GOD SPEAKS THE WORD
The opening to the letter to the Hebrews is a fascinating piece of Scripture. The writer is trying to explain to the Hebrews that this Jesus, who was crucified and is now risen from the dead, was the Son and Messiah promised by the Old Testament prophets. He goes on in the opening of the Epistle to draw a comparison between Jesus and the angels, saying that Jesus is far above the angels.
I’m not sure why he goes into this dialogue. Perhaps the people he was writing to were a bit confused whether Jesus was just an angel or perhaps just a good man – a confusion which still dogs human beings to this day. The writer tells the Hebrews this is someone higher than the angels – this is the long awaited for Messiah.
“In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.”
This Jesus is God speaking to the world. This leads quite naturally into St John’s prologue to his Gospel, where says: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongst us”.
Hebrews is saying that in Jesus God speaks to the world, and Saint John is saying that Jesus is the Word of God. The two are naturally a fit as we reflect on who the baby in the manger is.
It would be easy to get the impression that Christmas was a celebration just of an historical event. I’m sure many people, particularly those who didn’t go to Church for Christmas, are thinking that what we are celebrating is something that happened 2,000 years ago. They would acknowledge that it led to a new world religion – but apart from that dimension Christmas is seen by most people as an event a long time ago.
Most of the secular West as we know it, sees Christmas in terms which encourage this – such as romantic Nativity scenes and an outdated figure called Santa Claus, who knows if you have been naughty or nice. Songs like “Jingle Bells” and “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas” also evoke memories of former years.
Somewhere in all that, people know there is an historical event – but increasingly it is consigned to childhood memories and stories.
To take us to a deeper understanding, Saint John in the first chapter of his gospel gives the wonderful description of the birth of Jesus as: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us”. This is a phrase that is quite beyond the imagination of many. They only want to see the baby in the manger, and perhaps Mary meek and mild. It is beyond the comprehension of most people.
It’s not just because of the increasing secularization of our society – for it is nothing new and we have seen it all before. Episcopalians are inheritors of the Church of England tradition. 400 years ago the Puritans overthrew the Church of England, and they banned Christmas and anything to do with it. They particularly objected to the carols, the feasting, and perhaps the drunken revelries of the 17th century. They didn’t believe in ceremony – religion had to be pure & simple – so they banned Christmas!
English people being what they are, once the Puritans were overthrown and the monarchy was restored, they came back to celebrate Christmas with great revelrie. The Church of England was restored and Christmas became the great Anglican festival.
I wonder if Christmas was banned again by some government, would it bounce back and become a great celebration? We can only speculate.
Some would say that the best days of our Church are over – gone are the days of packed Churches, and the Episcopal Church being a respectable member of the American society. These days all the news about the Episcopal Church is bad news, along with other mainline Churches. We seem to be divided or having controversies over theological issue, moral viewpoints, and the latest rantings from some wacky bishop. Of course it is not only confined to America – our Mother Church, the Church of England, has similar problems and division.
All this is hardly a good representation of what Saint John calls the Word made Flesh. We can not expect people to come rushing back to Church if the image they see is of a confused rabble of people. The Body of Christ has been rent asunder before. Division and debate in the Church has been a reality since the 1st Century, and in every age the Church is often persecuted or torn apart from within.
But Hebrews 1:1-12 finishes on a very positive note. Christ is always the same. As the words of Scripture tell us: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”.
Yes, the Church’s influence may be diminished in our society – but God is not diminished, and never will be. God does not depend on our witness – he wants it, but his glory does not depend on it. The heart of Jesus may be wounded – but it always has been. The wounding of the heart of Jesus is what won for us salvation.
It is therefore important to say to anyone who cares to listen, that, yes, Christ was born in time and today we celebrate an historical event – his birth, in a small town, in history. And that this man is none other than the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary.
We need to say that over and over again, because it is at the heart of what we celebrate today. It is also necessary to say that he has promised to be with his Church forever. That he does not remain in the stable at Bethlehem, but is continually present with us. And in his presence in the Church he is always the Word made Flesh. So he is always the Crucified Saviour with a wounded heart. And He is always risen for his people.
The babe we see in the manger today is still with his people, still giving us the strength, and the faith, and the love to walk as Christian people. For his Church is called to be both his presence in the world, and the witness to his resurrection. Today is a great day of hope as long as we realize that the babe cannot be left in manger, but grows up to be the wounded Saviour and the Risen Christ, and walks with us day by day in our troubles and in our joys.
The power and grace of Jesus Christ are ever present in the Church – as real in 2008 as in year 8 AD.
Supremely he is present when the Church does what he commanded her to do: to celebrate the Eucharist with unfailing faith, hope, and love.
Today we celebrate the living sign of the presence of Christ with his people – the Word made Flesh. By feeding on this living Lord in Holy Communion, we are enabled to be his body – and to proclaim that “The Word was made Flesh, and Dwelt amongst us”.