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In yesterday’s blog post, (which was actually a written version of my Sunday sermon), I mentioned that it might make sense for us to look more deeply at some of the virtues In the Letter to the Colossians which ought to be cultivated by a Christian, especially in the family setting.

The third chapter of The Letter to the Colossians, while speaking in a general way about vices to be avoided and virtues to be cultivated, has a particular family focus since it builds to its conclusion about wives being submitted, husbands loving their wives, and children obeying their parents. Because of this, I use Colossians 3 as a central text in marriage preparation.

For the sake of brevity in this post, we are going to focus on versus 12 to 17 which emphasizes the virtues to cultivate. The other verses (1-11 and 17ff) contain wonderful information as well, and ought to be dealt with it another time.

As is often the case, when we look at the words and details in Scripture, it is helpful to look to the Greek text which gives a richer sense of what these virtues really summon us to.

Here then is the text for our reflection, and then a kind of line by line commentary:

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Col 3:12-17)

Note that the text begins with a kind of general declaration of our identity. The simple word “Therefore” articulates the teaching that what we should do, flows from who and what we are;  agens sequitur esse (action follows being). And thus, all the virtues which follow should flow from the fact that we are God’s “chosen ones,” that we are “holy” and “beloved.”

These are not just titles, they are manifest  realities that flow from our reception of the sacraments and inclusion into Christ as members of this Body. These are virtues that are available to us as a direct result of our union with Christ, “therefore” we ought to lay hold of them and love out of them.

The text says that we are chosen. And while being chosen is a deeply mysterious reality for which we can only be grateful, it also means that having been chosen, we are thereby equipped, empowered and enabled to live the virtues that will follow if we will but lay hold of them through the power of God’s grace which owes us.

The text also says that we are holy. To be “holy,” means to be set apart, to be special, to be uncommon. In no way is it acceptable for us to live ordinary lives, or to presume that mediocrity is an acceptable stance for us. No! We have been chosen by God to be set apart. We ought to exhibit outstanding virtue and, as Scripture says elsewhere:  shine like lights, blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine like stars (Phil 2:15). Jesus also summons us to be salt and light (cf. Matt 5). And thus, these opening lines set a kind of foundation that is necessary for all that follows later.

The text then says regarding these virtues that we should clothe ourselves in them. The image here is essentially that of a garment. In many places, Scripture speaks of our life and virtue in terms of a garment.  We are told elsewhere that we are clothe ourselves in Christ, and that we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ make no provision for the desires of the flesh (Rom 13:14).  Jesus tells the parable about a wedding feast and of a man who came into the wedding feast not clothed in a wedding garment. He was thrown into the outer darkness on account of that because the garment is righteousness (cf Matt 22:1-13).

The book of Revelation speaks of this garment as being given by God to those who are his holy ones (Rev 6:11). The garment we are to put on then is a kind of wedding garment, a garment provided by God, a garment of righteousness (Rev 19:8).  We are to adore the Lord in holy attire, be clothed in Christ and in the beauty of holiness.

Having received this garment, then let us look now at the list of virtues that follow and that we are to be clothed in by God’s grace.

1. heartfelt compassion – The Greek text is a bit more earthy and explicit rendering it: σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ (splanchna  oiktirmou) meaning most literally a”gut-level compassion.”

For the ancients things were shifted down a bit. The heart was the place of though and deliberation. The “gut” or viscera was the place of feelings. And what we call the brain today and see as the seat of thought, the ancients speculated as having the purpose of cooling the blood. We still maintain some ancient expressions when we talk of a “gut reaction” or of having butterflies in our stomach.

So, splágxnon  (heartfelt) refers literally to the inward or visceral parts (stomach, liver, bowels, etc.), and figuratively to the emotions. And thus note that these are “deep” feelings, not just passing or surface feelings. Thus  the insight here is the capacity to feel deep emotions, to have sympathy, empathy, etc.

And oiktirmós (compassion) – refers to deep feelings about someone’s difficulty or misfortune. But note that the prefix “oik” is likely related to oikos, meaning “house” in Greek. Thus this locates the virtue of compassion to the family or household especially.

Thus the virtue to be cultivated here is a deep, tender, family-like mercy or compassion for others, especially in their misfortunes of struggles. It is to have the kind of mercy that usually is directed to a brother or sister, child, or parent. It is the tender compassion that befits the family.

 2. Kindness – This is an often misunderstood virtue and tends in our culture to be seen merely as being nice or pleasant. But kindness here is understood in a far more active sense.

