Nielsen’s Nook

For those who enjoy context, our scripture readings this morning at St. John’s were Acts 1:1-14; Psalm 47; 1 Peter 4:12-19; and John 17:1-11. ]

I walked away from worshiping the Resurrected and Ascended Christ this morning with a profound impression that I want to encapsulate here. The Gospel promises eternal life for all who believe in Jesus Christ. Many of us, for manifold reasons, have come to believe that eternal life is something we hope to participate in after we die. It’s out there somewhere beyond time. In a sense that’s true. Eternal Life is beyond time; however, that’s because eternal life is God himself, who is alone alive by no other cause than himself.

It is this God, revealed to us in Scripture, that has not been content to keep eternal life all to himself, to remain a hermit of divine proportions. Rather, God came down, stooping, as it were, to bind himself to us in the person of His Son, Jesus the Christ. This Christ is our life, our eternal life, for he has trampled down sin, death and hell for us by his own death. Now being raised from the dead, Christians celebrate this life now in their lives. It is not something that we will only one day have, but Christ gives himself fully to us now.

This is celebrated in the liturgy every Sunday. Eternal Life, himself, calls us to worship, speaks to us in His Scriptures, hears our confession, forgives us our sins, and bids us to eat his flesh and drink his blood - to partake of Him, who is alone the life of the world. Such is the bond of love that Christ has made to his people. The cold shackles of sin, death and hell have been burst opened by Life, who has said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt 11:29-30 ESV)

Such is the union we see as Life, himself, prays for his Church. We see his longing for unity with us as we demonstrate that bond in love to each other.

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HT: Fr. David Houk, Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, preached the sermon that spawned this meditation.

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Translation

4 And likewise also those who were condemned [1] to wild animals [2] endured patiently terrible punishments, being laid out on top of trumpet shells [3] and beaten [4] with other manifold sorts of torture, so that the devil might, if possible, through the persistence of punishment turn them to denial [5] - for he contrives much against them.

[1] κριθέντες (κρίνω) i.e., condemned by courtly decision.

[2] θηρία (θηρίον) These were the wild animals bred for fighting in the arenas.

[3] κήρυκας comes from the familiar κῆρυξ (herald, preacher); however, in this form (acc. pl. masc.) and context it refers to the “trumpet-shell,” which is a “large, sharp seashell, used in torturing.” (BAGD, 431) Here, one would suspect that the subjects here were stretched out over broken shards of trumpet-shells.

[4] For NT usage of κολαφίζω see Mt 26:67; Mk 14:65; 1 Cor 4:11; 1 Pt 2:20.

[5] i.e., a denial of faith.