“Behold, I make all things new.” (Revelation 21:5)
We worship a God who is not only a Savior but also a Creator, a God who not only preserves but also one who transforms and renews. To worship this God is to embrace change as well as continuity. Perhaps no other span of the church year demonstrates this more clearly than the six weeks between the start of Advent and the Feast of Epiphany.
The season’s Bible passages reveal not only how Jesus’ birth fulfilled longstanding prophecy, but also how it marked a profound shift in God’s relationship with humanity. Most startling to pious worshippers of Jesus’ day was the idea that God would choose to become one of us – a human being. As the author of Hebrews says, “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son … (who is) … the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being…” (1:1-3). And, once the Son of God got here, he soon broke with popular expectation. Christ came not to be served but to serve, not to reward the righteous, but rather to redeem the unrighteous.
Yet with the benefit of hindsight, 1st Century Christians soon perceived continuity between Jesus’ example and preaching and God’s action in the past. A good portion of the New Testament consists of authors trying to convey to their readers how Jesus’ ministry fulfilled prophecy and divine law. Matthew quotes Jesus as saying “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” When Jesus names the greatest commandments as love of God and love of neighbor, he is quoting Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 and Leviticus 19:18. Though he didn’t fit popular conceptions of what the Messiah would be, Christ stands firmly within a Jewish tradition which insisted that true worship of God must be expressed in righteous action toward others.
As we enter a new church year, a new calendar year, and contemplate worship in a renewed sanctuary, it is good to remind ourselves of these things. If our relationship with God is secure, we can move confidently through change trusting that God and the essentials of our faith remain constant.
- Where two or more gather in Jesus’ name,
- Where there is unconditional love,
- Where persons carry each other’s’ sorrows and celebrate each other’s joys, there God is.
Merry Christmas and Wishes for a Blessed and Healthy New Year.
Please plan to be present for the Sanctuary rededication service on Sunday, January 20, 2019, when we will have ONE WORSHIP SERVICE ONLY at 10:30 am followed by our church council meeting.