The Ramifications of Christmas

Stoning of St. Stephen, by Rembrandt

Even though his feast day is not technically connected with Christmas, it's interesting to me that the first day after it is the day Jesus' followers commemorate the execution of Stephen, the Christian Movement's first martyr. Today is the 'Feast of Stephen,' which usually only surfaces in our minds when we sing Good King Wenceslas.

Perhaps it's just a coincidence that Stephen is celebrated here, but it serves as a none-too-subtle reminder that the Messiah wasn't born yesterday to bring us bright baubles and candy canes; this is serious business.

Serious Business

Let's rehearse what happened here. The power-brokers back then were not terribly happy with Jesus' early followers. Stephen was one of the major exponents of what we stood for and, as the story goes, when his opponents couldn't out-debate him they simply accused him of "speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God." In short order Stephen was " seized... and brought... before the council," (Acts of the Apostles, chapter 6 verses 11 - 12, ).

In his defense Stephen delivered a long and rather blunt speech showing point by point that his people had an abysmal record of obeying God and now had capped it off by crucifying their own Messiah. His listeners did not take it well:

Upon hearing this, his audience could contain themselves no longer. They boiled in fury at Stephen; they clenched their jaws and ground their teeth. But Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit. Gazing upward into heaven, he saw something they couldn’t see: the glory of God, and Jesus standing at His right hand.

Stephen: Look, I see the heavens opening! I see the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God! 

At this, they covered their ears and started shouting. The whole crowd rushed at Stephen, converged on him, dragged him out of the city, and stoned him. They laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul, while they were pelting Stephen with rocks. 

Stephen (as rocks fell upon him): Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he knelt in prayer, shouting at the top of his lungs, 

Stephen: Lord, do not hold this evil against them! 

Those were his final words; then he fell asleep in death.

(Acts of the Apostles, chapter 7 verses 54 - 60, Voice )

One may fault Stephen for tactlessness but not for lack of courage. Jesus offered his people a revolutionary way to be rescued from Rome, rescued from sin, rescued from failing repeatedly to fulfill the mission God had created them for. Even at this late date, when they had utterly failed to recognize their Messiah and turned him over to the Romans for a hideous execution, Jesus' offer still stood. Israel could still fall in behind their King. Stephen saw his duty clear and decided his best shot at shaking up the august leaders of his people was to rub their noses in the truth of what they'd done.

It got him killed, with many more to come.

First of Many

The line of martyrs with Stephen at its head has by no means come to an end. On this Feast of Stephen googling "latest attacks on christians" immediately brings up a story in USA Today reporting that, "Christmas attacks by Muslim rebels in Christian villages in the southern Philippines left at least 14 people dead." The numbers of Christians in the middle east are rapidly decreasing as they do their best to escape barbaric treatment. But don't think (as so many tend to) that it's purely a problem with radical muslim extremists. Open Doors, a group that monitors Christian persecution, reports that the country most hostile to Jesus of Nazareth's followers is North Korea.

In the comfortable, hermetically sealed western world we inhabit it's easy to assume the days of Christians being martyred for their faith is long past, that it may have happened back in "barbaric" Roman times, but not today. It's particularly easy when we are warm and full from the traditional holiday buying binge.

The Feast of Stephen helps us remember right after Christmas that that's not quite the case.

"...A place in Your Paradise..."

Meditation for a Sunday Morning



(Here are two more of the early (AD 100 - 150) Christian hymns known as the Odes of Solomon that I posted for you last Sunday. Incidentally, they probably weren't credited to Solomon when they were written. Instead, they were usually bound together with a Jewish book called Psalms of Solomon and picked up the name by association.

In the first hymn the singer spreads their arms in worship to honor Christ's cross. In the catacombs Christians are frequently shown doing precisely this. The second ode celebrates a member of the Christian Movement entering Paradise after living a holy life. I like this one especially because it gives a window into how Jesus' early followers pictured the Paradise he had promised, [Gospel of Luke 23.43 & Book of Revelation 2.7])

Ode 27 

I extended my hands and hallowed my Lord, 

For the expansion of my hands is His sign. 

