Notable and Quotable

For if it is through ourselves that death attained dominance over us, conversely, it is through the incarnation of the Word of God that death has been destroyed and that life has been resurrected, as indicated by the Apostle of Christ: “Death came through one person; hence the resurrection of the dead comes through another person also. Just as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will come to life again.”

It is no longer as condemned that we die. Rather, we die with the hope of rising again from the dead, awaiting the universal resurrection which God will manifest to us in his own time, since he is both the author of it and gives us grace for it.

–Athanasius, On the Incarnation 10.14

Advent Reflection

From Anglican Mainstream.

With this last antiphon our expectation finds joy now in the certainty of fulfillment.  We call Jesus by one of the most personal and intimate of his titles, Emmanuel, God-with-us.  While at the same time he is also to be exalted above us as our king, However, the pressure is on and the time is running short and the idea of serving a king and cooking the Christmas feast are not balancing out. The lessons today of sorts reinforce that message but not in the manner that the consumer culture may suggest.

Engage the reflection.

Why Read the Bible: To Develop a Basis of Real Hope

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

–Revelation 21.22-22.5 (NIV)

In vivid apocalyptic language, John describes for us, in part, what the promised New Creation will look like in today’s passage. In it is the only real basis for hope because the evangelist is reminding us to take on an eternal perspective when we think about life.

Too often we put our ultimate hope and trust in false and temporary things. We try to build up our bank accounts. We try to plan for our futures. We try to hang out with the right people or find the right job or mate. We attempt to build up for ourselves security through power or the accumulations of goods and toys. While there is certainly nothing wrong with planning for the future, none of this can bring us real hope because deep down we all understand that the things of this world are destined to pass away and that not even our futures are guaranteed.

None of this makes us feel very good but it is true nevertheless.

But in today’s passage, John paints a breathtaking and beautiful picture of what awaits those who put their ultimate hope and trust in Christ. He tells us first that we will get to live directly in God’s Presence and therefore we will never have to live in darkness again. We will get to see God’s face forever. This immediately reminds us of what Paul told the Corinthians: Now we see in a mirror dimly. Then we will see face to face. Now we know in part; then we shall know fully, even as we are fully known (1 Corinthians 13.12b).

What this means for us is that our exile and alienation from God will be ended forever. John’s mention of the tree of life takes us back to Genesis 1-3 and reminds us once again that God loves us so much he plans to restore us to paradise even though we rebelled against him at one time. All of this, of course, is made possible by the blood of Christ shed for us on the cross and appropriated through faith.

John continues and tells us that nothing evil or broken or bad will be allowed in the New Creation. The curse of our sin will be ended forever. We will get to live as God intended for us to live when he created us. When we think about it, this is a good thing because after all, who would want to live forever with all the hurts and heartaches and brokenness that accompany us in our mortal lives?

All this, of course, reminds us that life is about having a proper relationship with God and that God has acted decisively on our behalf to end our exile from him once and for all. Best of all, we don’t have to wait for the New Creation to enjoy this gift. God’s gracious invitation to us through Christ is open to everyone right here and now. It doesn’t matter who we are or what we have done or failed to do. We only have to accept the gracious invitation and open ourselves up to the life-giving and transformative Presence of the Holy Spirit.

This, then, is why the New Creation is the only sufficient hope for us. Its promise reminds us that life far transcends our mortal existence. It reminds us that God is not indifferent to us or our plight. Instead, he has acted decisively to overthrow the powers and forces of evil and to end our alienation from him forever, an alienation that was caused by our own sin and stubborn rebelliousness. Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus Christ!

As you get ready to celebrate the great feast of Christmas, stop and ponder these things. Remember that we are celebrating the wondrous gift of the Incarnation. Remember that we are celebrating the end of our exile from God, and give thanks for his great and limitless love for you. Then anticipate with great hope and joy the promise of New Creation that awaits those of us who put our ultimate hope and trust in Christ. Doing so will ensure that you will begin to develop the basis for real hope and indeed have a very Merry Christmas. And nothing in all creation will be able to rob you of that.