The Greek word is χρηστότητα (chrestoteta) And though kindness is a good translation, it speaks more to having a disposition that is well suited, useful, or profitable in a given situation.  Chrestotes means that something is “well-fitting” or something that is really needed.

Thus kindness refers to more than being nice or pleasant. It refers to meeting real needs. St. Paul lists Kindness (chrēstótēs) as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). Jesus uses this word to describe his yoke as being easy, i.e. “well-fitting”.

Kindness here is to be understood as the Spirit-produced goodness which meets given needs in a suitable way and avoids human harshness.

3. Humility – Here too, humility is often misunderstood today to merely mean having a lowly estimation of oneself. But true humility is reverence for the truth of oneself.

The Greek word is ταπεινοφροσύνην (tapeinophrosynen) derived from tapeinós meaning “low, humble” and phrḗn, meaning a “moderation” that is regulated by a proper and inner perspective. And thus humility is the virtue that helps us moderate having too high an opinion of ourselves but does not mean we have no sense at all of our gifts or that we deny or hide them.

Scripturally  the “lowliness” is not an artificial or merely negative self assessment that ignores our gifts and talents. Rather, it comes from comparing ourselves to the Lord rather than to others. This brings sense of self into alignment with the proper standard. Before God who can boast?  And thus this virtue is to keep one from being self-exalting, self-determining, self-inflated. For the believer, humility also means to  live in complete dependence on the Lord and to realize whatever good we have is a gift that we ought to be grateful for rather that glorify ourselves in.

4. Gentleness – Here too gentleness is often misunderstood to describe a person who is always mild mannered and seldom animated. But here again the virtue described is one that moderates strength and anger but does not destroy them.

The Greek word is πραΰτητα (prauteta) and is relates to the term praótēs, meaning “meekness.” Aristotle defined meekness or gentleness (praotes) and the proper mean or middle between too much anger and not enough anger.There are times when some anger is appropriate and it would actually be wrong to show no anger.

Thus gentleness or meekness refers to one who has authority over their anger and is able to moderate its use. Some one has defined meekness as “gentle strength” since it  expresses power with reserve and gentleness.

So gentleness is a virtue that moderates our use of anger and channels it to good ends when we do have recourse to it. It is the perfect virtue for a parent who needs to discipline a child using some degree of anger to frame the seriousness of a matter but not so much anger as to be counter-productive. It is a virtue that helps steer a middle course regarding anger that avoids excess or defect.

5. Patience – Patience is the capacity or willingness to suffer on account of others, often over a long period of time.

The Greek word is μακροθυμίαν (makrothumian) – from makrós, meaning “long” and thymós, meaning “passion” .

Thus the virtue described here is “long-suffering”, the capacity of waiting sufficient time before expressing anger or other premature use of force.

Here is a virtue that embraces a steadfastness and staying-power. In our families, it is often necessary to stay in the conversation a long time before we see results. Parents need to see beyond the moment to the longer perspective. Spouses need to realize that change in the other spouse may take a long time, much prayer and on-going help. In a divorce, cut and run culture, here is a virtue that helps us stay and strive to work out our differences.

6. Bear with each other – Here is a realated virtue that helps us stay in the conversation even when progress is slow.

The Greek word is ἀνεχόμενοι (anechomenoi)  from aná, meaning “up or through (as in seeing something “through” or completing a process”) and echō, “to (still) have”) –

Thus the virtue of bearing with others describes “still putting up” even after going through a sequence or course of action that has yet to produce all the desired results. It is  to forbear;  to endure, to persist.

Here too we can see how crucial this virtue to endure even when change seems slow or unlikely.

7.  forgive one another, if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.- Here is another essential virtue, but one that causes a lot of fear and consternation in people. Many people think that to forgive is either to pretend something did not happen or say the there should be no consequences for wrong doing. Neither notions are necessarily contained in the concept.

The Greek word is  χαριζόμενοι  (charizomenoi) from cháris, meaning “grace, or favor” – and menoi – meaning to extend or grant. Thus the Greek word means to freely show favor, or extend mercy or kindness.

To forgive is to receive the grace from God to no longer be vengefully angry and seek retribution. It is the grace to let go of our anger and need to hurt or shun those who have harmed us. It does not mean that we can live in peace with everyone, especially when the one who has done the harm shows little capacity or willingness to change. Sometimes the best we can do is to extend the grace of indicating we are no longer filled with venom and a desire to seek vengeance over what happened.

