The atheists were first with their sign on one end of the Lincoln Tunnel which reads: You know it's a myth--this season, celebrate reason. The Catholic League bought a billboard at the opposite tunnel entrance; it reads: You know its real. This season, celebrate Jesus.
It's unfortunate that we're supposed to take these billboards seriously, as both overlook the deeper meaning of the Christmas story, the people involved, and the nature of revelation. I assume that the atheists are referring to the virgin birth being the myth, as the person of Jesus Christ is part of the historical record. What is unfortunate about the Catholic Leagues response is that you can't do serious theology on billboards, and therefore, challenging the the assertion of the atheists in such a way only continues to dumb down what may be the deeper meaning of the assertion that Mary was a virgin.
The modern question of Mary's virginity seems to be one of whether or not Mary was chaste before Jesus' birth, it is a biological or medical question, often resolved on the basis of physical technicalities. But this question, which seems to enthrall everyone, especially this time of year was not the question that is answered by the biblical assertion that Mary was a virgin.
The angel of the Lord who visited Joseph in the gospel of Matthew declared (in the words of Isaiah the prophet to Ahaz the king of Judah) that "a virgin shall conceive and bear a son..."
One needs to consider what this means in the context in which Matthew was written. Mary and Joseph lived under the oppressive Roman Empire; an empire that embraced pater familias, which was both a system for tax collection, and a system in which patriarchal authority, especially that of the emperor ( who named himself Dominus Deus, Lord and God) was paramount. Within this system, virgin daughters (chaste daughters) were regularly given in marriage to essentially the highest bidder. Unchaste daughters were much harder to sell. Mary as described in Matthew and Luke does not fit this patriarchal pattern. First, we hear nothing of Mary's father in gospel accounts. She is her own person. In fact, when she visited her cousin Elizabeth, the one person who might have played such a patriarchal role, Zechariah, has been silenced by the angel Gabriel for his lack of belief in the announcement of John the Baptist's birth. Joseph, for his part hardly takes on the role of patriarch in any oppressive sense, with the angel visitation he assumes the role as obedient servant of God and of Mary.
Much as we might not see it (and perhaps wish not to), Mary's role as virgin is much more akin to the role taken on by women in other ancient religious cults who present themselves to the deity for sexual purposes. Now we may blanche at this, but the Greeks understood that those who had divinity were usually born of virgins.
The virginity of Mary as expressed by Matthew and Luke is actually not just a challenge to the paternal system, but a challenge to Roman imperial authority. In the Magnificat, Mary expresses her gratitude at being chosen, but her words also reflect that the God she has given herself too is a God who undermines what Rome stands for.
"And Mary said,
'My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spriit rejoices in God my
Savior,
for he has regarded the low estate
of his handmaiden.....
He has shown strength wih his arm,
he has catteered the proud in the
imagination of their hearts,
he has put down the mighty from
their thrones,
and exalted those of low degree;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent empty away.'"
Her words, spoken in the context of Roman oppression are revolutionary. It should come as no surprise that Mary was given the title Theotokos, God Bearer, and has been named the first believer in Jesus Christ. Some Icons depict Mary standing at the very center of the Apostles. Whether in icons or stained glass, Mary has never been depicted as the virgin (chaste) daughter of a male patriarch; her virginity was much more than this, it was indeed a challenge to the cult of the emperor and all that Rome stood for. And if Mary's story is going to be our story, we need to be certain that we don't shrink her down to the point where she is a mere pawn in the story of the incarnation.
Some of this you may hear again in Sunday's sermon, but then, we have to look at Joseph, the Angel of the Lord, Isaiah, Ahaz, Herod and the rest, and figure out how this story is our story too. Forget the argument taking place at the Lincoln Tunnel, we have a serious story to make our own, to tell, and to celebrate.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Christmas Night
Dancing stars and joyful angels with God's glory fill sky.
Proclaiming to care worn shepherds that the Father's Son is nigh.
A billion stars then gladly gather to appoint a sun most bright,
To guide the querying Magi on a cold and cloudless night.
Round the manger beasts are honored to recieve Creation's Lord.
the Child's parents with glad praises know that God has kept his Word.
Mid the blessing and celebration of the wondrous Christmas night,
Our Heavenly Father sheds a tear, for the precious One must die.
All who gather at the manger join the angel's glad refrain.
Yet as we sing let us remember that for our sins the Lamb was slain.
2010 pb
Every Advent and Christmas season I try to write some type of verse. Rarely is anything shared. However, this year, perhaps because I am less focussed, writing seems a good way to bring more positive energy to the season. Writing also helps to assert again, those things we know to be true, but can often be obscured by other lights.
Surely, one of the delights of the Advent and Christmas season is the poetry and hymnody of the Church. Through the centuries, the melodies and songs have come and gone with only the most meaningful and beautiful being retained. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, for instance, with its haunting melody and phrases of hope and longing, continues to be relevant in every generation.
O Come, All Ye Faithful remains the call to worship on both Christmas Eve and Day. And each of us has our favorites which must be sung in order for Christmas to be complete.
My simple advice is sing as many as you like, sing them all, for each speaks of God's love coming to a world in need. How great is that?
