Our Christmas Gift
Sermon
Sermons on the Second Readings
Series II, Cycle C
Object:
Since the 1600s, in a historical period called the "Enlightenment," scholars have been studying the scriptures in a new way. They have rejected the older theory that the scriptures were inspired, word for word by God, and therefore were infallible and without error. Instead they approached the scriptures as a human document, meaning that it could be studied with all the tools of literary and historical scholarship. Yet they did not deny that the scriptures, studied in this new way, could bring us into the presence of God.
Some of their major conclusions have been with us for some time now: Moses did not write the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. The psalms are attributed to David, but he did not write all of them. Isaiah seems to come from at least two authors, 1-39 and 40-66. Matthew, Mark, and Luke's words are nearer to the historical Jesus than the Gospel of John. Some of Paul's passages such as the subordination of women to men are likely insertions into his writings.
Of course, some have resisted this way of studying scripture. They feel that it takes away the authority and the uniqueness of the Bible. They hold that the scriptures are from God and are free from all errors -- historical, ethical, scientific, and religious. We may admire these folks for their sturdy faith grounded in scriptures. They have an attractive fix on faith with all questions and doubts settled by an uncritical understanding of the Bible. We, in contrast, are not so certain of our faith and are always struggling to grasp the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. But, for some reason, we cannot stand with the uncritical Christians. We may admire them deeply, but we must come to faith by understanding the Bible as a human document, inviting the best of our critical study and understanding. We cannot go back to an earlier time and way of approaching the Bible. Something -- the enlightenment of the 1600s -- has happened and we cannot live and have faith as if it had not occurred.
This brings us to our text for the morning. Colossians 3:12-17 is a wonderful passage on living the Christian life. It urges us to have compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. It tells us that we must forgive others because the Lord has forgiven us. We must always love each other and be open to that peacefulness which Christ brings us. It says we are called to a ministry of teaching and worship, doing all this in the name of Jesus.
This calls us to a life far beyond looking out for ourselves. Looking out for "Old Number One" is the life to which the world calls us, but this is a call to a life of death and despair. Christ calls us through today's text to a life that pours itself out to the needs of others and discovers rich joy and peace. One modern scholar called Jesus "the man for others." We are to emulate Jesus and live, not for ourselves, but for others. So a passage like this from Colossians is an inspiring challenge to our Christians lives. It is a fitting text for this first Sunday after Christmas.
However, the authorship of this passage and the entire letter of Paul to the Colossians is under question. Many think that Paul has not written Colossians. They tell us that some of Paul's typical phrases are missing from Colossians. They say that some of the theological expressions of Colossians are not as Paul would put them, and some of the issues to which Colossians is speaking are not those with which Paul concerned himself. In short, Colossians seems to have been written by someone else and attributed to Paul.
This is how reverent, modern, scriptural scholarship explains and rationalizes the scriptures. It works just like any critical scholarship. Some years ago, there appeared The Secret Diaries of Adolf Hitler. The discoverer of this supposed work claimed its authenticity and basked in the attention of modern historians. But it soon appeared this diary was not as advertised. Great parts of it did not seem to be from the late Nazi leader, nor did it square with certain times, dates, and happenings. The conclusion of most was that it was a hoax perpetrated by the discoverer. Solid human study and reasoning saved us from a work that would deceive us.
Questioning Paul's authorship of Colossians is not so crucial. In Colossians we may not be getting the real Paul, but we are given an impressive call to the Christian life. Apparently, as in the ancient world, writings were purported to be those of some great figure, and in that person's spirit. We might think that if Paul had seen the letter to the Colossians, he might have said, "Well, now there's a great statement of what it means to be a Christian. I'm proud that someone has honored my Lord and me by attributing it to me." Even if we felt that at certain places he might have put it differently, it is thinkable that Paul would have rejoiced in Colossians, and would have given it his endorsement. On this Sunday after Christmas we, too, may rejoice in the richness of our text and find inspiration and encouragement in our Christian lives.
