In yesterday's sermon, Pastor Sam completed his series Human Stories in the Divine Drama. The final person we studied in the Advent narrative is Jesus.
Our pastor spoke of his own challenge, while in school, of accepting the fact that Jesus's story is one of humanity. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Yes, Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human.
My blog post is a little later than usual today, because I was very sick throughout the night. But, gladly, my illness is helping me to better understand the profundity of the gospel of John. The Greek word, sarx, is one which refers to our flesh in its weakness and corruption. Pastor Sam gave us a sense of the grossness that sarx is. It is the human body, open to disease, sores, and excruciating pain. It is the human mind, subject to the most shocking temptations. It is the human heart, that Scripture informs us is deceitfully wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), an out-of-control liar resident at the core of our being. Humanity is a gross, sick, twisted, stinking race. We, on our own, have nothing good to offer.
Praise God, we have been rescued! Jesus has come. He came to us in humanity. He chose to dwell among us in the earth: to live, die, be buried, to rise again. He chose to be hungry, thirsty, tired, beaten, mocked, ridiculed. God chose to exalt Him, so that the world might worship and adore Him. He is God. "I and the Father are one": it is the testimony of our Christ, confirmed by His Spirit, that gives us hope.
He is God, and He is man. Jesus has given us a great example. He made His dwelling place among us. He Himself was human, sarx, and in His sarx He chose not to sin. We, too, can choose not to sin. How? By submitting our sick human frames to the Holy Spirit of God. Throughout the book of John, we read of the power of Jesus to heal, teach, and deeply love. But then, in John chapters 14 through 17, Jesus indicates that it is the Holy Spirit who will instruct us in the ways of Christ. The presence of the Spirit is not simply for feeling good or speaking in tongues or running down the church aisles or for crying uncontrollably. He is here to teach us how to say no to sin and say yes to authentic Christian love, a love that dies to self.
So, the question resident in the book of Acts still echoes today, as it has for millennia: Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? If you have not, then how will you ever become fully freed from sin and sinning? How will you know what Jesus wants you to say and where He wants you to go? Scripture offers no other course of instruction. It is by the Spirit of God that we become conformed to the will and desire of God.
God is ever ready to give. Are you ready to ask?
O Lord Jesus, You have called us to submit and keep submitting to Your Spirit, the Holy Spirit who causes us to live. Give us grace to always say yes to Your directives, for the sake of Your holy name. Give us wisdom to ask for the continuous infilling of Your Spirit, so that we might truly live. Amen.
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