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.
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.”]
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.
