroyed for ever; *

               but you, O Lord, are exalted for evermore.

8      For lo, your enemies, O Lord, lo, your enemies shall perish, *

               and all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.

9      But my horn you have exalted like the horns of wild bulls; *

               I am anointed with fresh oil.

10     My eyes also gloat over my enemies, *

               and my ears rejoice to hear the doom of the wicked who rise up against me.

11     The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, *

               and shall spread abroad like a cedar of Lebanon.

12     Those who are planted in the house of the Lord *

               shall flourish in the courts of our God;

13     They shall still bear fruit in old age; *

               they shall be green and succulent;

14     That they may show how upright the Lord is, *

               my Rock, in whom there is no fault.

1 John 1:1-9

We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

     This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John 21:19b-24

Jesus said to Peter, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them; he was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me!” So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

     This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.

Delivered on Sunday, December 29th, a.d. 2013

at St. John's Episcopal Church (Wichita, Kansas)

god’s little secret • the mystery of the incarnation

Year A • Christmas Day, Proper III
Isaiah 52:7–10 • Psalm 98 • Hebrews 1:1–4, (5–12) • John 1:1-14
(Scroll Down for the Texts of the Scriptures)

Sermon available on YouTube by clicking here.

Sermon available as a PDF by clicking here.

The Sermon

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet

of the messenger who announces peace,

who brings good news, who announces salvation,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

(Isaiah 52:7)

God Entered the World Quietly

Well, today is the day, the day we’ve been waiting for, the day we’ve been preparing for, the day we’ve been anticipating, the day of our Lord and Savior’s birth…. Well, not exactly, because the birth happened last night; it happened in the middle of the night while we were sleeping. We missed it; the whole world missed it, save for a few shepherds who received an angelic birth announcement while watching their flocks by night. You see, God entered the world quietly. God didn’t want the world to know he had arrived. But not even God could keep a secret, not when it came to the birth of his one and only Son. God just had to tell somebody, and look who he chose: some homeless guys who lived out of doors, who worked at a job that nobody wanted, and who nobody is going to believe anyway. And so, God’s secret is safe, at least, for the time being.

     But why would God want to keep his arrival on earth a secret? Because God didn’t want to frighten us away. You see, something is wrong with us, something inside of us is broken. And that something is something that only God can fix. But here is the problem. That something which is broken also makes us terrified of God, so terrified that God has a hard time getting close enough to us to heal us with his gracious and loving presence.

Original Blessing

It all began a long time ago with Adam and Eve, our first parents. In the beginning, God fashioned a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and this man, this Adam, became a living being. And yet, though he was alive, he was not yet human, not fully, in any case. We know this because God says of him, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner” (Gen 2:15). God then fashions various animals from the same dust that the man had been fashioned from, but none of these are adequate. It is not until God forms a woman that a suitable partner is found. It is not until there is both male and female that there is humanity; for it is in our maleness and femaleness, in our interrelatedness and in our interdependence, that we human beings are able to fulfill our vocation to reflect the glory of God, for God himself is a community of interrelated, inter-dependent persons. Together Adam and Eve have been created in the image of God, together they serve as the image-bearers of God in creation. They are united to one another and to God. They are naked and unashamed. This is what we call, Original Blessing.

Original Shame

But then something goes wrong. Adam and Eve are in Eden, and the Lord God has given them all of the trees of the Garden for food, all but one. They even have access to the Tree of Life. Yet, in the end, they partake of the Forbidden tree, the tree that promises the Knowledge of Good and Evil. And something happens. Whatever it was that they ate, something about the fruit of that tree changed them, and not for the better. In an instant, their eyes are opened wide, and they become acutely, uncomfortably aware of their own nakedness—their vulnerability, their weakness, their dependence—and for the first time, they experience shame. They are naked and ashamed; they cannot bear to be in one another’s presence for the presence of the other simply serves to make them all the more aware of their own nakedness. So they attempt to cover their shame, but fig leaves can only do so much.

     At this point in our story, we must pause to make an observation. Notice, as of yet, God has not arrived on the scene. This is important because it suggests that the guilt and shame our first parents experienced was not the guilt and shame of being caught in the act. We all know what that feels like, to have our hands in the cookie jar, as it were, and to hear the voice, “What are you doing?” No, it wasn’t the shame of getting caught that Adam and Eve experienced, but something much, much deeper.