Through forgiveness we let go of the need to change the past and surrender the illusion and vengeance will make everything alright. The degree to which we can resume a normal relationship with others will vary based on circumstances. But forgiveness helps us bury the hatchet wherein crime brings crime forever.

As we can see, according to the text, our capacity to forgive others is directly related to how deeply we grasp the enormous mercy that has been extended to us. Too many people today have little knowledge or appreciation of the incredible degree to which they have been forgiven. And thus they are little equipped to forgive others. Too many are “unbroken” in their spiritual walk and manifest more as pharisees than forgiven and grateful disciples.

8. Put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. – The concept of love (agape) “binding” and “perfecting” and “unifying” the other virtues speaks to the way love manifests a kind of maturity in the Christian life and crowns the other virtues. The journey to Love requires that the Lord remove a lot of sin and selfishness from us, which the other virtues assist with. Having done this he is able to give us the capacity to actually love other people with tender affection and loyalty. Believe it or not God can actually give us the power to love other people, even our enemy, and those who trouble us. This is not just a slogan, it is a virtue and a reality for those are purified by God’s grace and brought to the increasing perfection of greater maturity .

The phrase “bond of perfection” is instructive. The Greek text is  σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος (syndesmos tes teleiotetos) – sýndesmos is from sýn, meaning “close identity with” and déō, meaning “to bind” So, “bond” here means a close identity which produces close harmony between those joined. And thus we are taught that love has close identity with all the other virtues and in a sense cannot be separated from them. And the relation between love and other virtue is two-way, for love supports, perfects and infuses them, and they also help clear the way for love.

And, as for perfection, the Greek word teleiótēs refers to the perfection of  completion. It refers to something that has reached perfection in a  cumulative sense, something that has reached perfection by attaining to its telos or “proper end.”

9. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. The concept of peace ruling in our hearts is a fascinating one in the Greek text.

First of all the notion of “peace” is rather abstract and incomplete in English where it is more of an absence of conflict than a truly positive and rich reality.

But the Greek word for peace is  εἰρήνη (eirene) from eirō, meaning “to join, tie together into a whole” And thus “peace” is the experience of being made whole, as when all essential parts are joined together.  peace is God’s gift of wholeness, of being complete. It is to be integrated and is a far more beautiful gift than simply not being at war with others or arguing with people.

And the concept of peace ruling in our hearts is even more interesting in the Greek which literally speaks of peace being a βραβεύω brabeuó meaning  “to act as an umpire” And thus peace in this sense arbitrate, or makes the call” in a conflict between contending forces” whether with us or outside us.

And thus, when we are whole, complete and serene because what is essential is up and running, this wholeness and completeness “calls the shots” so that we do not overreact in error and become too vexed at what is often not real or accurate in our perception.

As members of the Body of Christ we are called to receive this gift of peace, this wholeness, this completeness. And when we receive it we become a real blessing to our family and others!

10. And be thankful – Gratitude is one of the most essential virtues to cultivate. It is a discipline of the mind and heart wherein we remember, we have present to our mind and heart what God has done for us so that we are moved, we are grateful, we are different. A grateful person is a joyful and serene person and it is pretty difficult for for a deeply grateful person to be grouchy, stingy, unkind or unmerciful. Gratitude is a wonderfully transformative grace and virtue!

The Greek word is εὐχάριστος (eucharistos) – from eú, meaning “well” and charízomai meaning to grant freely”.

In other words, by this grace and virtue we are well able to appreciate that all is gift, and that God has been so very good to us and has done so “freely” not because we earned or deserved it, but just because he is good, provident and loving.

11. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts –

The notion of allowing the word of Christ dwell in us also involves a “household” word in the Greek, which is  ἐνοικείτω (enoikeito) and once again we see the root word “oikos” which means “house” or “home” Thus the text directs us to make a home for the word of the Lord in our mind and heart. The word of the Lord cannot be a mere thing about which we are only vaguely aware. It is to dwell in us richly, abundently, and habitually. It is to have a home in us, an abiding presence.

And having cultivated this for ourselves we are able to teach others, especially the young. The Greek word here is  διδάσκοντες (didaskontes) which means teaching, or more literally “to cause to learn.” But the sort of teaching implied here in this word is discursive teaching which involves an on-going teaching, through the use of discussion or discourse. The Greek word here is also a participle and thereby includes the notion of an on-going action: “teaching one another.” One gets the image that the faithful are expected always to be discussing God’s word and always teaching and learning of it.

