I came across a quote by Joan Chittister a few days ago that I really like and want to share with you: “To understand Christmas is to come face-to-face with the incarnation. The very notion that God imbued creation with divinity makes everything we see sacred, every step we take a pilgrimage to the divine.” I find these words to be quite profound and helpful.
Chittister’s first sentence conveys a truth most Christians readily accept. John 1:14 says “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” The word “incarnation” means “in flesh” and points to the miracle of Christmas—that the Almighty God, the Maker of heaven and earth, at one point in history took on human form (flesh) in Jesus and actually dwelt among us. It is this event we celebrate every December 25. And well we should!
It is the second sentence in Chittister’s quote that conveys a truth that many believers may not be so aware of and this is that by joining us here on earth God made “everything we see sacred.” We now abide on holy ground. The Bible makes clear from the very beginning that God created the world and declares its goodness. The Bible also tells us that “the earth is the Lord’s” (Psalm 24:1); it belongs to God. I suppose there is a sense in which these two truths also point to the earth’s sacredness but this is made most clear in the incarnation, the birth of Christ. At Bethlehem “God imbued creation with divinity.” I’m not sure many, if any, of us can fully comprehended the meaning of this but it should be enough for us to realize that the world we live in is holy and that all we see in God’s creation is sacred. God’s holiness is literally all around us. This should lead us to worship God every day and cause us to live in a perpetual state of wonder and awe. I would also like to think that realizing the earth is sacred would cause us to do a better job of protecting and preserving it.
I like Chittister’s suggestion that every step we take here on earth is “a pilgrimage to the divine.” This probably shouldn’t be taken literally but there is a sense in which what Chittister says is true. We are not only created by God, we are made for God. It is God’s intention that we draw nearer and nearer to Him. God longs to envelope us in His love and to enjoy fellowship with us. Hopefully every step we take will, in fact, draw us closer to the fullness of God’s love and His divine presence. That is my goal for the days to come and throughout the New Year. I hope it will be your goal too.
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2
The season of Advent began yesterday. Over the next few weeks Christians will be preparing for the celebration of Christmas. Advent is a time of waiting and eager anticipation. It seems to me that the natural year offers us a helping hand for Advent. This is the time of year when the nights are long. Many people find the long nights disconcerting. It doesn’t seem right for it to be getting dark when it’s barely 4:00 p.m. Some folks even experience depression as a result of the longer nights. That’s understandable. As a general rule, we long for light.
Right now a lot of us are longing for longer days. Those days of extended light will soon be here. After December 21 the time of daylight will begin to lengthen. At the winter solstice we celebrate that the darkness does not prevail. That is a theme of Advent as well. The darkness that prevails in the world right now will not last forever. A better day is coming, a day characterized by light.
The prophet Isaiah lived in a time of spiritual darkness and prophesied that “a great light” would dawn upon the people. Christians believe that he spoke of the coming Messiah and that his words were fulfilled with the birth of Jesus. It was a bright light in the sky that led the Wise Men or Magi to the Christ child. Later Jesus would identify himself as the “light of the world.” The author of the Fourth Gospel declared “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:4-5)
I am thankful that God’s Light was revealed to us in such a marvelous way that first Christmas. Over the years that Light has brought me much comfort and joy. It has also brought me a great deal of hope. I look forward to the day when that Light will be made manifest in all his glory. In the meantime we will have to endure periods of darkness and do all we can to share the light of Christ with others. How encouraging it is to know that sooner or later brighter days will come. The Light will, in fact, prevail over the darkness. Our Advent hope will be fulfilled.
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” John 1:14
Today is the twelfth and final day of the Christmas season. When you add the four weeks of Advent to the twelve days of Christmas, and then tack on all the pre-Advent weeks of Christmas decorations, music and commercials, Christmas seems to last forever these days. I hope it has been a joyful and blessed season for you and before we officially leave it I’d like to pause one more time to consider the significance of the Incarnation.
In today’s “Daily Meditation” by Richard Rohr he makes the claim that Christmas for many is an even bigger celebration than Easter. It would be hard to deny that claim. In fact, I’ve often wondered why we go all out in our celebration of Christmas but seem rather subdued when it comes to Easter. Rohr offers one reason. He says “because for God to be born as one of us in this world among the animals and in a poor family shows that humanity is good, flesh is good, and this world is good!” I’m not sure Rohr’s reason fully justifies the disproportionate celebration Christmas receives over Easter but he does point to an often forgotten truth that was made manifest when God took on human flesh that first Christmas. By entering this world and actually becoming a part of this world God revealed the goodness of Creation and humanity itself. This goodness was already affirmed in the Genesis 1 account of Creation but by taking on human flesh and living in the midst of this Creation God affirmed their goodness on a whole new level.