1. "Clothe yourselves with compassion." Compassion is simply to feel with another. Some of the most despicable profanity is, "What do I care?" Martin Noemiller, pastor of a prestigious congregation in Berlin during the rise of Hitler in the 1930s, confessed a classic indictment of not having compassion. He said when the Gestapo came for the criminals, he said nothing. When they came for the mentally retarded, he said nothing. When they came for the Communists, he said nothing. When they came for the homosexuals, he said nothing. When they came for the Jews, he said nothing. "Then one day," he said, "they came for me." In our nation today we need more than just personal compassion. The political powers seem to have little compassion for the poor, the inner cities, the broken educational system, the sexually different, the mentally ill or mentally handicapped, and non-Christian religions. Christmas is a good time to think about this.
2. We are urged to have kindness. The opposite of a life of kindness is one of judgment. How often our lives are filled with the judgmental spirit. We berate others and ourselves sometimes, for not living up to expectations. Often we hold up these expectations for others, but excuse ourselves for falling below our standard. When one or both people in a marriage or partnership becomes overly judgmental, then that marriage or partnership is doomed. We cannot live under a constant fear of failing, for it saps us of our physical and spiritual energies. We could make the case that the appeal of Christ in his lifetime and beyond has been that our lives in him are marked by mercy even after he has laid the most severe judgment on us. Again, Christmas is a good time to consider this.
3. The author of Colossians calls us to have humility. Something distressing has come into sports -- professional and all the way down to the amateur level. This is the volume of self-congratulation that occurs. Let's take football, professional down to the peewee level, allowing that what follows applies to all other sports. Joey or Rakeem scores a touchdown and in the end zone, dances and boogies as if to call attention to his prowess. One longs for the days when a back or receiver crosses into the end zone, drops the ball or hands it to the official, and returns to the huddle with no showy behavior. It's as if athletes cannot let the crowd reaction, or the media attention be sufficient for recognizing their exploits.
However, Christians are not beyond a lack of humility, too. Some Christians are so focused on their decision for Christ that they constantly talk about "being saved." It almost seems as if they are saying they have done God a great favor. They will inject their take on their salvation into all conversations, church meetings, and conversations at home. They will eye all the unsaved as their personal project, and make themselves a nuisance in the process. A little humility about our relationship to Christ is in order. After all, salvation comes in many styles, and not just in the highly personal and otherworldly style of some. We would wish them humility and the same for ourselves, particularly where we have accomplished some worthy thing. Colossians prompts us to ponder humility on this Sunday after Christmas. We might even wonder at so much of the so-called gospel and praise music for its singular focus on one's individual relationship to God and Christ with little attention to salvation to gear ourselves up for gutsy service to our brothers and sisters in a painful world.
4. We are advised to have meekness. Now meekness seems a bit like humility. Yet, meekness may be understood as not having to be right in all situations. Years ago, there was a local television newscaster, before local television news had given itself over to murders, bank robberies, a load of weather, and ugly divorces, who always had a moment of commentary at the evening broadcast. He always began by saying, "I may be wrong, but...." It is refreshing to be in the company of those who can say, "I may be wrong, but...." The Christian does not always have to assert his correctness. Of course, in serious matters, Christians must speak up, and speak up loudly at times, but we are most unattractive if we think we have all the answers and it is our duty to correct and admonish all others. We might think about this on a Sunday after Christmas.
5. Colossians calls for patience. We live in a world where patience is difficult to come by. Everything must happen instantly. Our modern technologies make travel, long-distance communication, and scientific progress come faster than any previous generation, but the summons to Christian patience has little to do with any of these wonderful speeds. Many a pastor reads from Isaiah 40 to those they visit in the hospital:
But those who wait for the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
-- Isaiah 40:31
When we are ill, patience is often the key ingredient. Convalescence is hindered when we insist that we must regain our health instantly. Years ago, Bishop Hazen G. Werner, wrote a book of sermons titled, No Saints Suddenly. The title sermon centered on the letter a little girl wrote to a Christian counselor about her disturbing anger at her little brother. She wanted to overcome her fault and wondered if she could be cured by Christmas! Wisely, the bishop reminded us that there are no saints suddenly.
The maturing of our Christian character and of the redemption of the world must come about slowly and patiently. If Darwin's truth holds, it suggests that God is patiently calling the world and all creation into God's own self over the long haul of eons and eons. For individuals, our redemption must be beyond this life and history out into the eternity of God, as we grow to become the people God would have us be. Colossians, on this Sunday after Christmas, wants us to think on all of us, too.
