A Cosmic Christ "The Word" made Flesh

Everyone has a favorite color? What is yours and why? What is your favorite Word the word you love to hear?  How powerful do think words are?   Can you imagine a world without words? 

Jan 12, 2020     Psalm 148   John 1: 1-18  

Jesus referred to John as the blessed one, and he was the only disciple who was there at his crucifixion with mother Mary.  John’s Gospel offers us a cosmic Christmas perspective to consider.  His Gospel doesn’t start with Jesus’ physical birth, he is suggesting that Jesus was somehow there at very beginning of creations itself, referring to Jesus as “The Word”.  Let us listen again to:  John 1: 1 In the beginning the Word already existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God.   Let us keep in mind that this statement, is according to John’s understanding.  I must also say here that, most popular versions of the bible, Good News, NIV, American Standard, King James and others say “and the Word was God.”  But there are a few versions with the perspective that say: “and the word was the same as God”.  I would like to suggest that either way, the Old Testament and the New Testament merge as John makes the claim that the Word and God are one with the other?  Verse 2:   ² From the very beginning the Word was with God. ³ Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him.⁴ The Word was the source of life and this life brought light to people. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has never put it out.

John mystic perspective on creations forces us to take a closer look at the Hebrew Scriptures starting at Genesis 1.  These writings make up three quarters of what we now call the protestant Holy Bible.  I say protestant here because our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters study an extended version of the Old Testament that includes the books of Tobit, Judith, Ester, The Wisdom of Solomon and the book of Si-rach.  These extra books are called the Apocrypha.  The rest of the Holy Bible is made up of the Christian scriptures or New Testament and begins with the 4 Gospel accounts.   Matthew, is the first Gospel but does not start with the virgin birth story either but begins with a  list of Jesus’ ancestors to prove Jesus is of the house of David as the Hebrew scriptures had prophesized.   If you look closely at verse 26^th of Genesis 1 you will note that the author, Moses, makes reference that God is not alone in the beginning.  Let us hear the verse that actually states that: Genesis 1:26  ²⁶ Then God said, “Let US make man in OUR image, and in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Jesus, in John’s perspective is not confined to the New Testament.  Johns Jesus becomes cosmic, who was there as the Word in the very beginning.  I would like to suggest to you that it makes no difference which name you use to describe the entity that was there with God in the beginning.  John uses a metaphor “The Word” but in the New testament, Paul offers us “The Christ” a cosmic Christ whom is believed to be God incarnate, “The Word made flesh”.  But it is Moses himself who tells us that an entity was with God, and that entity was one with God and was there from the very beginning. 

Let us move ahead 4.5 billion or so years to the time when the Word, finds itself embodied in human flesh.   Isaiah 9:6   A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,” “Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,” “Prince of Peace.”  Our Scriptures now tell us that God would choose the human physical form to be the embodiment of the Word.  Did you know that “The Word” comes to us in three forms.  The written word, the spoken word and the unspoken word which is actually the word in action.   But how does all of this relate to our lives today?  Folks, we need to read and study the written word for ourselves.  Do not take my or someone else’s perspective as Gospel.  The written word will teach you how to pray, informs you of who’s you are, where you came from and gives you many illustrations of the struggles we face in our world today.  The stories and narratives were not meant to be taken literally as truths or historical facts.   They are gems that hold within themselves nuggets of Spiritual truth.  And as we go on mining expeditions within the scriptures, they give us wisdom, blessings, and correction for right living.  Without “The Word” nothing in our existence becomes tangible, debatable or understandable.   Thoughts and emotions often make no sense to ourselves or others until they are expressed in one of the three “Word” forms.  The written word allows us to study it, reflect or meditate on it, to absorb it, to take it in and then to interpret it, which helps you develop your own perspective on faith and the world around you.  The caution is here again, do not develop your faith from someone else’s perspective.  The spoken word, combined with emotion has the power to heal or even resurrect a dead life, but it can also be used to manipulate or destroy a life.  The spoken word can be gentle and southing or harsh and disturbing.  The spoken word has the power to be more negative or positive then just the written word because of the emotion you attach to it.  But the greatest power of the word lay not in what has been written or spoken but in the unspoken word, “The Word in action.   What is the slogan on our Church Sign?  We need to make those written words visible, so the community can believe us. 

