Grace Upon Grace

Grace Upon Grace

John 1:1-18[1]

It’s not hard to understand the sentiment that putting 2020 behind us is “good riddance.” It has been a hard year for all of us. We who enjoy being around people have struggled with the isolation. For some of us, 2020 has been positively brutal. The longer the pandemic goes, the more likely we are to know someone who has had the virus. Even worse, the longer it goes, the more likely we are to know someone who has died from the virus. For many reasons, we have experienced the losses of this year more deeply than perhaps ever before.

When we go through hard times like this, we can respond in a variety of ways. I’m concerned that some of us are hoping that changing the calendar will somehow make it possible for us to “go back” to the way things were before the pandemic. And while I look forward to the day when we can gather freely again, based on my experience I would say that “going back” is never really an option in life. In truth, who really wants to “go back” to major cities clogged with traffic and smothered in smog? Who really wants to “go back” to a way of life that can fairly accurately be described as a “rat race”?

Our Gospel lesson for today is about another major change in human experience: the “Word” who was with God in the beginning and who is God became “flesh.” And he did so in order to reveal the truth of God’s amazing grace and unfailing love to us all. That’s a hard concept to wrap our heads around. How can God really become human? I can’t explain it, and I don’t know that anyone ever has or ever will. But I believe it. Not because of philosophical reasons or a biological miracle. I believe it because at the heart of our Gospel lesson is the message that the God whose very nature is love entered our world in the person of Jesus in order to share that love with us all.[2]

If there’s one word in the New Testament that summarizes the gift that God has given to us in his son our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ, it’s grace. And so it comes as no surprise to us when our Gospel lesson says that the first Christians saw in Jesus “the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth” (Jn. 1:14). More than that we are told, “From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (Jn. 1:16).  

Because we’ve heard words like this from the Bible so many times, it’s easy for us to overlook the fact that John’s Gospel goes “over the top” to describe the gift we have received in Jesus the Christ. I’m afraid that phrase “grace upon grace” gets lost in our hearing. In fact, our translations have a hard time putting it in words. Some of them, like the NIV and the NLT, render it with “one blessing after another.” I prefer Gene Peterson’s translation in The Message: “We all live off his generous bounty, gift after gift after gift.” In this first chapter of John’s Gospel, the meaning is clear: Jesus comes to us as the one who brings God’s grace. And he brings so much of it that all you can call it is “grace piled on top of grace.”[3]  

John’s Gospel uses other words like light and truth and life to describe the gifts Jesus brought to us. But there’s one very important aspect of this gift that is clear in John’s Gospel. The divine Word became human in the person of Jesus in order to make God known to us (John 1:18). The NT doesn’t offer a lot in the way of explanation about what “incarnation” is or how it took place. But it does have some definitive things to say about what it means for us. And one of the central affirmations of the NT is that the loving and grace-filled God whom Jesus reveals to us truly is God.[4]

If you’ve been joining us in reading through the Bible this year, you may have some question about that. The image of God in the book of Numbers is a very different one—if “common” Israelites got “too close” to God they would be struck dead. The image of God in Deuteronomy is equally troubling—anyone who sins must be executed in order to prevent an angry God from destroying the people. I struggle to make sense out of those ideas. About the best I can come up with is that they must have had something to do with how people understood God in a very different time and place.

But that is definitively not the God whom Jesus came to “explain” to us (John 1:18, NASB). Jesus shows us the God who showers us all with “gift after gift after gift,” with “grace piled on top of grace.” That may be hard for us to see in our actual lives this year. It may be even harder for us to grasp that everything we’ve been through has been accompanied by God’s grace. If we look at it from that perspective, I think the truth of our experience this year is not one of trying to “go back,” but rather one of moving forward into the new life that God is creating for us all. It may be hard to accept 2020 as a “gift” from God, but if we can look at it through the lens of “grace upon grace,” perhaps we can see it as an opportunity to grow and learn to live in better ways than ever before.

---

[1] © 2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 1/3/2021 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Cf. Jürgen Moltmann, The Trinity and the Kingdom, 114, where he describes the incarnation as an expression of the “eternally self-communicating love of God.” Cf. also ibid., pp. 120-22.

[3] Cf. Christine D. Pohl, “Homeward Bound,” The Christian Century (Dec. 27, 2005): 19. Cf. also Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics 4.3.1:236, who speaks of it as “inexhaustible, victorious grace which can be followed only by more grace.”