Dancing stars and joyful angels with God's glory fill sky.
Proclaiming to care worn shepherds that the Father's Son is nigh.
A billion stars then gladly gather to appoint a sun most bright,
To guide the querying Magi on a cold and cloudless night.
Round the manger beasts are honored to recieve Creation's Lord.
the Child's parents with glad praises know that God has kept his Word.
Mid the blessing and celebration of the wondrous Christmas night,
Our Heavenly Father sheds a tear, for the precious One must die.
All who gather at the manger join the angel's glad refrain.
Yet as we sing let us remember that for our sins the Lamb was slain.
2010 pb
Every Advent and Christmas season I try to write some type of verse. Rarely is anything shared. However, this year, perhaps because I am less focussed, writing seems a good way to bring more positive energy to the season. Writing also helps to assert again, those things we know to be true, but can often be obscured by other lights.
Surely, one of the delights of the Advent and Christmas season is the poetry and hymnody of the Church. Through the centuries, the melodies and songs have come and gone with only the most meaningful and beautiful being retained. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, for instance, with its haunting melody and phrases of hope and longing, continues to be relevant in every generation.
O Come, All Ye Faithful remains the call to worship on both Christmas Eve and Day. And each of us has our favorites which must be sung in order for Christmas to be complete.
My simple advice is sing as many as you like, sing them all, for each speaks of God's love coming to a world in need. How great is that?
Friday, December 3, 2010
Penultimate Things
Meditation on a Few Words from In the Bleak Midwinter
Some forty-six years ago I learned this hymn. I was seven or eight years old, and with my brothers, sang in my home congregation's junior choir. Thus, I've had many years to sing it and ponder its meaning through different phases of life. The original poem was written by Christina Georgina Rossetti, and appeared in Sribner's Monthly in January of 1872. The melody, Cranham, was composed by Gustav Holst in 1906.
One of the difficulties in setting the hymn to music is that the irregularity of the syllables in the poem cause rythmic difficulties. (I can still remember our choir director giving us instruction in regard to getting the right syllables over the correct notes.) In a sense, this is fitting since the second verse reads, "Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, Nor earth sustain... "
Those words are especially intriguing. What does it mean to say heaven cannot hold him? The prophets along with St. John in the Book of Revelation have given us marvelous visions of the Kingdom of Heaven. John has difficulty describing it; his vocabulary is too limited, the prophets are nearly stunned into silence at what they see. Yet a picture emerges of a place that is filled with the glory of God, with angels and cherubim and saraphim as well as the saints leading the host of heaven in praise. Heaven has enough space for all of these, yet it cannot hold Jesus Christ. Jesus own heavenly kingdom cannot hold him and this is not surprising. His grace, mercy and love are too great for the heavenly realm. Thus, the incarnation is heavenly necessity. The grace of Jesus has made it so.
"Nor earth Sustain..." From the moment of the incarnation earth cannot sustain the the Word made Flesh. John's gospel tells us that he came to his own people and they did not receive him. He came to Bethlehem the ancient home of his ancestor David, and Herod sought to have him killed. Jesus is the first Christmas gift to be returned. We sent him to the grave from Calvary. Just as heaven could not hold him, nor earth sustain, the grave also could make no claim upon him. The grace of God cannot be denied, the gift cannot be given back, and indeed "Heaven and earth shall flee away, when he comes to reign."
Some forty-six years ago I learned this hymn. I was seven or eight years old, and with my brothers, sang in my home congregation's junior choir. Thus, I've had many years to sing it and ponder its meaning through different phases of life. The original poem was written by Christina Georgina Rossetti, and appeared in Sribner's Monthly in January of 1872. The melody, Cranham, was composed by Gustav Holst in 1906.
One of the difficulties in setting the hymn to music is that the irregularity of the syllables in the poem cause rythmic difficulties. (I can still remember our choir director giving us instruction in regard to getting the right syllables over the correct notes.) In a sense, this is fitting since the second verse reads, "Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, Nor earth sustain... "
Those words are especially intriguing. What does it mean to say heaven cannot hold him? The prophets along with St. John in the Book of Revelation have given us marvelous visions of the Kingdom of Heaven. John has difficulty describing it; his vocabulary is too limited, the prophets are nearly stunned into silence at what they see. Yet a picture emerges of a place that is filled with the glory of God, with angels and cherubim and saraphim as well as the saints leading the host of heaven in praise. Heaven has enough space for all of these, yet it cannot hold Jesus Christ. Jesus own heavenly kingdom cannot hold him and this is not surprising. His grace, mercy and love are too great for the heavenly realm. Thus, the incarnation is heavenly necessity. The grace of Jesus has made it so.
"Nor earth Sustain..." From the moment of the incarnation earth cannot sustain the the Word made Flesh. John's gospel tells us that he came to his own people and they did not receive him. He came to Bethlehem the ancient home of his ancestor David, and Herod sought to have him killed. Jesus is the first Christmas gift to be returned. We sent him to the grave from Calvary. Just as heaven could not hold him, nor earth sustain, the grave also could make no claim upon him. The grace of God cannot be denied, the gift cannot be given back, and indeed "Heaven and earth shall flee away, when he comes to reign."
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