The text also speaks of admonishing. In English we hear the notion of “warning” in this word. But more literally, the Greek word νουθετοῦντες (nouthetountes) means to place the mind (from noús, “mind” and títhēmi, “to place”). The word contains the idea of  appealing  to the mind by supplying doctrinal and spiritual substance or content which exerts positive pressure on someone’s logic  or reasoning. Thus perhaps “urging” is another way to translate this word.

The Christian home must be a place where the faith is learned and taught! Parents absolutely must read Bible stories to their children. The faith must be learned, discussed and handed on. This task cannot simply relegate to Sunday School or the Sunday pulpit. Every parent and elder in the home should immerse themselves in God’s teaching so as to teach it, urge it and deeply root it in the heart and mind of other family members, especially Children.

Psalms hymns and inspired songs are often a way to put the word more deeply in our minds. Music can often reach the depths of the soul in ways that the spoken word alone cannot. I am deeply aware of this as a preacher who also has a great choir. It is often the choir which impactfully “brings the message home” on a given Sunday.

 12. do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus – The expression, “In the Name of Jesus” is more than a slogan or a way to end a prayer. To do something in the name of Jesus means that we are doing it in accord with his will. If I were to say to my congregation, “In the name of the Bishop, I hereby declare that Wednesday is not a holy day of obligation” I better have checked that out with the Bishop and make sure that it what he thinks and has decided.

Therefore this final admonition is a call for us to be deeply immersed in the actual will of Jesus through the study of his Word, his Church’s teaching and through prayer.

If every family member will do this, innumerable arguments and power struggles can be avoided since we are all on the same page, and of the same mind and heart.

OK, so this has been a workout! But there is here a rich tapestry of virtues to cultivate both for us as individuals and for our family life.

Well, I didn’t get the gift I wanted this Christmas  😉 Maybe the fact that it cost $20,000 had something to do with it  🙂 It is the Seven-Seater tricycle in the Hammacher and Schlemmer Catalog.  I suspect it is one of those corporate “team-building” items and thus a large corporation might be able to afford the hefty cost or even just rent it for corporate “retreats.”

At any rate I was intrigued when I saw it as something of an image of the Church. I know that I exaggerate when I “see” these things, but it is good to reminded of the Lord and His Church in many ways.

That it is a Tricycle reminds us surely of the Trinity, the foundation on which our faith rests and rolls.  Or perhaps the three wheels speak to the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus (from whose wounded side came forth his Bride, the Church, and whose resurrection means she is a bride, not a widow).  Or is it the three Sacraments of initiation (Baptism confirmation, Eucharist) that enable us to fully participate (or ride) in the Church. Or perhaps the three wheels are the three degrees of Holy Orders (Bishop, priest, deacon), on which the Church both rides and is steered.

The seven seats may speak to the seven sacraments, or the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, or the seven churches of Revelation. But we ought not forget that the number “7” is also a number specifying perfection and fullness. And thus the seven seats speak to the “full number of the elect” that is known only to God. And this is my preferred interpretation, that the seven riders represent the full Membership of the Church.

Each of the seats is adjustable. And this speaks to the different gifts that all bring and the Church’s capacity to use different gifts and adjust the to needs and gifts of others, while also insisting that one find a seat and act in a way that does not violate her main task as making the journey to heaven.

The seats are arranged in a circle. And this indicated the equal dignity of every baptized member. In the Church there are different roles and there is authority, but in terms of dignity before God, all are equal. The Pope has supreme authority in the Church but he is no more baptized than anyone else. In the Church authority is exercised among equals.

Note that all the riders hold on to a single, circular handle bar. And this speaks to the fact of One Lord, one Faith, One Baptism. Yes, we all hold to the one, true faith, and to a church that has among its four marks that she is “One.” Even the driver’s steering wheel is attached on and through the circular bar.

There is only one steering wheel. And this remind of the Pope in the universal Church and the Bishop in the local Church. Only one person can steer. Give everyone a steering wheel and there is chaos, power struggle and an accident waiting to happen. If no one is pope, everyone is pope and that is very, very bad. It will be noted that the driver is the only one to steer, but he is able to get feedback, advice and encouragement from the other riders. And thus his leadership is collaborative, but it is ultimately a single leadership. Every body, needs a head. A body with two heads is a freak, and a body with no head is dead. Every body, including the Church needs a head. Thus this image of the church has one steering wheel. And for those who say the head is a book not a pope, I say that books can’t see to steer; it takes a real person to see, to be inspired, and to steer.