[4] Cf. Gail R. O’Day “The Gospel of John” New Interpreters Bible IX:524, “John 1:14-18 is not theological speculation about the character of the incarnate Word, but the testimony of those whose lives have been changed by the incarnation.”

From This Time Forth

From This Time Forth

Isaiah 9:2-7[1]

When life seems to be stuck in a rut, it can be hard to adjust our perspective. We get so focused on the “rut” that we can’t see much beyond that. If things keep going on the same day after day, all we can see is more of the same. After a while, it can get to you. After a long time, we can lose hope and wonder what the point of it all is! That’s a challenge even in the best of times—we seem to be so wired to see what’s wrong that we can miss what’s right. In these times, when we’ve been facing a pandemic, an economic crisis, and political and social turmoil, it might seem impossible to find any “good news” with which to lighten the burden.

The people about whom our lesson from Isaiah speaks are said to be living in darkness. That wasn’t necessarily the case for the people of Isaiah’s day. But he seemed to know that they would face hard times in the future. Specifically, they would be conquered by a foreign power. Not only would they experience the violence of war, they would also know firsthand the injustice of oppression. We know from history that after their defeat, they worked to provide for their families only to see a substantial portion of it going to the despots who were masters of their land. It’s very likely they saw themselves stuck in that situation with no way out. Many of them may have assumed that this was simply going to be their lot in life.

Into the midst of that dire situation, Isaiah announced the coming of light into their darkness, the coming of joy into their despair. He promised in the name of the Lord that the “yoke” of their oppressors would be broken. Even more, he promised that the violence of war would be no more, for all the implements of warfare would be destroyed, and even the uniforms of soldiers would be burned. Isaiah promised that a child would be born who would bring true peace and justice to them. And the promise was that this peace and justice would define their lives “from this time forth and forevermore.”

 Isaiah calls the one who would come to bring this light, “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6). Given our perspective, and our traditions of worship at Christmas, we naturally assume that Isaiah was predicting the coming of Jesus here. But to make that assumption would mean that his message didn’t really apply to the people living 700 years before Jesus was born. If we read our lesson in its historical context, it seems clear that it’s talking about the birth of a king who would lead the nation of Judah to freedom by establishing peace and justice. Given the setting, it’s likely that in the first place Isaiah was talking about the birth of Hezekiah, who was known as the best of the kings of Judah.

But even the best of kings are still only human. Although Hezekiah’s reign was a bright light in comparison with his ancestors, the sober truth is that the lofty promises God made to his people through the prophet were not fully realized in that day. The fact that even the best of the kings of Judah fell short gave rise to the hope that one day a king would come who would truly and finally fulfill the hope for justice that would enable all people to thrive together and that would bring lasting peace.

That was what made it possible that Matthew could (and I would say should) present Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the promised one who would come to set things right “from this time forth and forevermore.” As the words of the Hymn “O Holy Night” remind us, “His law is love and His Gospel is Peace; Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother; And in His name, all oppression shall cease.” We celebrate his birth because it marks a major turning point in God’s work of fulfilling his promise.

If we’re honest with ourselves, however, our world is still plague by warfare, violence, injustice, and oppression. People in our own community experience these burdens in their daily lives. What are we to make of a promise that hasn’t yet reached complete fulfillment, even after so many years? Some turn cynical, and view lofty promises like these as “wishful thinking.” Some turn to despair, and simply go deeper into the darkness. Some simply try to fill their lives with all that this life has to offer in the effort to ignore the emptiness in their souls.

But there is another way to look at this. While it is true that the promises God made so long ago through the prophet Isaiah have not yet been completely fulfilled, I think we can say that what we see in the birth of Jesus is the dawning of the light. In him we have the hope that God is not yet finished with his work of salvation. Through Jesus we can trust that God will be faithful to keep the promises he has made—if not in our time, on the final day. As Isaiah said so powerfully, “the zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this” (Isa. 9:7, NIV)!

In Jesus, we have the promise that one day God’s name will be hallowed on earth as it is in heaven and God’s kingdom will come on earth as it is in heaven and God’s purpose will be done on earth as it is in heaven! And that means a day when all oppression is undone and all violence is banished and all injustice is removed. What remains is the peace and the joy of life as God intended it. The fact that we already see this light shining in the darkness sustains our hope that God will fulfill every promise in due time. But it also points us to the good news that God’s peace is already here for us “from this time forth and forevermore.”

