Sunday, 11-25-2007
Proper 29, Year C
by Fr Aidan Hix
St. Aidan’s Church in Antioch, CA
Title- Christ, The Hidden Theme of the Universe.
Inspired by "Narnia’s Secret: The Seven Heavens of the Chronicles Revealed," (Touchstone Magazine),
written by Father Michael Ward, a priest in the Church of England, and current resident warden of The Kilns, Lewis’s Oxford home.
Many of the statements in the sermon are direct quotes or paraphrases from Fr Ward's article without specific citation for each reference used. Please see the article by Touchstone for the full article wwhich inspired the sermon and meditation or Lectio Divina.
- Text: Col. 1.11-20
9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 13who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; 14in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins: 15who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; 17and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell; 20and through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.
INTRO:
#1 - The Power of stories or myths is in there quality & atmosphere not merely in the sequence of events that makes up the plot and climax.
- C.S. Lewis, "To be stories at all, stories must be a series of events; but it must be understood that this series-the plot, as we call it-is only really a net whereby to catch something else. The real theme may be, and perhaps usually is, something that has no sequence in it, something other than a process and much more like a state or quality." (On Stories).
- Example: the quality of "Redskinnery" in The Last of the Mohicans
When the hero of the story is half sleeping by his bivouac fire in the woods while a Redskin with a tomahawk is silently creeping up on him from behind, what makes for the essence of the scene is not simply peril, but the whole world to which this kind of peril belongs; the snow and snow shoes, the canoes, the wigwams, the feathered headdress, the war-paint, the Hiawatha names. A crook with a revolver would have conveyed a significantly different experience to the reader, even though the danger he represented might have been greater. - #2
The stories of Husband & Wives
over time the very things for which we fell in love become lost, taken, for granted, forgotten, hidden - #3
How do we approach the stories & message of the Bible?
Our human condition is that we often, in our attempt to understand and control our universe, miss the very essence, atmosphere, or quality of the world we live in.
Example: Dark Matter or Dark energy to explain the missing ingredient of what hold our world together. Yet, we miss Christ, in whom were all things created.
When we approach scripture, we too often do not look for the story-the quality or atmosphere of the passage- but for the principles and precepts laid down line upon line in a sequence of events or truth statements which lead us to Doctrinal certitude.
Wow! How exciting doctrine is! But for all the indispensable necessity of doctrine and knowing what Christians are required to believe, it does not inflame our hearts with the same passion as a story.
For example, it is one thing to know the doctrine of the crucifixion but remember how powerfully moved we were by watching Mel Gibson’s, "The Passion of the Christ."
We must seek for the hidden or forgotten element in the story - NOTES:
- We typically think of God or Christ as something "out there, up there, back there, or in there"
- Thus, God becomes something taken for granted or forgotten
Christ is the image of the invisible God-St Paul says he is "the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; 17and he is before all things, and in him all things consist". - Image implies invisibility-
- C.S. Lewis speaks of even our very thoughts about Christ were themselves held together by Christ. We cannot in that sense step outside of Christ and look at him or God as if we were some external spectator. This puts us in a miraculous predicament. Lewis says:
- "The fact which is in one respect the most obvious and primary fact, and through which alone you have access to all the other facts, may be precisely the one that is most easily forgotten- forgotten not because it is so remote or abstruse but because it is so near and so obvious. And that is exactly how the supernatural has been forgotten.
- Natural human tendency to oblivious of the obvious:
Lewis (Miracles): " Since that divine power if it exists, would not be one of the observed facts but a reality which makes them, no mere observation of the facts can find it." - Lewis (Letters to Malcolm): "We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowned with Him. He walks everywhere incognito."
- The "overlookability" of God
- We must look for the cryptic of Kappa element (Kappa first letter of the Greek word meaning cryptic or hidden)
- Illustration: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe:
"Always winter, and never Christmas." -probably the most famous words C.S. Lewis ever wrote. - Mr Beaver, referring to the Witch, says, "Didn’t I tell you that she made it always winter and never Christmas?"
- Peter exclaims when coming out of the wardrobe, "By Jove!"
Who is Jove? Jove is the ruling planet Jupiter, "the wise and kingly planet, the conqueror of winter" - God is disguised as a mere god. He is God incognito.
- Jupiter is the wounded planet (red spot):
Charles William poem, "Pelles bleeds below Jupiter’s red-pierced planet."
Lewis: "Williams assumes that the huge reddish spot which astronomers observe on the surface of Jupiter is a wound and the redness is that of blood. Jupiter, the planet of kingship, thus wounded becomes, like the wounded King Pelles (from Arthurian mythology), another ectype of the Divine King wounded on Calvary." - Thus, Jupiter is manifested as Aslan’s Calvary like death on the Stone Table
It destroys winter and forgives Edmunds betrayal. - Aslan is King and is introduced as "the king of the wood...the king of the beasts...he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King."
- Excerpt from Father Wards article:
"And not only is Aslan King, Peter and Edmund become kings by the end of the story (The Last Battle); the story is really about how it happens. Edmund wants it to happen in his own way, by siding with the witch, who has ensnared him with her declaration that she wants a boy who would be king of Narnia after she is gone. Eventually, he realizes that she did not intend to make him King...
The true King is Aslan, who has his own plans for the children. He shows Peter, "the castle where you are to be King" and tells him, "You will be high King over all the rest." The climax of the scene at the castle Cair Paravel where the children are hailed, enthroned, crowned, and sceptered. Near the end of the story, Aslan declares, Once a King in Narnia, always a King in Narnia." - Turning to Our Lesson from Colossians 1.11-20
- Our normal approach might be to read it from start to finish, looking for the series of events or principles. Lets reread the passsage:
- 9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 13who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; 14in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins
- When we do this, what to we find? Perhaps, some of the following principle and respective personal applications:
- a piece of history, an ancient text, an ancient letter, written by a rather famous saint to an obscure church in a foreign land of Colosse. We might even asl, Where is Colosse? What’s so special about them?