Every seat, including the driver’s has pedals. And this means that everyone must do their part.  If one member suffers or lapses, all the members will suffer; if one member has an energy burst and can pedal gloriously, all the members are glorified. If one member is struggling, there are six others to compensate. But all must reasonably do their part, play their role, and contribute to the journey of the Church to glory. If too many are allowed to stray or pedal backwards, or drag their feet, then the forward progress gets difficult and other members suffer. Thus the Church must correct and insist that all do their part.

Every seat must be filled, or the work gets harder for those who remain and may eventually stop or go backwards if too many seats go empty. And thus evangelization is going to be key to keep the seats full and the work of the Lord’s Church moving forward. Further, if there are empty seats, it means some are being left behind, and this should be considered unacceptable for the Church that is make sure the full number of the elect find their way home. Every empty seat is a disgrace, a failure of mission, and makes the work even harder.

Well, more can be said. Feel free to add your own commentary on this seven-seater tricycle. Here’s a video that shows the trike in action. The video is funny to since it is kind of a spoof,  crafted on the TV ads of the 1950’s with silly elevator music and a lot of dumb waves and staged enthusiasm, like those old ads. Someday I would love the chance to ride one of these tricycles. You may note that some of the scenes in the video depart from proper eclessiology – find the errors in the video!

In the ancient Church, and until rather recently, we genuflected at the two references to the incarnation in the Mass: at the Creed and at the Last Gospel (John 1). Why did we do this? It was explained to me that the mystery was so deep that one could only fall in silent reverence.

There are many paradoxes and seeming impossibilities in the incarnation. As mysteries they cannot be fully solved, so they claim our reverence. We genuflected in the past, and we bow today at the mention of the incarnation in the creed for it is a deep mystery.

As we celebrate Christmas I would like to list some of the paradoxes of Christmas. I want to say as little of them as possible, just enough to make the paradox clear. This paucity of words, not common with me, is in reverence to the mystery and also to invite your own reflection.

1. The Infinite One becomes an infant.
2. An antiphon for the Christmas season says, How can we find words to praise your dignity O Virgin Mary, for he whom the very heavens cannot contain, you carried in your womb.
3. An old Latin Carol (in Dulci Jublio) says, Alpha et O, Matris in Gremio – (Alpha and Omega, sitting in mommy’s lap).
4. He who looks down on all creation looks up to see his mother. The most high looks up from a cradle. Of this moment even the pagans wrote with longing and tenderness: Incipe, parve puer, risu cognoscere matrem….ipsa tibi blandos fundent cunabula flores, occidet et serpens, et fallax herba veneni occidet (Begin, little boy to recognize the face of your mother with a smile….For you, your own cradle will bear delightful flowers; the serpent will die, and the plant that hides its venom) – Virgil 4th Eclogue.
5. He who indwells all creation is born in homelessness.
6. He to whom all things in heaven and on earth belong, is born in poverty and neediness.
7. He is the mighty Word through whom all things were made. He is the very utterance of God, the Voice which summons all creation into existence. Of this Word, this Utterance, this Voice, Scripture says, The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD, upon many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful, the voice of the LORD is full of majesty….The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness …The voice of the LORD makes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forests bare; and in his temple all cry, “Glory!” (Ps. 29). Yet, this voice is now heard as the cooing and crying of an infant.
8. His infant hand squeezes his mother’s finger, as infants do. From that same hand, the universe tumbled into existence. That same hand is steering the stars in their courses.
9. He who holds all creation together in himself (Col 1:17) is now held by his mother.
10. He who is the Bread of Life is born in Bethlehem (House of Bread) and lies in a feeding trough (manger).
11. He who is our sustainer and our food, is now hungry and fed by his mother.
12. Angels and Archangels may have gathered there, Cherubim and Seraphim thronged the air! But only his mother in her maiden bliss, could worship the beloved with a kiss. (Christina Rosetti “Ere the Bleak Mid Winter”).

Each of these is meant to be a meditation on the great mystery of the Incarnation. Please add to this list!

Remember the word paradox means something that defies intuition or the common way of thinking. It unsettles or startles us to make us think more deeply. It comes from the Greek: para- + dokein. Para usually meaning “beside, off to the side,” sometimes “above,” and dokein meaning “to think or seem.” Hence a paradox is something off to the side of the usual way of seeing things or thinking about them. If you are going to relate to God you’re going to deal with a lot of paradox, for God’s ways and thinking often defy and confound human ways and thinking. God is not irrational but He often acts in ways that do not conform with worldly expectations.