And my extension is the upright cross. 

 Hallelujah.

Ode 11 

My heart was pruned and its flower appeared, then grace sprang up in it, 

And my heart produced fruits for the Lord. 

For the Most High circumcised me by His Holy Spirit, then He uncovered my inward being towards Him, And filled me with His love. 

And His circumcising became my salvation, and I ran in the Way, in His peace, in the way of truth. 

From the beginning until the end I received His knowledge. 

And I was established upon the rock of truth, where He had set me. 

And speaking waters touched my lips from the fountain of the Lord generously. 

And so I drank and became intoxicated, from the living water that does not die. 

And my intoxication did not cause ignorance, but I abandoned vanity, 

And turned toward the Most High, my God, and was enriched by His favors. 

And I rejected the folly cast upon the earth, and stripped it off and cast it from me. 

And the Lord renewed me with His garment, and possessed me by His light. 

And from above He gave me immortal rest, and I became like the land that blossoms,

And rejoices in its fruits. 

And the Lord is like the sun upon the face of the land. 

My eyes were enlightened, and my face received the dew, 

And my breath was refreshed by the pleasant fragrance of the Lord. 

And He took me to His Paradise, wherein is the wealth of the Lord's pleasure. 

I beheld blooming and fruit-bearing trees, 

And self-grown was their crown. 

Their branches were sprouting and their fruits were shining. 

 From an immortal land were their roots. 

And a river of gladness was irrigating them, 

And round about them in the land of eternal life. 

Then I worshiped the Lord because of His magnificence. 

And I said, Blessed, O Lord, are they who are planted in Your land, 

And who have a place in Your Paradise, 

And who grow in the growth of Your trees, and have passed from darkness into light. 

Behold, all Your laborers are fair, they who work good works, 

And turn from wickedness to your pleasantness. 

For the pungent odor of the trees is changed in Your land, 

And everything becomes a remnant of Yourself. 

Blessed are the workers of Your waters, 

And eternal memorials of Your faithful servants. 

Indeed, there is much room in Your Paradise! 

And there is nothing in it which is barren, but everything is filled with fruit. 

Glory be to You, O God, the delight of Paradise for ever. 

Hallelujah.

"....I believed in the Lord's Messiah..."

Peter in the Catacombs (by Styka)

Meditation for a Sunday Morning

(Other than a few snatches of song in the New Testament (like this and this), the Odes of Solomon is probably our oldest collection of ancient Christian music. These lyrics were written between A.D. 100 - 150, probably closer to 100.

A Roman bureaucrat named Pliny who met up with some Christians at about the same time tells us that, "they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god," (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10.96-97, "To Emperor Hadrian"). What were Jesus' early followers singing as they furtively gathered in the pre-dawn Sunday hours to worship? Probably something a little like these two songs.)

    Ode 29

        The Lord is my hope, I shall not be ashamed of Him.

        For according to His praise He made me, and according to His grace even so He gave to me.

        And according to His mercies He exalted me, and according to His great honor He lifted me up.

        And he caused me to ascend from the depths of Sheol, and from the mouth of death He drew me.

        And I humbled my enemies, and He justified me by His grace.

        For I believed in the Lord's Messiah, and considered that He is the Lord.

        And He revealed to me His sign, and He led me by His light.

        And He gave me the scepter of His power, that I might subdue the devices of the people, and humble the power of the mighty.

        To make war by His Word, and to take victory by His power.

        And the Lord overthrew my enemy by His Word, and he became like the dust 

which a breeze carries off.

        And I gave praise to the Most High, because He has magnified His servant

 and the son of His maidservant.

        Hallelujah. 

    

Ode 30

        Fill for yourselves water from the living fountain of the Lord, because it has been opened for you.

        And come all you thirsty and take a drink, and rest beside the fountain of the Lord.

        Because it is pleasing and sparkling, and perpetually refreshes the self.