- How does this apply to me know, 2000 years later.
- Paul never ceases to pray, so we should also pray
- that we should have knowledge of God will, spiritual wisdom, understanding
- that we should behave in a certain way, to walk worthy of the Lord
- that we should be effective, bearing good fruit
- that we are partakers of a spiritual nature
- that we have a heavenly inheritance
- that we’ve been snatch out of one kingdom and placed in the territory of another kingdom.
- These principle then lead up to the climax of the passage which is about high Christology, the Doctrine or faith statements about the preeminence of Christ,
- 13who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; 14in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins: 15who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; 17and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell; 20and through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.
- Is there anything wrong with this picture of our Bible Lesson?
- Certainly not with the basic principles themselves. They are an important and indispensable part of our faith and doctrine.
- The problem, is one of perspective or polarity. We too often begin with ourselves as the starting point.
- We begin with ourselves, our own perceptions, experiences, needs and agendas.
- Then we approach the scripture for what we can learn (principles of life)
- These lead up to some climax or doctrine about God, in this case Christology
- Which brings us back to ourselves and how we should be.
- Its all about us, in this sense.
- What did we miss?
- we missed that the story is not just a sequence of events or principles but a hidden quality, a mystical elements,
- we missed the atmosphere of the passage. It is much more akin to C.S. Lewi’s allegory of Aslan King of Narnia and not so much a text book lesson or lecture about divine principles
- we missed that our lives are always winter and never Christmas
- we missed God hidden and disguised as Jov
- we missed the bleeding wound of Jupiter
- we missed Aslan’s sacrifice on the Stone Table
- we missed that it destroys winter and forgives our betrayal
- we missed the end of the story and our call to be kings and priests
- we missed that the story is really about how it happens (in Christ)
- we missed Aslan or Christ
- we started from ourselves and worked our way up to Christ and back to ourselves.
- Christ the Hidden Theme of the Universe
- Paul begins not with himself but with Christ,
- He begins with his relationship with Christ in prayer
- 3We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying
always for you, 4having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love
which ye have toward all the saints, 5because of the hope which is laid up
for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of
the gospel, 6which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world
bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard
and knew the grace of God in truth; 7even as ye learned of Epaphras our
beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
8who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and
make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will
in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, - Paul shares with us not a mere sequence of events and a plot but tells us in this passage of the real theme, the true story of Narnia and Aslan, which is Jesus. He shares with us the story of the creation of the world. He tells us about the Invisible God who fashioned worlds, planets, and stars out of nothing; and hangs them like "Christmas tree ornaments in the deeps of space".
- No man can see God and live yet Paul tells the story of the face of God which descended from on high, who is the very image, likeness, and substance of the hidden or kappa theme of the universe, and even our very lives.
- He tells of the story of two kingdoms, one where it is always winter/and never Christmas, and one of eternal spring and summer. And these two kingdoms are locked in a great cosmic conflict over right and wrong, over life and death, over the forces of all that is good, right, and noble warring against darkness, corruption and evil, the very absence of God. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, and powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places."
- 7And there was war in heaven: Michael and
his angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and
his angels; 8And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any
more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he
that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world; he was
cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. 10And I
heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the
power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for
the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our
God day and night. 11And they overcame him because of the blood of the
Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not
their life even unto death. - He tells of the conquering hero, one greater than Aslan, for whom Aslan is a mere shadow, who steps out of the true castle of the king; and we see that
- the heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and he that sat
thereon called Faithful and True; and in righteous he doth judge and make
war. 12And his eyes are a flame of fire, and upon his head are many
diadems; and he hath a name written which no one knoweth but he
himself. 13And he is arrayed in a garment sprinkled with blood: and his
name is called The Word of God. 14And the armies which are in heaven
followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure.
15And out of his mouth proceedeth a sharp sword, that with it he should
smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth
the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God, the Almighty. 16And
he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written,
KINGS OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. - He tells the story of how he rescued us from the clutch of the Dark Lord and placed us under the protection of His eternal Kingship and Rule:
- 17And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice,
saying to all the birds that fly in mid heaven, Come and be gathered
together unto the great supper of God; 18that ye may eat the flesh of
kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh
of horses and of them that sit thereon, and the flesh of all men, both free
and bond, and small and great. 19And I saw the beast, and the kings of the
earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat
upon the horse, and against his army. 20And the beast was taken, and with
him the false prophet that wrought the signs in his sight, wherewith he
deceived them that had received the mark of the beast and them that
worshipped his image: they two were cast alive into the lake of fire that
burneth with brimstone: 21and the rest were killed with the sword of him
that sat upon the horse, even the sword which came forth out of his
mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh. - CONCLUSION
To discover the hidden theme of the universe, even our own thoughts, our own being or our very lives, we must begin with the story of Christ. Only then can we move backward to ourselves and appreciate the Christian Rules of Conduct, behavior, spiritual disciplines, and principles of faith, practice and morals, that Paul was writing about. - He was telling the story of our King and how we should be citizens, and even soldiers of a heavenly kingdom.
- We may ask, as the Children in the Chronicles of Narnia did about Aslan, "Is he safe?"
Is Aslan safe? Is Christ safe? - "The King of Kings and Lord of Lord? He isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King!"
Posts
