Jesus, the Christ
“The beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Christ, Child of God.” — Mark 1:1
Quite a while ago, a couple of friends gave me a gift certificate to the Colgate Bookstore. But it was only several weeks ago I took the time to cash it in.
I bought two books. You’ve probably heard of one them— Moneyball, a book about how statistics are used in Baseball. It was recently made into a movie staring Brad Pitt. Baseball fan that I am, I finally caught up with the book.
The other book I had not heard about. But, historian that I am, I found the dust cover interesting, so I bought it. Much to my surprise, I just heard the book won the National Book Award for non-fiction. This book is The Swerve (the Pastor repeats the title and waves his had as if it has made a sharp turn)— that’s The Swerve, by Stephen Greenblatt.
That odd sounding title is actually a description of what seems to be a sharp turn in European history. It describes the transition from what we euphemistically call the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.
Of course, the so called Middle Ages are sometimes referred to in popular culture as the “Dark Ages,” a time when Western civilization collapsed. The Renaissance, on the other hand, is thought to be a time of renewed achievement for Western Civilization.
Why do we label the Middle Ages as a time when Western civilization went downhill? Greenblatt supplies the answer. There are a string of the accomplishments humanity can claim, all of which happen before the birth of Christ. By the Middle Ages, humanity has forgotten nearly all these accomplishments.
This is a list of achievement in antiquity: Archimedes proposed the mathematical constant known as “pi,” the ratio of any circle’s circumference to its diameter. That laid the groundwork for calculus. Eratosthenes posited the earth was round and, using “pi,” calculated its circumference to within one percent. Therefore, geographers thought that by sailing West from what is now Spain, we could reach what is now India.
Astronomers proposed a universe where our Sun is at the center of a planetary system. They determined length of the year was 365¼ days and came up with the idea of adding a “leap year day” every fourth year to compensate.
Engineers developed hydraulics and pneumatics. People studied anatomy and for the first time understood how the brain and the nervous system interact, how the heart and the digestive system operate and conducted experiments in nutrition. [1] Again, all this was known or done by the human race before the birth of Jesus, over 2,000 years ago.
And then we forgot. By the time the Middle ages arrive, most people believe the Earth is at the center of our planetary system and the Earth is flat. We count the year in 365 day chunks but do nothing about that extra quarter day.
It will be the 1600s before Isaac Newton discovers calculus and describes the mathematics of the planets as they circle the Sun. In the 1600s the microscope is invented. This allows us to have insights into the human body and draw conclusions to which the ancients had already come.
In the 1600s the telescope comes into use. Thereby, we begin to collect information about the skies through observation and make conclusions about the nature of the world and aspects of it that the ancients had arrived at through mathematics.
In 1582 the calendar we use today— with 365¼ days— is introduced by Pope Gregory XIII. But only countries where Catholicism is dominant adopt it at that point. People in the countries where Protestants hold sway think that Catholics can do nothing of worth. Many Protestant countries do not adopt the new, clearly better system until the mid 1700s. Britain does so in 1752. [2]
So, what happened in between? What happened in that so called “Middle Age,” that so called “Dark Age?” Did people simply forget? (Slight pause.)
Most historians say the cause of this forgetfulness is incessant tribalism— which calendar to use being a very good example of tribalism— incessant tribalism leads to willful ignorance— willful ignorance— and the breakdown of institutions. This seems to be the cause rather than simply forgetfulness.
Hence on the institution side, government, the Church, academia all saw turbulent times. The institution which did survive, the church, for all its flaws, often unknowingly preserved some of the record which tells us about the achievements of ancient Egypt and ancient Greece and ancient Rome. (Slight pause.)
Some say today we are headed toward similar disaster, another “Middle Age,” another time of forgetfulness about who we are and our achievements because of tribalism and the breakdown of institutions. Certainly, there is an air of feeling less secure and uncertainty about the future than we have had in a long time.
But it’s too early to predict Armageddon or another “Middle Age” type of time. After all, the 1930s and 1940s were uncertain and turbulent, were they not? So, perhaps the two things we need to do to stave off another “Middle Age” is each of us needs to be involved in institutional life and willful ignorance, so often born of tribalism— even tribalism within one institution— needs to be countered. (Slight pause.)
And these words are at the very beginning, the first words we hear in the Gospel we know as Mark: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Christ, Child of God.” (Slight pause.)
It has often been said those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. But equally, those who wallow in the past are doomed to have a broken vision of the future.
It should be stunning to us that with these several words Mark, Mark who writes some two thousand years ago, addresses those issues. You see, Mark, for starters, with these words, addresses who Jesus is. Jesus is the Christ.
It was said when this reading was introduced that there is no Nativity story in Mark. But this is the Nativity story in Mark— Jesus is the Christ— because this is what the Nativity stories are about: Jesus is the Christ.
The true and full meaning of the Nativity story is not centered on shepherds or angels or babies or mangers or inns. The Nativity stories have one meaning: Jesus is the Christ.
Now, I don’t want to be misunderstood here: I am not trying to do away with or abandon shepherds or angels or babies or mangers or inns. These can all add layers to the Nativity story, ways which help us understand the Nativity story. Indeed, shepherds or angels or babies or mangers or inns should all point us— point us— to the true and full meaning of the Nativity story: Jesus is the Christ. (Slight pause.)
So, if Jesus is the Christ, how does that relate to the past and to the future and to our forgetfulness? (Slight pause.) First: our forgetfulness. When we hear the Gospels we tend to concentrate on the action in the stories from the Nativity, to the Life and the Work, to the Death, to the Resurrection of Jesus. But with our very concentration on all these aspects, we need to be reminded that the meaning in all those stories is never any different than the first words proclaimed by Mark: Jesus is the Christ.
Second: how does this relate to the past? (Slight pause.) In Jesus, God fulfills the promise God has made throughout history, throughout the Hebrew Scriptures: a Messiah will be with us. In the words of the theologian Nicholas Thomas Wright Jesus is (quote) “The Climax of the Covenant.” This is the fulfillment of the history of God with humanity.
Third: how does this relate to the future? (Slight pause.) If Jesus is the Christ, how are we to respond to that? Does that change our lives in any way? Are we called to change our relationship with God and with other people in any way? — the future. (Slight pause.)
The Sundays in Advent are celebrated as the Sundays of Hope, Peace, Love and Joy. This week we celebrate Peace. What is the peace of God?
The peace of God is not the absence of violence or conflict. The peace of God means God is present to us at all times and in all places.
As Christians, what we maintain is that Jesus lives— God is present to us at all times and in all places. And does that call us to change our relationship with God and with other people? (Slight pause.)
So, what does the Nativity mean? It means Jesus is the Christ. It means God is present to us at all times and in all places. It means the peace of God is with us. It means God stands with us as we consider our past and as we plan and look toward our future. Amen.
12/04/2011
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Choral Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “What I did not directly address in my comments is how internal tribalism in the church is countered. The only way I know to counter internal tribalism in the church is to understand that Jesus is the Christ and that we are all one in Christ.”
BENEDICTION: Let us be present to one another as we go from this place. Let us share our gifts, our hopes, our memories, our pain and our joy. Go in joy for God knows every fiber of our being. Go in hope for God reveals to us, daily, that we are a part of God’s new creation. Go in love, for we rest assured, by Christ, Jesus, that God is steadfast. Go in peace for God is with us. And may the peace of God which surpasses understanding be with us this day and forevermore. Amen.
[1] Page 87 of the aforementioned book.
[2] Yes, when you talk about the 1700s one gets into the Enlightenment rather than the Renaissance. But there is only so much room for data in a sermon.
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