Our Colossians passage wants us to gather up all these Christian virtues in worship -- not entertaining or escapist worship -- but worship that implants these things in to our individual and public lives. Marva Dawn has written that our worship could be A Royal Waste of Time, but if we keep these things from Colossians -- compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience -- our celebration for the first Sunday after Christmas can be a rich and wonderful time of this season, a great gift from God.
Some of their major conclusions have been with us for some time now: Moses did not write the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. The psalms are attributed to David, but he did not write all of them. Isaiah seems to come from at least two authors, 1-39 and 40-66. Matthew, Mark, and Luke's words are nearer to the historical Jesus than the Gospel of John. Some of Paul's passages such as the subordination of women to men are likely insertions into his writings.
Of course, some have resisted this way of studying scripture. They feel that it takes away the authority and the uniqueness of the Bible. They hold that the scriptures are from God and are free from all errors -- historical, ethical, scientific, and religious. We may admire these folks for their sturdy faith grounded in scriptures. They have an attractive fix on faith with all questions and doubts settled by an uncritical understanding of the Bible. We, in contrast, are not so certain of our faith and are always struggling to grasp the mercy of God in Jesus Christ. But, for some reason, we cannot stand with the uncritical Christians. We may admire them deeply, but we must come to faith by understanding the Bible as a human document, inviting the best of our critical study and understanding. We cannot go back to an earlier time and way of approaching the Bible. Something -- the enlightenment of the 1600s -- has happened and we cannot live and have faith as if it had not occurred.
This brings us to our text for the morning. Colossians 3:12-17 is a wonderful passage on living the Christian life. It urges us to have compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. It tells us that we must forgive others because the Lord has forgiven us. We must always love each other and be open to that peacefulness which Christ brings us. It says we are called to a ministry of teaching and worship, doing all this in the name of Jesus.
This calls us to a life far beyond looking out for ourselves. Looking out for "Old Number One" is the life to which the world calls us, but this is a call to a life of death and despair. Christ calls us through today's text to a life that pours itself out to the needs of others and discovers rich joy and peace. One modern scholar called Jesus "the man for others." We are to emulate Jesus and live, not for ourselves, but for others. So a passage like this from Colossians is an inspiring challenge to our Christians lives. It is a fitting text for this first Sunday after Christmas.
However, the authorship of this passage and the entire letter of Paul to the Colossians is under question. Many think that Paul has not written Colossians. They tell us that some of Paul's typical phrases are missing from Colossians. They say that some of the theological expressions of Colossians are not as Paul would put them, and some of the issues to which Colossians is speaking are not those with which Paul concerned himself. In short, Colossians seems to have been written by someone else and attributed to Paul.
This is how reverent, modern, scriptural scholarship explains and rationalizes the scriptures. It works just like any critical scholarship. Some years ago, there appeared The Secret Diaries of Adolf Hitler. The discoverer of this supposed work claimed its authenticity and basked in the attention of modern historians. But it soon appeared this diary was not as advertised. Great parts of it did not seem to be from the late Nazi leader, nor did it square with certain times, dates, and happenings. The conclusion of most was that it was a hoax perpetrated by the discoverer. Solid human study and reasoning saved us from a work that would deceive us.
Questioning Paul's authorship of Colossians is not so crucial. In Colossians we may not be getting the real Paul, but we are given an impressive call to the Christian life. Apparently, as in the ancient world, writings were purported to be those of some great figure, and in that person's spirit. We might think that if Paul had seen the letter to the Colossians, he might have said, "Well, now there's a great statement of what it means to be a Christian. I'm proud that someone has honored my Lord and me by attributing it to me." Even if we felt that at certain places he might have put it differently, it is thinkable that Paul would have rejoiced in Colossians, and would have given it his endorsement. On this Sunday after Christmas we, too, may rejoice in the richness of our text and find inspiration and encouragement in our Christian lives.
1. "Clothe yourselves with compassion." Compassion is simply to feel with another. Some of the most despicable profanity is, "What do I care?" Martin Noemiller, pastor of a prestigious congregation in Berlin during the rise of Hitler in the 1930s, confessed a classic indictment of not having compassion. He said when the Gestapo came for the criminals, he said nothing. When they came for the mentally retarded, he said nothing. When they came for the Communists, he said nothing. When they came for the homosexuals, he said nothing. When they came for the Jews, he said nothing. "Then one day," he said, "they came for me." In our nation today we need more than just personal compassion. The political powers seem to have little compassion for the poor, the inner cities, the broken educational system, the sexually different, the mentally ill or mentally handicapped, and non-Christian religions. Christmas is a good time to think about this.