This Christmas consider these paradoxes and learn from them. Remember too, mysteries are to be lived more than solved. Reverence is more proper to mystery than excessive curiosity. Here, more is learned in silence than by many words.

O Holy night! Yes, a silent night! and, it came upon a midnight clear. Christmas, it would seem, is a festival of the mid night. Jesus is born when it is dark, dark midnight. We are sure of it. And why not?

Even though we are not told the exact hour of his birth we are sure it must have been night. Scripture does say that the Shepherds who heard the glad tidings were keeping watch over their flock “by night” (cf Luke 2:9). Further the Magi sought him by the light of a star, and stars are seen at night, deep midnight. None of this is evidence that Jesus was born at 11:59 PM, but it sets our clocks for night, deep midnight.

Add to this the fact that Christmas is celebrated at the Winter solstice, the very darkest time of the year in the northern hemisphere. More specifically Christmas breaks in on the very days that the light begins its subtle return. The darkest and shortest days of the year make their impression on December 21 and 22. But by December 23 and 24 we notice a definite, but subtle trend, the days are getting longer, the light is returning! Time to celebrate the return of the light, it is going to be alright!

How fitting now, to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the true Light of the World, in a deep and dark December. Jesus our light, kindles a light and a fire that never dies away. Indeed, in the dark hours of December, we have noticed a trend. The light is returning, the darkness is abating, the days are growing longer from here on out. It is subtle now! But it will grow. And with the return of light, we celebrate our True Light: Jesus.

But light is best appreciated in contrast. We think most, and appreciate most, the glory of light when the darkness assails. There’s just something about Christmas Eve. As the time approaches through December, and the darkness grows, we light lights. Yes, all through December as the darkness grows, we light Advent candles, more as it grows darkest! Even the secular among us string lights in dark December, in malls, on their houses, as if to say, the darkness cannot win, the light conquers!

And lights have their true glory in contrast the darkness. Who sees the stars in mid day? And who appreciates the beauty of light until they have experienced the darkness? Yes, Christmas is a feast of the light. We confront the darkness of December and declare to it: “Your deepest days are over, the light is returning.” And for us of faith, we say to a world in ever deeper darkness, “Your darkness cannot remain. It wil be overcome and replaced.” For though darkness has its season, it is always conquered by the light.

An atheist recently scoffed at me on the com box of this blog that our day is over, the world has rejected faith… Sorry dear Atheist friend, the light always wins. On December 22, the darkness recedes, the light returns and all darkness is scattered. It seems subtle at first, but the light always returns, the darkness cannot last.

Light has a way of simply replacing the darkness. In three months the equinox (equal night and day) occurs, and in six months the summer solstice (the longest day) comes. And the darkness will once again seek to conquer. BUT IT ALWAYS LOSES. The light will return. Jesus is always born at the hour of darkness’ greatest moment. Just when the darkness is celebrating most, it’s hour is over, the light dawns again.

Yes we celebrate after sundown on December 24, in accord with a tradition going back to Jewish times that our Feasts begin at sundown the night before.  Christmas morning is almost an afterthought. Most pastors know, the majority of their people have come the “night” before.  In a deep and dark December, a light comes forth, a star, shines in the heavens.

We gather, in and on a dark night. We smile. We are moved by the cry of a small infant, by whose voice the heavens were made. His little cry lights up the night. The darkness must go, the light has come, day is at hand.

Yes, we celebrate at night to bid farewell to the darkness. It cannot prevail. It is destined to be scattered by the Light far more powerful than it, a Light it must obey, a Light that overwhelms and replaces it. Farewell to darkness, the Light of the World has come.

Jesus the light of the world.

The video below is a celebration of light. As a Christmas gift to myself on December 22nd, the darkest day of the year, I took an afternoon off and went to photograph the triumph of light over darkness. I went to a Mausoleum, Yes, to a place where thousands are buried in the walls. But also in those walls are windows, glorious windows where light breaks through, and Christ shines forth. Some of the most beautiful stained glass in the city of Washington resides in that place of death and darkness. The light breaks through and it speaks of Christ.

This video is a testimony to just some of those windows (I am putting together another video of other windows to be shown later). In this place, a place of death, a light breaks through, the light of faith, the Light of Christ. The text of the music in this video is from Taize, and it says, Christe lux mundi, qui sequitur te, habebit lumen vitae, lumen vitae (Christ, Light of the World! Who follows you has the light of life, the light of life).