Contrary to various philosophies that have dominated human thinking at times, this world is good and life in this world is as well. The birth of Jesus Christ offers proof of this. If the world and life were not sacred prior to Jesus’ birth—and I believe that they were—they certainly were afterwards. In a definitive way God added God’s stamp of approval on both when Jesus was born.
At the end of today’s “daily meditation” Rohr says “Christ is both the Alpha and the Omega of history (Revelation 1:8), naming it correctly at the very start and forever alluring it forward. Love is both the cause and the goal of all creation. This is a meaningful universe, and meaning is what the soul needs to thrive.” God’s love revealed at Christmas, and certainly Easter too, does in fact give meaning to the universe and life itself. It also serves as a useful reminder that God is as much a part of this earth and this life as God is of heaven and the life to come. I’m afraid far too many of us fail to recognize this. If we fully understood this truth we’d be singing “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” not just at Christmas but year round.
–Chuck
(I took the first and third image in Henderson County, KY., and the middle image at Yellowstone National Park.)
With the cold weather that has come our way the birds are flocking to my feeder. For that reason I’m checking the feeder regularly so that I can keep it filled with sunflower seeds for them. Yesterday I pulled out a heated bird bath I purchased last year since the water was freezing in the one I had set out. I know it’s important that birds have a good source of water this time of year. I’ve seen a variety of woodpeckers around the feeder which has served as a reminder it’s time to put some suet out for them. I really do try to take care of the birds that visit my yard.
As I watched my birds feed and drink earlier today I found some satisfaction in knowing that I am able to provide for them. This led my thoughts to reflect on how I, too, have someone who takes care of and provides for me. This particular time of the year we cannot help but remember that in Christ God has graciously provided for our many needs. Although Genesis 1:1 teaches us that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” the New Testament attributes the work of Creation to Christ or “the Word.” John 1:1-3 tells us that Christ has always existed with God as the Word and that “through him all things were made that has been made.” In Colossians 1 Paul echoes this thought and says concerning Christ, “for by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible…” (v. 16) Yes, the one whose birth we celebrate each Christmas is the one who created the world and in so doing provided for our many physical needs.
At Christmas, however, we tend to remember that Jesus came to provide for still other needs. The angels who spoke to the shepherds outside Bethlehem that first Christmas brought “good news of great joy that will be for all the people” and that good news was that “a Savior has been born to you.” (Luke 2:10-11) Having already provided for our physical needs through Creation Christ came to earth to meet our spiritual needs, especially our need for salvation.
Yesterday I read an article on Facebook that a friend had shared which stated that Jesus is not “the reason for the season.” The writer explained that Christ had always existed with God so we cannot look at his earthly birth as his beginning. He went on to say that the real reason for the season was you and me. It was our need for salvation and eternal life that caused God in His infinite love to send Jesus into the world. God saw our need and responded. That’s why there is a Christmas to celebrate.
As I watched my birds earlier today and thought about all I was doing for them I wondered if they were aware that someone was taking care of them. I also wondered if they appreciated my efforts. The same questions can be asked on a different level. Do most people realize that there is a God who is taking care of them? Do they appreciate what God is doing for them? Hopefully during this busy and exciting season each of us will pause long enough to remember Someone is, in fact, providing for our needs. Hopefully we will also pause and offer thanks for the way those needs have been met. That would certainly be the appropriate thing to do. Wouldn’t you agree?
–Chuck
(I’ve included some pictures I’ve taken of the birds that come to my feeder.)
“Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” These words are found at the beginning of one of the most beloved Advent/Christmas hymns. They are soon followed by a refrain that includes the phrase “let heaven and nature sing.” It would seem that the writer of this hymn, Isaac Watts, believed that Christ’s coming was meant to bring joy to all of Creation. This is further indicated in the second verse where he talks about “fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy.” There’s no way I could ever prove it but I do believe that all of nature joins together in offering praise to the Creator. I also believe that the same Jesus who came to bring joy to people like you and me likewise longs for there to be joy in all aspects of his Creation. The God who created the world is a God of great joy and this same God longs for joy to be found throughout Creation.
