I believe you and I think we know what it means to be human. I think we take it for granted. I believe we think we know what it means to see. Unless there’s a physical impairment: as we get older, macular degeneration, cataracts take hold and our physical sight begins to depart. But hopefully by that time, our “seeing” has changed.
We cannot see spiritual things. We cannot see the fact that choirs of angels have gathered here around this altar with us to worship the Lord. We cannot see the saints; all those who have gone before us, who no longer live in space or time, but are present with the Lord in His temple, here, with you. You cannot see that when the angels sing that great Sanctus - Holy, holy - that they invite us too, that we participate and lend our voices to the angels singing – we cannot see that. But faith; faith is a different way of seeing. Faith is seeing differently. Faith is knowing that we are inside God’s life; that He has given Himself to us. And seeing differently, then we must live differently. We put our faith into practice.
No one of us can explain the mystery of His birth. Remember those names we read yesterday. The Fathers put it this way: “He who made them fathers became their son. They were made his fathers whose son he was not, but he treated them with favor by becoming their son.” This is the great mystery -- God investing Himself within a human family. Today it is Joseph. Joseph, with his human vision, with his ability to see what was before him, with his awareness of what was right and just - decided to divorce her quietly. His faith developed a different point of view. He had a vision of something else that was present--that this Child was from God. And so, by faith, he takes her as his wife.
The great mystery of Christmas is that we become face to face with God. If God’s majesty was present to us, we would cower in fear aware of our unworthiness. We would necessarily recognize an inherent contradiction. But he doesn’t come in glory and power. He comes rather quietly, in a single woman, and He comes as a baby. Now, who doesn’t want to pick up a baby? He wants us to love Him. No man could have redeemed us from our sin. No man could have covered our sin. But this man is also God. The holy One comes to redeem the wicked. The sinless One comes to redeem sinner. The just One comes to redeem the unjust. The immortal One comes to save the mortal.
Today’s mystery and challenge is to look at the things in our life; the people, places and situations in our life, and now be able to say -- “Now, I see.” Now we approach these things, not with our human eyes. By faith, we see differently. God has revealed His purpose. Now can you see? Think of Joseph, ask Joseph. Remember Joseph and the difficulty that this presented, the inconvenience. There are many things in your life that are inconvenient, that are difficult. We tend to complain and grumble when things become inconvenient, demanding or difficult. But now, remember Joseph and say – now, I see.
We cannot see spiritual things. We cannot see the fact that choirs of angels have gathered here around this altar with us to worship the Lord. We cannot see the saints; all those who have gone before us, who no longer live in space or time, but are present with the Lord in His temple, here, with you. You cannot see that when the angels sing that great Sanctus - Holy, holy - that they invite us too, that we participate and lend our voices to the angels singing – we cannot see that. But faith; faith is a different way of seeing. Faith is seeing differently. Faith is knowing that we are inside God’s life; that He has given Himself to us. And seeing differently, then we must live differently. We put our faith into practice.
No one of us can explain the mystery of His birth. Remember those names we read yesterday. The Fathers put it this way: “He who made them fathers became their son. They were made his fathers whose son he was not, but he treated them with favor by becoming their son.” This is the great mystery -- God investing Himself within a human family. Today it is Joseph. Joseph, with his human vision, with his ability to see what was before him, with his awareness of what was right and just - decided to divorce her quietly. His faith developed a different point of view. He had a vision of something else that was present--that this Child was from God. And so, by faith, he takes her as his wife.
The great mystery of Christmas is that we become face to face with God. If God’s majesty was present to us, we would cower in fear aware of our unworthiness. We would necessarily recognize an inherent contradiction. But he doesn’t come in glory and power. He comes rather quietly, in a single woman, and He comes as a baby. Now, who doesn’t want to pick up a baby? He wants us to love Him. No man could have redeemed us from our sin. No man could have covered our sin. But this man is also God. The holy One comes to redeem the wicked. The sinless One comes to redeem sinner. The just One comes to redeem the unjust. The immortal One comes to save the mortal.
Today’s mystery and challenge is to look at the things in our life; the people, places and situations in our life, and now be able to say -- “Now, I see.” Now we approach these things, not with our human eyes. By faith, we see differently. God has revealed His purpose. Now can you see? Think of Joseph, ask Joseph. Remember Joseph and the difficulty that this presented, the inconvenience. There are many things in your life that are inconvenient, that are difficult. We tend to complain and grumble when things become inconvenient, demanding or difficult. But now, remember Joseph and say – now, I see.
RSS Feed