     When finally God does arrive, taking what appears to be his daily afternoon walk, he finds Eden empty, deserted. For Adam and Eve, upon hearing the Lord’s approaching footsteps, hid themselves. Their makeshift clothing gave them enough coverage so that they could stand to be in one another’s presence; it wasn’t, however, able to shield them from the shame they felt in God’s presence. And so they, like we, hide

Once again, let’s be very clear. Adam and Eve are not hiding out of a fear of being punished. It’s not that they heard the Lord stomping through the undergrowth, bellowing, “What did I tell you?,” and so hid to avoid his disappointment and wrath. After all, as the story goes, the Lord seems generally surprised to find his children missing. It is only when he discovers that they have hidden themselves in shame that he makes the connection that they must have eaten from the Tree of Knowledge. So once again, the guilt and shame of Eden goes well beyond the guilt of getting caught and goes far deeper than the fear of punishment. Whatever the Tree of Knowledge did to them, it rendered them incapable of being comfortable in God’s presence. For Adam and Eve—and for all of their unborn children—God’s presence was no longer a blessing, but a curse. This is what we might call, Original Shame; and it is this shame—a deep-rooted sense of our own nakedness, a debilitating sense of our own unworthiness—it is this shame that underlies all our human brokenness, it is this shame that lies at the root of all human sin and violence, all human suffering and death.

The Lord’s Dilemma

And there is only one remedy to our predicament. Only God’s loving and gracious presence can heal us of our sense of shame and alienation, but therein lies the rub. God cannot get close enough to his children to heal them. When God appears, his children head for cover. God’s presence holds the key to their deliverance, but God’s presence is too much to bear. We see examples of this throughout the Old Testament.

For example, after the glorious Exodus from Egypt, when the Lord rescued his people from their Egyptian taskmasters, he led them through the wilderness to Mt. Sinai. There he enters into a covenant with his people. “You will be my people, and I will be your God.” But the people are afraid. When they draw near to the mountain to ratify the covenant, they cry out to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, [lest] we … die” (Exod 20:19). God’s people want a mediator; they want someone to stand between them and God. They don’t want to have to deal with God directly. They want someone to shield them from God, someone to shield them from the fear and guilt that are triggered when they are in the presence of God. Clearly they do not experience God’s presence as a blessing, but a curse.

As another example, take the prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah 6, the prophet is ushered into the heavenly temple, into the holy of holies. And there he sees the Lord sitting on a throne “high and lofty” (Isa 6:1). Angels of fire are in attendance, and they fly to and fro, calling out to one another”

          Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
          the whole earth is filled with his glory (Isa 6:3).

     It’s a glorious vision, but one that Isaiah cannot enjoy. For when he finds himself in the Lord’s presence, instead of reveling in the glory of God, all he can think about is his own sin and that of his people.

          Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips,
          and I live among a people of unclean lips (Isa 6:5).

Once again, God’s presence is experienced as a curse instead of a blessing.

And so, God is faced with a dilemma. How can he draw close enough to his people, to heal them of their shame and guilt when his presence reminds them all the more of their brokenness, when his love and grace triggers their own deep sense of unworthiness? It’s a dilemma any parent can appreciate. You who are parents, how often have you gone to a child to love, to forgive, or to comfort them only to find that your presence seems to intensify their pain, their feelings of embarrassment, guilt, or shame? They need you, yet your presence is to much too bear. This is God’s dilemma.

The Mystery of the Incarnation

The Word Became Flesh

So how did God resolve the dilemma? By slipping into our world under the cloak of humanity. Our reading from John says it all: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14a). The Word, who was with God in the beginning and who is in fact very God of very God, this Word became flesh. More precisely, this eternal Word of God—through whom all of creation came into being—this Word became a particular flesh-and-blood human being… Jesus of Nazareth… the son of Mary. This is the great mystery of the Incarnation. In Jesus, or better yet, as Jesus, God was able to draw close to humanity, close enough to heal us of our shame and guilt and to remove whatever we have placed between ourselves and God. Had God appeared in all of his glory, humanity would have scattered in fear. As it is, God’s appearing in the garb of humanity made it possible for God to operate undetected in his creation, long enough at least to set in motion the restoration of humanity.

The Word’s Flesh both Conceals and Reveals

But the mystery of the Incarnation is even greater, for the flesh that allowed God to get close to us because it cloaked God’s glory, also revealed God’s glory. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The flesh of Jesus served both to conceal and to reveal God’s glory. But how is that possible? God is the Creator of the heavens and earth. To become a creature within his creation, God had to empty himself, God had to humble himself. And yet, it is in God’s humility, in the humility of the incarnation that God’s glory is most fully revealed. When God—in the person of the Son—became a flesh-and-blood human being, this was something new for God, something God had never done before. Yet, in becoming a particular human being, God did not do anything that was alien to God’s character; for God is by nature humble; God is by nature self-emptying love. So the incarnation is an act of humility, but this is precisely what makes it an act of revelation.