This was Jesus’ greatest and most powerful use of the word and the reason that we must look to him as “The Word” made flesh.  In fact it was because of what he did, not what he said that brings people to believe, that He is one with God.  You see John’s perspective offers us a Jesus who is both human and divine.   For the Christian, Jesus was and will always be both now and forever more the Lord or both the living and the dead.  Romans 14: 9.    May I suggest that for the New Year, you begin to read and study with others the written word, sharing your prespective neighbor, friend and family?  Then do as Jesus has so powerfully taught us, put yours words into action.   May the Lord Bless and keep you now and forevermore.  Amen        

"An Aha Moment"

Epiphany is explained as an“Aha!” moment of clarity of getting it.  Can anyone here today recall an Aha! Moment in your life? 

When used as biblical expression, Epiphany is the moment when you are suddenly struck with a life-changing realization which will clarify or change the traditional story for you. A biblical Epiphany often begins with revelation or personal experience from God or Jesus and this Aha Moment deepens your relationship with them. You begin to think outside the “BOX”. 

Jan 5, 2020 Readings:  Psalm 72, Ephesians 3: 1-12, Matt 2: 1-12 

For those denominations who follow the Liturgical Christian Year Epiphany Sunday always falls on January 6^th.  But because the 6^th is not always a Sunday, we in the church today, celebrate Epiphany on the first Sunday in January.  The visitors from the East, were not converted Christian, they were not Roman or Jewish Spiritual Leaders.  They were just seekers we are told, looking to find the fulfillment of an ancient prophesy found in some of the Old Hebrew writings.  They represent a fragment of ourselves, seekers of “the word” made flesh, looking for the truth about God in a world that seems Godless at times.  This story is recorded in only one of the Gospels, the Gospel of Matthew.   Let us also take note here, that there is no mention of the number of seekers that came to the house in Bethlehem on that day.  Theological Scholars have established that the Magi were folk who studied the stars and the ancient prophetic writings of the Hebrew. There is no mention of three persons presenting themselves as kings, but there is mention of three “gifts” and to them, they had a spiritual meaning:   Gold as a symbol of kingship with the world, frankincense symbolizing the divine, and the embalming oil Myrrh was a symbol of death.  We must also take note here the verse that notes their arrival and I quote:  ¹¹ On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Unfortunately for many Christian followers the timing of this particular event and the stranger’s arrival in Bethlehem has been distorted.  Here we need to move to verses 16 of the chapter to find out the proper timing.  ¹⁶ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.   This scripture confirms for us that Jesus would have been at least 2 years old when the Magi paid him their visit.  This is why you should not see them in the manger scene during the 4 Sundays of Advent or on Christmas Eve because they were not there yet. 

I’m going to ask you for a moment to begin to think outside the traditional Christmas Box.  What if I told you that someone replaced the word Mary’s Christmas with Merry Christmas?  Now there is no specific evidence to prove this but I would like us to begin to think outside the tradition box for a moment, by thinking of the period from Jesus birth up to what we call Epiphany as Mary’s Christmas.  For you see that’s what it really was.  It was Christmas for Mary.   Only Joseph, and few shepherds shared in those first moments of Mary’s gift.  It wasn’t about gift giving, that tradition began 2 years later when strangers brought gifts to the young boy.  Mary’s Christmas was only about receiving a gift, and Mary’s gift was not just for her and Joseph, it was to be a gift for the entire world.  Unfortunately for many it is no longer about Mary’s Christmas it has turned in OUR Christmas and that’s OK too because I not here to destroy our Christmas and our celebrations. My job is to offer an Epiphany of truth, about the real Christmas for you to consider.  Our modern day Christmas begins long before Dec 25^th is even on the horizon.  Mary’s Christmas got somehow shoved into the background of our now happy holidays and Christmas celebrations,  

For Mary’s Christmas there would be no gifts to unwrap there was only one gift, and it was to be received, not given.   That is the true meaning of Mary’s Christmas you see.  The Question we are left to ponder is have you receive her gift yet.  Has the season and it revelations stirred within you, a thrust to know more, to deepen your relationship with Jesus?   It would be almost 2 years before any gifts would be presented to the boy Jesus and the gifts would not come from Jesus’ family nor his race, another revelation to consider.  No they came via strangers from the Mesopotamian region. The Magi were actually Iranian priest from an obscure religion consider a cult by the Jews because they looked for answers in the stars and some old prophesies of the Hebrew Scriptures.   They were thought to have merely stumbled onto the prophesy involving Jesus star.  Here is another Epiphany if you will, “there is no coincidences’ with God at the helm?”   In fact it will be because of your seeking that you too will find Christ and accept Mary’s Christmas gift for yourself.    It happens no other way folks.   “Seek and Ye Shall Find”    My brother, the Lord has spoken      My sister, the Lord has spoken   My brother, the Lord has spoken,    And the love comes a-trickling' down.   As we come to the table this day let us remember just what Mary’s Christmas means for us.