2. We are urged to have kindness. The opposite of a life of kindness is one of judgment. How often our lives are filled with the judgmental spirit. We berate others and ourselves sometimes, for not living up to expectations. Often we hold up these expectations for others, but excuse ourselves for falling below our standard. When one or both people in a marriage or partnership becomes overly judgmental, then that marriage or partnership is doomed. We cannot live under a constant fear of failing, for it saps us of our physical and spiritual energies. We could make the case that the appeal of Christ in his lifetime and beyond has been that our lives in him are marked by mercy even after he has laid the most severe judgment on us. Again, Christmas is a good time to consider this.
3. The author of Colossians calls us to have humility. Something distressing has come into sports -- professional and all the way down to the amateur level. This is the volume of self-congratulation that occurs. Let's take football, professional down to the peewee level, allowing that what follows applies to all other sports. Joey or Rakeem scores a touchdown and in the end zone, dances and boogies as if to call attention to his prowess. One longs for the days when a back or receiver crosses into the end zone, drops the ball or hands it to the official, and returns to the huddle with no showy behavior. It's as if athletes cannot let the crowd reaction, or the media attention be sufficient for recognizing their exploits.
However, Christians are not beyond a lack of humility, too. Some Christians are so focused on their decision for Christ that they constantly talk about "being saved." It almost seems as if they are saying they have done God a great favor. They will inject their take on their salvation into all conversations, church meetings, and conversations at home. They will eye all the unsaved as their personal project, and make themselves a nuisance in the process. A little humility about our relationship to Christ is in order. After all, salvation comes in many styles, and not just in the highly personal and otherworldly style of some. We would wish them humility and the same for ourselves, particularly where we have accomplished some worthy thing. Colossians prompts us to ponder humility on this Sunday after Christmas. We might even wonder at so much of the so-called gospel and praise music for its singular focus on one's individual relationship to God and Christ with little attention to salvation to gear ourselves up for gutsy service to our brothers and sisters in a painful world.
4. We are advised to have meekness. Now meekness seems a bit like humility. Yet, meekness may be understood as not having to be right in all situations. Years ago, there was a local television newscaster, before local television news had given itself over to murders, bank robberies, a load of weather, and ugly divorces, who always had a moment of commentary at the evening broadcast. He always began by saying, "I may be wrong, but...." It is refreshing to be in the company of those who can say, "I may be wrong, but...." The Christian does not always have to assert his correctness. Of course, in serious matters, Christians must speak up, and speak up loudly at times, but we are most unattractive if we think we have all the answers and it is our duty to correct and admonish all others. We might think about this on a Sunday after Christmas.
5. Colossians calls for patience. We live in a world where patience is difficult to come by. Everything must happen instantly. Our modern technologies make travel, long-distance communication, and scientific progress come faster than any previous generation, but the summons to Christian patience has little to do with any of these wonderful speeds. Many a pastor reads from Isaiah 40 to those they visit in the hospital:
But those who wait for the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
-- Isaiah 40:31
When we are ill, patience is often the key ingredient. Convalescence is hindered when we insist that we must regain our health instantly. Years ago, Bishop Hazen G. Werner, wrote a book of sermons titled, No Saints Suddenly. The title sermon centered on the letter a little girl wrote to a Christian counselor about her disturbing anger at her little brother. She wanted to overcome her fault and wondered if she could be cured by Christmas! Wisely, the bishop reminded us that there are no saints suddenly.
The maturing of our Christian character and of the redemption of the world must come about slowly and patiently. If Darwin's truth holds, it suggests that God is patiently calling the world and all creation into God's own self over the long haul of eons and eons. For individuals, our redemption must be beyond this life and history out into the eternity of God, as we grow to become the people God would have us be. Colossians, on this Sunday after Christmas, wants us to think on all of us, too.
Our Colossians passage wants us to gather up all these Christian virtues in worship -- not entertaining or escapist worship -- but worship that implants these things in to our individual and public lives. Marva Dawn has written that our worship could be A Royal Waste of Time, but if we keep these things from Colossians -- compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience -- our celebration for the first Sunday after Christmas can be a rich and wonderful time of this season, a great gift from God.