Joy has been the theme of the Advent season this past week. I’ve paused a couple of times these past few days to wonder just how much joy the rest of Creation experiences these days. When we stop and consider the impact humans have had on the earth it does, in fact, make you wonder. Does air and water pollution hinder Creation’s joy? Does ever increasing species decimation and destruction of the rain forests cause Creation to experience less joy? Are the effects of climate change at this very moment diminishing the joy that Christ intended for his Creation? Can we even still sing “joy to the world (Creation), the Lord is come” or expect heaven and nature to sing?
Despite what we humans have done to harm the earth and rob it of its intended joy, I still believe that when we stop and consider the coming of Christ long ago there remains cause for “the world” to rejoice and sing. The hope, peace and joy of the world remain tied to the first advent of Jesus. More specifically, they remain tied to the love he both taught and made manifest throughout his life on earth. John 3:16 reminds us that “God so loved the world He gave His only Son.” Here is a needed reminder that God’s love for the world (and those who inhabit it) was the primary reason Jesus was born the first Christmas. If we and the rest of Creation can remember this and reflect on the incomprehensible love that brought Christ into the world there will always be joy.
But as we consider love, the theme for the fourth week of Advent, this coming week, I would suggest that there is to be found in Christ’s teachings a word that has the potential to bring further joy to the rest of Creation. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he responded with a twofold answer. He said, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your mind and with all of your strength.” Then he added, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:30-31) Jesus made sure we understood that what is most important of all is loving God and loving others. If we will take seriously his words it would make an incredible difference in how we relate to the rest of Creation. Think about it…
If we truly love God we are not going to abuse that which God has made. Recognizing that the earth is, in fact, the work of God’s hands and belongs first and foremost to God, we will realize its sacredness and also the need to be diligent stewards of it. If we sincerely love God how could we ever trash the work of God’s hands? How could we take that which belongs to God and treat it as though it was ours to do with as we please? Furthermore, if we honor Jesus’ words to love our neighbor as we love ourselves will that not also affect how we view and use the world’s resources? Our stewardship of the earth starts to look different when we begin to see it as a means of loving others. The bottom line is no longer what I want or what I can get or how much money I can make off of the earth’s resources.
I realize it may sound too simplistic but I would argue that if we took Jesus’ words seriously it would result in a much healthier planet. And perhaps, if we did a really good job of it, we might actually get to hear “heaven and nature sing.”
–Chuck
(I took the pictures shown above near my home in Henderson, Kentucky.)
“I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11
For the most part nature is rather predictable. It has its rhythms and patterns and they remain more or less consistent. The tides ebb and flow, the moon goes through its cycle of phases, the sun rises and sets at its appointed times, and the seasons change pretty much on schedule. There are of course some exceptions along the way. This time last year we had our biggest snow since I moved to Henderson and winter was still over a month away. All in all, however, nature follows its steady course year after year. Uninterrupted, nature has its own pace and doesn’t tend to rush things.
I believe we would be wise to note this attribute in nature and learn as human beings to not always be in such a hurry. Nature generally takes things slowly while we seem to want to rush everything. Years ago the country band Alabama had a song with the refrain “I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.” That could be the theme song for a lot of us. Whereas nature takes its time, we want to beat time. The tendency to rush through life keeps us from living in the moment and from experiencing what God has in mind for us here and now.
Right now a lot of people are in a rush to get to Christmas. As early as Halloween I was seeing Christmas decorations around town. What’s the hurry? Especially considering that Thanksgiving is still a week away. Might we not want to slow down in the coming days to do what the old hymn says and count our blessings? According to the liturgical calendar Advent does not even begin this year until November 29. Why the rush to Christmas? It seems like in so many areas of life it is when we get ahead of ourselves that we get in trouble. There may well be blessings we will miss if we start focusing on Christmas too soon.
By paying more attention to nature we may hear God telling us to slow down and take it easy. We might also find the Creator urging us to develop a more “natural” rhythm for our lives, one where we are content to be fully present where we are and not be always rushing to get ahead to somewhere we would rather be. When I listen to the waves on a beach, look above at the stars in the sky at night, or simply walk through a forest I get the sense that God is calling us to find our place in this world just like the waves, stars, and trees. I truly believe our peace is in our place and that we will never fully experience the peace God intends for us if we mindlessly rush through life and are always getting ahead of ourselves. Perhaps I’m wrong about this but I don’t think so.
–Chuck
(I took the pictures shown above at John James Audubon State Park here in Henderson, KY.)