As you view this video of the Life of Christ, ponder that stained glass begins as opaque sand. But when subject to, and purified by the fire, it radiates the glory of light which can now shine through it. So it is for us. Born in darkness, but purified by Christ and the Fire of the Spirit, we begin to radiate his many splendored Light shining through us, to a dark world.

The Light wins, He always wins.

In this, the final full day of Advent, we read the closing words of the Old Testament, from the book of the prophet Malachi. These closing words, these final lines of the Old Testament, are nothing short of astonishing.

While they ring with a promise, they also warn of great peril to those who do not lay hold of the promise. The words come forth almost like iron pellets. And though there is the way through, but it is only by being refined as through fire and by becoming fire.

Consider the words:

Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty. Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction. (Mal 4:1-6)

Yes, and with these words the Old Testament ends, the curtain closes. Remarkably as the curtain reopens on the New Testament we see the Elijah figure, John the Baptist fulfilling exactly what is said here. More on that in a moment.

But here on the eve of the opening of the New Testament, with the conception, and now birth of Christ, it is worth looking at the final words of the Old Dispensation in order to understand why we need the New, why we need a savior who is Christ the Lord.

Lets look at this text in four stages:

I. Day of Destruction – Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty. Not a root or a branch will be left to them.

The concept of the Day of judgment as a day of fire and wrath must be carefully understood. It does not men that God is “mad” or angry in some human sense. God is not moody, he is not subject to having bad days. God is Love and he is unchanging.

The images of wrath and fire describe our human experience of God if we are not prepared to experience his full presence. God is a burning furnace of charity, He is the fire of love and holiness. Now some things, such as fine gold and silver are able to be purified by fire. But many other things cannot endure fire, such as wood, hay, straw and many other things. And thus God warns in this text that he is a Holy Fire and that we must be made ready to endure his glory. “Wrath” is the human experience of being unprepared to encounter the holy fire of God’ presence.

Consider that fire and water do not mix. One can hear the conflict between the two when water is spilled on a hot stove. Thus, sin and injustice cannot endure the holiness of God, and to the unrighteous God’s presence is experienced as wrath.

Consider too the image of light. In the evening hours we delight to have the bright lights of our room to see by. But when we switch off the lights for sleep, we grow accustomed to the darkness. And thus at six in the morning when the lights are switched back on we complain, and say the light is “harsh.” But the light has not changed, it has not gotten brighter than the night before, it is not “harsh.” Rather it is we who have changed, we who now prefer the dark.

And thus when we speak of the wrath of God, we ought to remember how we often call the morning light “harsh,” and we should realize that the “wrath” of God says more about us than about God. God has not changed, we have. He is the same God who walked with us in the Garden of Eden. But we, departing to our sins and preferring the darkness, now too easily experience him as angry, or harsh. He is not. The problem is in us.

And as for fire, there is no reason to fear the fire of God’s love, if that fire of love is already in us and at work in us bringing us up to the temperature of glory.

What this text then warns about is not so much God’s stance, but, rather, our stance: our preference for the darkness, and the coldness of our hearts which prefer selfishness and sin to love and holiness. When “the Day” comes, those who prefer darkness and cold experience the day as a destructive and burning fire, and the warmth of God’s love as “wrathful” and destructive fire.

Now when shall that “Day” come? For us it may may come in one of two ways: either Christ will come to us in glory to judge the living and dead, or we shall go to him. Either way, the “Day” will come. And for the wicked, as we see here, the Day will be one of wrath, of a burning oven-like heat.

Historically the “Day” referred to in this text is the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. Now, one may wonder, since Jesus has come,  where is the oven that burns up the wicked? Clearly that aspect of this prophecy has been delayed to our judgment day.

But make no mistake, Jesus has already called the question. Either we will believe in him and be saved, or refuse belief and and be lost, and be subject to the wrath that is to come (cf  Mk 16:16; John 8:24; 1 Thess 1:10).

Jesus says, I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled! (Lk 12:49). So there is a fire that is coming on this world and all who dwell on it. God will judge the world by fire (cf 2 Peter 3:7). It is a fire that we must be prepared for or we will experience its wrath.

II. Distinction that Delivers – But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act, says the Lord Almighty.

But note that for those who have been rendered ready, and have, by God’s grace come to love the light and heat of God’s love, the “Day” will not seem to be a blazing oven at all! Rather it will a beautiful sunlit day wherein the fire of God’s love is like rays of sunshine that bring healing and warmth.

