By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, (Christmas 2)

John’s opening proclamation, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. 14And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.” (John 1: 1-3, 14) and Paul in his opening proclamation: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1: 3) would like us to begin to understand that Christmas, the birth of the Word made flesh,(as told by John) is not about the salvation of individual souls from hell. It is about the reclamation of all creation in the Cosmic Love of God through Christ. It’s about the here and now.

Peterson’s The Message gives us Paul’s words this way: How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.  It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.(Ephesians 1 :3-4, 11-12 MSG)

What if we could even begin to grasp that even now through Christ God takes us to the high places of blessings. Or more traditionally, we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing that exists in heavenly places. 

This is what Jesus meant when he proclaims that the kingdom of God is here in our midst. It is what is meant when we are told that the Holy Spirit, the exact same Spirit that was in Jesus, lives in us. This is why John tells us that the Word, the sacred voice of God has become flesh. And it is in that Word, in Christ, that we find out who we are and what we are living for. John writes: 

He came to his own people,

    but they didn’t want him.

But whoever did want him,

    who believed he was who he claimed

    and would do what he said,

He made to be their true selves,

    their child-of-God selves.

Children of God with access to every spiritual blessing. Can you see it?

Historically, the church (the world) has taken this to mean power. And in a way, the church is right. But it is our concept of power that is wrong. We are too quick to take off and claim the world for God in our own ways.

Jesus, fully equipped with the Holy Spirit, goes into the wilderness to spend time getting to know the God that is Christ and God’s ways. Jesus spends time in the hills praying and opening up his humanity to God’s way. We have so much to learn.

Claiming the heavenly blessings requires spending time to become open to them. Working out God’s purpose takes spiritual strength. We can have all the finances we will ever need and never take part in the calling of God for the reclamation of creation. While God’s blessings may provide the finances, the finances can never provide God’s blessings.

Each new year I try to find a word or a motto, or a battle cry if you will, for the year’s journey. I “stumbled” across it early this year, and am compelled to share it with you. I don’t know if or how it might be a motto for you and your church, or if this is simply for me to hold near. Either way, I give it to you for your consideration.

In my centering prayer contemplation these words came up from Isaiah 30:15. “In returning and rest you shall be saved;  in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”  According to Strong’s dictionary, the word “returning” can also mean retirement or withdrawal. Perhaps as in Matthew 6:6 where Jesus tells us “go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

Isaiah goes on to say: But you refused and said,

‘No! We will flee upon horses’—

    therefore you shall flee!

and, ‘We will ride upon swift steeds’—

We will go out and claim the world with that which we understand as power. And it isn’t through quietness and trust. We’ll do it our way.

Jesus was born to show us the way of God’s kingdom, here and now. Through that birth, God’s voice of ultimate wisdom in the flesh named Jesus, all spiritual blessings have been made fully accessible to us. And throughout scripture, (don’t take my word for it, check it out) God calls us to know and access God’s blessings and strength and salvation through quiet trust, through withdrawal. This seems to be God’s way.

What is it you and your church body are seeking? What are you called to? Who has God created you to be? 

We can ride off on our high horses of human knowledge and certainty or we can quietly wait upon the Lord to show us where we fit into his great reclamation of creation begun over 2000 years ago. Or in fact, before the world began.

We are blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing. That is Christmas! Let’s receive all God gives.

Isaiah 30: 15 as translated in my centering praying contemplation:

By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies.

If you are at all interested in centering prayer, I would love to talk.