This mystery is critical for our whole understanding of who God is and for the whole enterprise of human salvation. To say that God emptied himself is not to say that God had to leave some of his divinity behind. God did not have to abandon some of his Godness in order to become human. When the Word became Jesus, it did not thereby cease being the Word. Consequently, in Jesus, we are not getting some watered-down version of God, we are getting God in all of God’s fullness. So writes the author of Hebrews:

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being (Heb 1:1­–3a).

I will say it again, in Jesus, we are not getting some watered-down version of God. Jesus is the full and final and decisive revelation of who God is. In Jesus, we are getting God in all of God’s glory, and yet, that glory comes to us in a form that we fearful, shame-filled human beings are able to bear. For in Jesus, in the Word-become-flesh, God has come close enough to heal us with his loving and gracious presence.

From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known (John 1:16–18).

Christmas Has Just Begun

The Mystery of the Incarnation is the remedy to all that ails us. In Jesus, God in all his glory has drawn close to us, and in Jesus, God makes it possible for us to draw close to him. I don’t know how successful you were this holiday season in drawing close to God. Our world makes it very, very difficult with all of its busyness, which is simply the world’s way of distracting itself from the pain of shame that it clings to. And unfortunately, even we Christians can get caught up in it all.

But let me leave you with a word of encouragement. God knows how hard it is for us. God lived as one of us. So God understands.

Let me say this as well. If in your busyness and distractedness, you feel that you missed Christmas this year, I will let you in on a secret. You haven’t miss Christmas; you only missed Advent. Christmas has just begun. Today is the first day of Christmas, and there are Twelve more days of Christmas to come. So rejoice, for today “breaks a new and glorious morn.”

Happy Christmas!

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The Scriptures

RCL, Year A, Christmas Day, Proper III

Isaiah 52:7–10 • Psalm 98 • Hebrews 1:1–4, (5–12) • John 1:1-14

Collect

O God, you make us glad by the yearly festival of the birth of your only Son Jesus Christ: Grant that we, who joyfully receive him as our Redeemer, may with sure confidence behold him when he comes to be our Judge; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

or this

O God, you have caused this holy night to shine with the brightness of the true Light: Grant that we, who have known the mystery of that Light on earth, may also enjoy him perfectly in heaven; where with you and the Holy Spirit he lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

or this

Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born [this day] of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

Isaiah 52:7–10

How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of the messenger who announces peace,

who brings good news,

who announces salvation,

who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”

Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices,

together they sing for joy;

for in plain sight they see

the return of the Lord to Zion.

Break forth together into singing,

you ruins of Jerusalem;

for the Lord has comforted his people,

he has redeemed Jerusalem.

The Lord has bared his holy arm

before the eyes of all the nations;

and all the ends of the earth shall see

the salvation of our God.

Psalm 98 • Cantate Domino • (BCP 727)

1      Sing to the Lord a new song, *

               for he has done marvelous things.

2      With his right hand and his holy arm *

               has he won for himself the victory.

3      The Lord has made known his victory; *

               his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.

4      He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *

               and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

5      Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; *

               lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.

6      Sing to the Lord with the harp, *

               with the harp and the voice of song.

7      With trumpets and the sound of the horn *

               shout with joy before the King, the Lord.

8      Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *

               the lands and those who dwell therein.

9      Let the rivers clap their hands, *

               and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, 

               when he comes to judge the earth.

10     In righteousness shall he judge the world *

               and the peoples with equity.

Hebrews 1:1–4 (5–12)

Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

[For to which of the angels did God ever say,

     “You are my Son;

     today I have begotten you”?

Or again, 

     “I will be his Father,

     and he will be my Son”?

And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,

     “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

Of the angels he says,

     “He makes his angels winds,

     and his servants flames of fire.”

But of the Son he says,

     “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,

     and the righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.

     You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

     therefore God, your God, has anointed you

     with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

And,

     “In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,

     and the heavens are the work of your hands;

     they will perish, but you remain;

     they will all wear out like clothing;

     like a cloak you will roll them up,

     and like clothing they will be changed.

     But you are the same,

     and your years will never end.”]

John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

Delivered on Wednesday, December 25th, a.d. 2013

at St. John's Episcopal Church (Wichita, Kansas)