This is what God wants to accomplish for us, that we be ready to come into his presence. He will not change, and cannot change. Thus he must change us into his glory. He must set us on fire. No surprise therefore that the Pentecost event featured tongues of fire that came to rest on the faithful. It set them on fire and began a process to bring them up to the temperature of glory!

Thus, again, note that the problem is not in God, it is in us. So also the solution is in us, being changed into glory. And God will do this for his faithful and for those who fear his name. That is, for those who hold him in awe and respect that he is God, ever to be adored and obeyed.

Paradoxically the way to avoid the fire of wrath is accept the need in our life for a purifying fire. To avoid getting burned in the fire of wrath, we must pass through a fire that purifies, rather than burns. Scripture says,

1. But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will …purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, (Mal 3:2-3). And again,
2. Our work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames. (1 Cor 3:13-15)

And thus prior to meeting God we must all be purified as by fire so as to be able to endure the pure fire of God’s love.

To avoid the fire of wrath, let the Lord set you on fire and purify you by fire!

III. Directives to avoid Doom – Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.

At the end of the day, our love for God and our faith in him must be manifest in an obedience to his law. Now the law of God is not some arbitrary set of rules. It is an expression of the Love and will of God to save us. God instructs us for our salvation.

If you give me directions on how to get to your home, you are not just setting up arbitrary rules for me. You are giving me sound information for my good and for the ultimate “salvation” of finding my way to your home. It is even more so with God who can neither be deceived nor deceive. If we will follow him and the path he sets out, then by this grace we will be saved from the coming wrath, and from eternal loss. Follow the directions to avoiding getting burned, and trust that his grace will equip, empower and enable you to do so and thus find the way home to the Kingdom.

IV. Deliverer from total Destruction – See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.

And thus we come to the closing verses of the Old Testament. Having warned us of a coming fiery judgment, the Lord also promises us help. For it is not his will that any of us should be lost. And though sadly knowing of our collective stubbornness, and that many will sadly prefer the darkness to light, he nevertheless promises the help of his grace, and the presence of Elijah.

And who is this Elijah? Does the Lord mean that Elijah will return from heaven in the fiery chariot? Probably not, but rather, that the office of Elijah will revive and be continued.

Historically, Jesus identifies John the Baptist as the Elijah figure who was prophesied here:

To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished. In the same way the Son of Man is going to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that Jesus was talking to them about John the Baptist. (Matt 17:11-13)

And thus, the Old Testament ended with the promise of Elijah’s return. And as the curtains close on the Old and reopen again in the New Testament we are brought almost immediately to the Jordan River, where John the Baptist is preparing the people, “Elijah” has returned. And thanks be to God, since many of Jesus’ earliest disciples, and many of his apostles had first been disciples of John the Baptist. John did his work well!

But to some degree, the office of Elijah, must continue on. In a certain sense, the Church is Elijah and is John the Baptist. So are particular members of the Church such as our pastors, our parents, religious, catechists and teachers. All of them point to Christ, and it help lead us to Christ saying, “There he is! Follow him!”

There is also in this last line of the Old Testament a poignant and beautiful description of the work of Elijah, that he would “turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and children to their fathers.” For indeed, to be reconciled to one another is a beautiful and an essential way to be prepared one day to meet God.

Scripture asks, How we can say we love God whom we don’t see,  when we do not love our neighbor whom we do see (cf 1 Jn 4:20)? Jesus, in the great judgment scene of Matthew 25 also links our love for the needy and the poor to our love for him (Matt 25:31ff).

It is so easy for us to turn holiness and love into an abstraction. And yet, at the end of the day, a huge part of holiness is simply to be reconciled to one another and to have a vigorous love for one another rooted in the truth of the Gospel. An essential way to get ready for the day of fiery judgement is to be reconciled to God and one another.

Yes, it is fitting, that on the last full day of Advent we read the final lines of the Old Testament. And as the curtains of the old dispensation slide to a close, a promise of grace and mercy are extended. Messiah will come. But before the day of fiery judgment he will extend grace and mercy through Elijah.

Tomorrow evening we will see the Christ child lying in a manger.  God makes himself small for us; he comes to us meek and lowly, also extending his grace and mercy. One day he will come in fiery judgment on this world, but until that time,  grace and mercy.

Tomorrow evening, the cry of an infant will sound, saying “Come unto me. Accept me now before it is time to finally close the curtains on this, the final age.”

Before He comes again in glory to judge living in the dead, he comes to us once again humility, meekness and lowliness. He calls to you now this, Christmas feast, in the tender voice of an infant. Yes, he is calling.