---

[1] ©2020 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 12/24/2020 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

Joy to the World!

 

Joy to the World!

Isaiah 61:1-11[1]

As I mentioned last week, for some of us this time of year is very difficult. It’s hard to feel like you’re a part of the “festivities.” Instead of joy, the “Holidays” bring sadness. As a matter of fact, I’m one of those people. I’ve dealt with this all my adult life. It relates to issues that go back to my family of origin, but that’s too long a story to tell here. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve always loved Christmas Eve services. Somehow, the “pall” that seems to hang over me during this time of year lifts with Christmas Eve. But otherwise, it’s difficult for me to “get into the spirit” of “Christmas cheer.” I know that I’m not alone in that. That’s one reason for mentioning it—so that others will know that they’re not alone.

For those of us who struggle with the “Holiday Season,” the promise of joy can seem hollow. The wounds we’ve endured in this life have so sensitized us to the suffering in our world that no amount of tinsel or lights or wrapping or sweets can distract us from the fact that it can all feel very hollow! While we are spending an incredible amount of money on ourselves, we are surrounded by people who are struggling just to put food on the table, just to keep the electricity going, or just to keep a roof over their heads. It makes it hard to get into the whole message of hope, peace, joy, and love when it seems like there’s precious little of it going around for those who need it most.

I believe our lesson from Isaiah for today addresses this problem. As I’ve mentioned before, this portion of Isaiah was addressed to those who had lost everything at the hands of the Babylonians. God had made good on the promise to bring them back to their homeland, but when they got there, the reality of their “salvation” fell far short of what they had hoped. They returned to a land that had been devastated by war and left a wasteland. Their lives were harder than ever, and it seemed that the God who had promised to deliver them had failed to make good on those promises. Their faith was spent and their lives seemed hopeless.

What’s more, after going through years of exile that were intended to teach them to follow God’s ways, they still hadn’t learned their lesson. They still failed to practice what the prophet spoke of as “righteousness” and “justice,” which refers to God’s intention that all people should thrive together, equally. Isaiah defines “righteousness” this way: “to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke” (Isa 58:6). He gets more specific: God’s intent was that they would share with the hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked (Isa 58:7). But they were too wrapped up with their own concerns to actually put God’s “righteousness” into practice.

As a result, God promised to come and set things right himself. And that brings us to the lesson for today. Here, one who speaks like “the Servant of the Lord” announces that God had anointed him to “to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isa 61:1). He promised to give the “oil of gladness” to those who were mourning—very likely because they were struggling just to survive. The prophet promised in the name of the LORD that God would cause “righteousness” to grow up and flourish like a lush garden! In other words, God promised to set right all that was wrong, to relieve their suffering, and to establish true justice that would enable them all to thrive together, equally.

We know of this message in the Bible—we call it “social justice.” But for some reason, we seem to miss how important it is in God’s saving purpose. We tend to think of our “eternal destiny” as the “important” part of “salvation.” From that perspective, anything we do to help alleviate suffering in this world is good, but it’s not “necessary.” It’s sort of something “extra” that those who are exceptionally caring do, but it’s not a “required” part of the Christian life. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth! Throughout the Bible, it is clear that the work of “righteousness” or “justice” that makes it possible for us all to thrive together is not a “side note” to God’s purpose. Rather, it central to God’s saving work in this world![2] And God’s promise to do this calls us all to take up the work of establishing “righteousness” in our world!

The thought occurred to me that perhaps this year we’re all having difficulty finding joy in the holiday season. This year we may not be able to observe all the “festivities” we would like. However, it might not be a bad thing for us to have to look deeper to find the joy of Christmas. True joy is about the promise that God would send us a Savior who would not only proclaim the good news, but who would also enact it by relieving suffering and setting all things right in the world. If we find it challenging to see that promise fulfilled in our day and time, we can remember that that God isn’t finished with his saving work. The promise points forward to the time when Jesus will complete the work of establishing “righteousness” so that all people can thrive together and enjoy the life God intends for us. I think that may offer a hope that can bring joy not only to us, but also to the whole world!