        For much sweeter is its water than honey, and the honeycomb of bees is not to be compared with it;

        Because it flowed from the lips of the Lord, and it named from the heart of the Lord.

        And it came boundless and invisible, and until it was set in the middle they knew it not.

        Blessed are they who have drunk from it, and have refreshed themselves by it.

        

Hallelujah. 

Light From Light

Meditation for a Sunday Morning

(This is a very old song in the Christian Movement, going back at least to the AD 900s. No one knows who wrote it.)

NATA LUX DE LUMINE

(Light that from the light was born)

I

O Light that from the light was born,

Redeemer of the world forlorn,

In mercy now your suppliants spare,

Our praise accept, and hear our prayer.

II

You who wore our flesh below,

To save our souls from endless woe,

Of your blessed body, Lord, would we

Efficient members ever be.

III

More bright than sun your aspect gleamed,

As snowdrift white your garments seemed,

When on the mount your glory shone,

To faithful witnesses alone.

IV

There did the seers of old confer

With those who your disciples were;

And you on both did shed abroad

The glory of the eternal God.

V

From heaven the Father’s voice was heard

That you the eternal Son declared;

And faithful hearts now love to own

Your glory, King of heaven, alone.

VI

Grant us, we pray, to walk in light,

Clad in your virtues sparkling bright,

That, upward borne by deeds of love,

Our souls may win the bliss above.

VII

Loud praise to you our homage brings,

Eternal God and King of kings,

Who reigns as one, you one in three,

From age to age eternally.

(Hymns of the Early Church, Rev. John Bownlie. London : 1896)

"...Faith comes not through pondering..."

Fifth Sunday of Lent

"Come near to God and he will come near to you. You are sinners, so clean sin out of your lives. You are trying to follow God and the world at the same time. Make your thinking pure." 

Letter of James chapter 4 verse 8, ERV


Lent is about humbling one's self and taking on the nature of Christ. Each Sunday during this time I will let wise Christians speak on these subjects. In this post the Orthodox writer Tito Colliander describes how to begin the Christian journey.

_____________

It is for us to begin. If we take one step towards the Lord, he takes ten towards us -- he who saw the prodigal son while he was at a distance, and had compassion and ran and embraced him... Faith comes not through pondering but through action. Not words and speculation but experience teaches us what God is. To let in fresh air we have to open a window; to get tanned we must go out into the sunshine. Achieving faith is no different; we never reach a goal by just sitting in comfort and waiting, say the holy Fathers. Let the prodigal son be our example. He arose and came.

Tito Colliander, 

The Way of the Ascetics, p. 74

"...Humanity Added to Divinity..."

Earliest portrait of St. Augustine

Meditation for a Sunday Morning

"But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights."

Letter to the Galatians chapter 4 verses 4-5

__________________________

(Augustine of Hippo, one of the greatest thinkers the Christian movement ever produced, talks about the miracle we just finished celebrating -- the incarnation of God.)

Let us rejoice, my brethren, let the nations exult and be glad because, not the visible sun, but the invisible Creator of the sun has consecrated this day [Christmas] on which the Virgin, a true but inviolate Mother, gave birth to Him who became visible for our sake and by whom she herself was created.

A virgin conceives, yet remains a virgin. A virgin is heavy with child, a virgin brings forth her child, yet she is always a virgin... The same One who is Man is God, and the same One who is God is Man, not by a confusion of nature but by a unity of person. Finally, He who is the Son of God, being born of the Father, is always co-eternal with His Father; He, being born of the Virgin, became the Son of Man. Thus, humanity was added to the divinity of the Son without producing a fourfold union of Persons; the Trinity remains.

Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354 - 430)
Sermon 186

"...The claims of Jesus Christ..."

"Resurrection of Christ"
by Guerau Gener

Meditation for a Sunday Morning

"If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is futile and your faith is empty... if Christ has not been raised, your faith is useless; you are still in your sins."

