Tuesday, December 4, 2018

4 December 2018 - great expectations



"Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it."

This is the sight that to which we look forward at Christmas. It is the coming of the king for whom past ages longed but which was only finally granted at the birth of Christ. For us, Christmas makes this glorious appearing present again. The same grace of transformation is available. But to receive it we must not rely on wisdom and learning. We must be childlike.

I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike. 

The prophets and kings longed for Jesus because it seemed that the stump of Jesse was dead and lifeless. So too seemed all efforts to live the lives of holiness which God asked of them. There were of course partial successes. But they desired one upon whom the Spirit would rest, not occasionally and partially, but in entirety.

The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:
a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
A Spirit of counsel and of strength,
a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,
and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.

The prophets and kings longed for Jesus because they longed for the peace that only he could bring. Only Jesus could put the enmity between creatures to rest. Only he could establish true peace between creature and creator.

So the question for us is, why is our longing any less? Don't we desire peace as much as them? Is the world not still without it? Don't we still want to see that the Spirit really can completely fill a human life? We have seen the fulfillment of these desires but have we received the grace of it? Jesus is only the first life meant to be filled with the Holy Spirit. All his brothers and sisters are meant to receive and radiate him as well. Jesus as the Prince of Peace, but he calls his followers blessed if they are peacemakers.

Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.

Perhaps our wisdom is getting in the way. We think that the current degree to which Jesus has revealed himself is near our upper-limit. We assume because we have opened our hearts before there isn't a way to open our hearts now. But this is where the childlike succeed. Their memories and hopes are unstained and untarnished. Their expectations are soaring. They are ready for Christmas.

In him shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed;
all the nations shall proclaim his happiness.



No comments:

Post a Comment