---

[1] © 2020 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 12/13/2020 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Cf. T. E. Fretheim, “The Prophets and Social Justice: A Conservative Agenda,” in Word & World 28 (Spring 2008): 163, “God's concern about matters of social justice was believed to be so strong and so pervasive that it was built into the very heart of the covenantal promises. And God was and will be faithful to such promises.”

Peace on Earth

 

Peace on Earth

Isaiah 64:1-12

For some of us, the search for peace takes us no farther than our own family, our friends, our community of faith, and our home. For some of us peace is as close to us as our hearts. For others, the search for peace can be incredibly elusive. Especially this year, in this time of pandemic, political turmoil, and economic uncertainty. And for many of us, this time of year is anything but peaceful. When, for whatever reason, our lives have seemed to come to a standstill, it can leave us feeling left out and alone. Anything but joyful. Anything but peaceful. For many of us, this is a time of year not to celebrate, but to survive. The promise of “peace on earth” can seem hollow.

And yet the promise of a true and lasting peace is just what our lesson for this morning is talking about. The cry “Comfort, O comfort my people” introduces a major shift in the book of Isaiah.  Prior to this, the message of Isaiah mostly concerns a rebuke of the people’s sins and a call to repentance.  But now, there is something new at work. The God who gave the people over to the consequences of their sins and allowed them to go into exile now announces that he comes to bring peace to those who have suffered for so long.

As we saw last week, the prophet gives voice to the doubts and fears of a people who have struggled to endure the long years of their exile. He calls out, “All people are grass, their constancy is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, when the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass” (Isa. 40:6-7). In other words, they think they have about as much chance surviving the exile as the grass does surviving a severe drought. For a people who had lost everything and have had to put forth every ounce of effort just to survive in exile, the promise that God was coming to comfort them may have seemed an empty one. During their exile there were many false prophets who had gotten their hopes up for a speedy release. Now, when this prophet announces in the name of the Lord that the time for their restoration has finally come, they may have had no more faith to give to promises.

In response, one of the themes of this section of Isaiah is that God’s word does not fail. Here, the answer to the cry of despair, “surely the people are grass” is that, while grass may wither, “the word of our God will stand forever” (40:8). While some might apply this to Scripture in general, in this setting it is an assurance that God will not leave his promises of salvation, restoration, and renewal unfulfilled. In another passage, Isaiah puts it this way: “as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace” (Isa. 55:10-12). The prophet declared in the name of the Lord that “the word of God” accomplishes what it promises—to bring comfort, peace, and renewed faith to a weary people.

In Isaiah, the good news is that God comes to reconcile and to heal and to restore all people, along with all creation. That’s why Isaiah could speak of God’s coming like a shepherd who gently carries the lambs who are either too weak to make it back to safety or who perhaps have been injured (Isa. 40:11). And the message of restoration fills the whole book of Isaiah. Through the prophet the Lord promises to end violence and warfare (Isa. 2:4), suffering and oppression (Isa. 25:8). The Lord promises to set a rich feast for all peoples (Isa. 25:6), and to set right all the wrongs (Isa. 28:5-6). The Lord promises to restore and heal those are weak and injured (Isa. 35:3-6). And again, in case there is any doubt about these promises, the Lord affirms, “My purpose shall stand, and I will fulfill my intention” (Isa. 46:10).

As we discussed last week, the season of Advent is a time for examining our hearts and lives. But the season of Advent is also a time to lift up our hearts and look for the peace that God has promised to bring to his people. In our lesson for today, “preparing the way for the Lord” means that “Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain” (40:4) In other words, the return journey to Jerusalem would be much easier for the exiles than their forced march into Babylon. And the prophet promises that at that time “the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together” (40:5). The heart of that glorious display would be God’s restoration for all people, bringing us true peace at last. 

Advent is season when we’re called to look to God in faith. Part of that involves taking a hard look at ourselves. But the season of Advent also calls us to trust in the promises of our God, promises of salvation, restoration, and renewal. Promises that, like a shepherd gently and tenderly cares for sheep who have been injured (Isa. 40:11), God will bring peace to all those who are suffering. In these days, some of us may have no more faith left to give to promises of any kind. But even when we don’t see God’s promises fulfilled immediately, we can trust that God will fulfill them ultimately. When God promises to bring “peace on earth,” we can trust in those promises because what God promises, God accomplishes!

[1] © Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 12/6/2020 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.