1st Letter to the Corinthians chapter 15 verses 14, 17

______________________

It is well to bear in mind that faith is deeper and wider than a spiritual experience: it is an acknowledgement of the claims of Jesus Christ and an obedience to his commands. It consists primarily in personal devotion to a living Savior, but it also entails a confidence in the apostolic testimony concerning who he is and what he has done. Our faith is directed not simply to the mystical presence of Christ or to the unconditional, but to Jesus Christ crucified and risen according to the Scriptures. The act of believing (fides qua creditur), though supremely important, must never prevail over the content of faith (fides quae creditur).

Donald Bloesch, Essentials of Evangelical Theology, Volume 1: God, Authority, and Salvation

"... Out of the holy Scriptures"

Meditation for a Sunday Morning
(Borrowed from the Creedal Christian blog, one of my favorites.)


"I now feel compelled instead to write to encourage you to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."

Letter of Jude chapter 1 verse 3

______________________

No doctrine concerning the divine and saving mysteries of the faith, however trivial, may be taught without the backing of the holy Scriptures. We must not let ourselves be drawn aside by mere persuasion and cleverness of speech. Do not even give absolute belief to me, the one who tells you these things, unless you receive proof from the divine Scriptures of what I teach. For the faith that brings us salvation acquires its force, not from fallible reasonings, but from what can be proved out of the holy Scriptures.

 ~ St. Cyril of Jerusalem (ca. 313-386)

"The Living Faithful and the Faithful Departed..."

Photo courtesy of Zeevveez

Meditation for an All Saints Sunday morning


"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, we must get rid of every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and run with endurance the race set out for us."

Letter to the Hebrews, chapter 12 verse 1, NET

_____________________

"The church embraces believers spread out over the past, present, and future. To the church catholic belong all who who have ever believed, now believe, and all who ever will believe in the saving work of the triune God. The church is celebrated as a whole community embracing all times. As far back as human time remembers (as with Adam, Eve, and Abel), some anticipating form of God's called out people have existed within human history through the flow of time...

"Eternal life with God brings an incomparable interpersonal blessing: communion with God amid the communion of the saints with God and with all who mirror God's holy love (Luke 23.43; John 12.26; Phillipians 1.23). This celebrating community embraces both the living faithful and the faithful departed who now enjoy eternal life with God (Revelation 14.1-4). 

"The church is a fellowship among the faithful now living, but it extends far wider to embrace also all who have died in faith, as well as those yet unborn who will come to faith. Some remain pilgrims in history, while others having died in the Lord are already joyfully beholding 'clearly God Himself triune and one, as He is,' (Council of Florence, DS 693)."

Thomas Oden,  Classic Christianity: A Systematic Theology,  pp.745, 823

"...All human things depend on faith..."

Meditation for a Sunday morning


"Faith is the reality of what we hope for, the proof of what we don’t see. The elders in the past were approved because they showed faith."


Letter to the Hebrews chapter 11 verses 1-2, CEB

_____________________

Wouldn't it be more reasonable, since all human things depend on faith, to believe God rather than them? Who goes on a voyage, or gets engaged to be married, or becomes the parent of children, or sows seed in the ground, without believing that something better will happen because they did, even though the contrary might and sometimes does happen instead?

Origen, Against Celsus, book 1 chapter 11

Photo courtesy of Gabriel S. Delgado C.

"Recovery of Joy"

Meditation for a Sunday morning

  "The kingdom of God does not consist of food and drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." 

(Letter to the Romans, chapter 14 verse 17, NET)

"From its very beginning Christianity has been the proclamation of joy, of the only possible joy on earth... Without the proclamation of this joy Christianity is incomprehensible. It was only as joy that the Church was victorious in the world, and it lost the world when it lost the joy, when it ceased to be a credible witness to it. Of all accusations against Christians, the most terrible one was uttered by Nietzsche when he said that Christianity had no joy... 'For behold, I bring you tidings of great  joy' -- thus begins the Gospel, and its end is: 'And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy...' (Gospel of Luke 2.10, 24,52). And we must recover the meaning of this great joy.

Alexander Schmemann, For the Life of the World (1988), p. 24