Second Sunday after Christmas
Notes
Transcript
The home alone sequence
The home alone sequence
In Luke 2:40-52 we have what one of our parishioners called, the home alone scene in the Gospel of Luke.
We will cover 2 things today:
The Personal Union of Christ
Christian Growth (Our Personal Union w/ Christ)
The Personal Union
The Personal Union
What do we do with the seemingly opposite ideas given to us in Luke?
Jesus is fully man. (Was incarnate by Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, was made man)
Jesus is fully God. (God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God)
And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
If Jesus is just a man then it can do one of two things:
You and I look like REAL slouches
Does not offer atonement, Honor the dead- but don’t worship (revolutionary war, patriotism)
If he is God but not man we suffer from another issue:
God looks weak, not omniscient or omnipotent
You and I all of a sudden look much better than we really are (deifies our flesh)
How do we say that Jesus is both all knowing and that He grew in wisdom and stature?
We must say both, Jesus is all knowing according to His divine nature
But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.
As a human Jesus doesn’t know some things. BUT he remains divine.
“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
Confessing the Gospel: A Lutheran Approach to Systematic Theology, Volumes One & Two Participation in the Divine and Human Attributes and Works
Because the divine and human natures of Christ constitute one person, the attributes belonging essentially to only one nature are always ascribed to the whole person, but the divine attributes according to the divine nature, and the human attributes according to the human nature.
In short, as Lutheran Christians our solution to the divine man question is simply to say both. Jesus is God and Jesus is man.
Brene Brown said that one of the greatest qualifications of a leader (a heart of love) is the ability to hold paradox. “The ability to be tough and tender, excited and scared, brave and afraid all in the same moment.”
Our Personal Union
Our Personal Union
We as the church must consider the paradox of how we become one body- one as a church and one with the Lord.
As we look at our culture today it is apparent that we are losing the ability to hold onto paradox. This is detrimental not just to the church but also to the wellbeing and flourishing of the world.
Paul when I brush my teeth, I love you! When I mow, shovel, … put you in time out
-broke my heart.
It is imperative that we teach our children about our God because it teaches them how to live in the tensions of our world.
You can fail a test and still be a good student.
Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth! I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old, things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us. We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders that he has done. He established a testimony in Jacob and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children, that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children, so that they should set their hope in God and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;
Parables force us to think outside of the hard and fast rules - they prepare us for paradox.
Saint/Sinner, God/Man, Body/Bread, Blood/Wine, Communal/Individual
Rep. or Dem. can be a kind and generous person
Broncos & Huskies can be gainfully employed
Privilege and Position can be used for both good or evil.
There is beauty in brokenness - repentance is good
Christians embrace tension and live in it.
What paradox are you struggling with?
The most effective teacher is culture (ethos) not law (nomos)
“You cannot have God as your Father without having the church as your mother” - Cyprian
a call for the church to live together
Jesus grew up in community:
but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
Jesus grew up in church:
After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
Jesus grew in wisdom through these venues
When was the last time you read your bible in community?
When was the last time you read your bible to your child or a loved one.
If you’re not doing it - whose voice are they/you hearing in the void?
Who is teaching you? Culture? Who is teaching your child?
Don’t over complicate it (Christian book flier)
Small Patterns grow us closer to Christ and His body:
(Regular Church attendance) - less than half attend weekly.
Roughly 1/3 of those have stopped attending since July.
Prayer - regular - Lord’s Prayer
Psalm with your kiddo? Story bible? Single Commandment?
Acts of service: Shoveling Snow - Giving (Tithing/financial growth)
Time - how do you spend your time?
Don’t be afraid to not understand (Even Jesus grew in wisdom!)
ConcordiaPullman.org/resources
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
God promised you His holy Spirit in Baptism and in His church. God is with you, this church is with you as we all pursue union with Christ.
This week pray like Solomon about how God can grant you wisdom in your understanding and practice of Paradox.
Know this - it won’t save you but it will bless you. Amen.