144,000 + 1
Commentary
Object:
With the dawning of another world war, Irving Berlin was concerned about the spirit of our nation. Still living in the shadow of World War I in a country ravaged by the Great Depression, the American spirit struggled to endure. Spending the holiday season in Los Angeles only added to the composer's depression. Amidst the heat and palm trees he yearned for the cold weather and snow of his youth. Realizing that Christmas was a reminder of hearth and home, Berlin sensed that people could cling to this holiday for new hope and encouragement. Berlin realized that what he wanted, everybody wanted was a white Christmas with all its innocence and purity. One evening Berlin sat down and wrote through the night. When morning came he did not retire but went straight to the studio to share his new song "White Christmas."
May your days be merry and bright,
And all your Christmases be white.
The white Christmas of a restored land is the hope and aspiration of all people who suffer throughout the world -- economic depravity, refugee camps, civil war, oppression, inequality, segregation, homophobia, sexism, sexual slave trade, poaching of animals, drug cartels, disease, pandemics, starvation, homelessness, nuclear proliferation, pirates, foreclosures, bankruptcies, downsizing, and poverty are only a starting list of endless sorrows that beseech people the world over. No one, and no country, is exempt.
As Irving Berlin desired to bring hope and restoration through a hymn that accentuated renewal, two of our lectionary readings, paralleling this desire, are written as hymns -- the epistle lesson and the gospel lesson. All three lessons combined have one common theme -- God through Christ will restore us to our former lives of blessing and bounty. Perhaps two weeks after Christmas Day, as gifts have lost their sparkle, the colored paper in which they were so elegantly wrapped is now disposed of in the trash, and the tree with its colorful lights of joy has been packed away for yet another year, it is the hymns of restoration that will renew for us the Christmas message.
Perhaps it is only now, when Santa's list lies crumpled in hand, that we can open the scriptures to see the unrevised list of Christmas gifts.
Jeremiah 31:7-14
The reading from Jeremiah is the second of two oracles exalting the joy of the Jews returning from exile. The first, verses 2-6, said the land would be as desolate as when the Jews first inhabited Palestine. The desolate land is not to be read as punishment nor is it a statement of being destitute; instead, it is the confession that once again, absent of all necessities, the people will be focused solely on God, offering the deity their praise.
The second oracle, which is today's reading, proclaims the glory of God as the people give thanks for being restored to a land of bountiful harvest. Though this text is not a hymn, there is a song of merriment contained within it as the Jews "sing aloud on the height of Zion" for the radiant goodness of God. The people now live in a "watered garden," the most idyllic setting one could imagine. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon may have been one of the original Seven Wonders of the World, but they pale when one dwells in the watered garden of Zion. The Hanging Gardens were a tribute to one mortal, a king's wife, and only a tourist attraction for all others; the watered garden of Zion is a tribute to the Creator and is a place of refuge for all inhabitants.
Ephesians 1:3-14
This hymn, sung as a part of the baptismal liturgy of the early church, recognizes that everyone has been predestined from the moment of creation to live in the fellowship of the Lord. This predestination is not being one of John Calvin's elect or one of the fortunate 144,000 designated by the Jehovah Witnesses, but is the destiny of all individuals to be brought into the fellowship of God through Christ. So maybe, just maybe, if we believe Paul, there is room for 144,000 + 1.
It is a hymn of joy for those who understand redemption; it is a meaningless rap song for those who do not. It is a hymn of gratitude for those who come into the presence of the Lord with joy and thanksgiving; it is as meaningless as Miley Cyrus' twerking performance at the MTV Video Music Awards for those who forsake the gift before them. Perhaps there is very little difference from those who negate "heavenly places," as Cyrus negated the gratitude of the lights afforded her on a nationally televised stage and instead chose to accentuate her god with a foam finger.
It is only in this letter that the theological phrase "spiritual blessing" is used in the entire New Testament. Paul employs it five times, each with the same specific message -- the blessing of being a part of God's heavenly place. It is in God's heavenly sphere that we find ourselves holy and blameless, for we have been adopted as God's sons and daughters. "Predestined" is once again clarified, for it does not mean to be an individual specially selected while others are hopelessly discarded from the moment of conception, but it is to be one, if confessional, to be adopted. The parental ability of God has room for all in his home, and those who suffer from a disability will never have to struggle to find a bed of rest. Our "hope" comes because "in Christ we have received our inheritance."
Paul now informs those of us who have lived in the confusion and uncertainty of despair that the "mystery" is now revealed. Jesus has torn the temple curtain in two, and now all, every one of us, has the privilege of the high priest to approach God directly. This is not the Land of Oz where behind the curtain is an old potbellied, white-haired man manipulating the lives of others; but we behold the throne in its entire splendor upon which is seated Benevolence.
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
John has selected to open his gospel with a Christological hymn that outlines the attributes of Jesus. Every single word and theological doctrine recorded in the remaining chapters all reference back to this single hymn of thanksgiving. In fact, even the synoptic gospels reflect all that this hymn proclaims. Sing this hymn of restoration and return the hymnbook to its pew rack, for the message of God has been received and proclaimed. The "light" has come; there is no more "darkness." The Word has been made flesh; there is no more "mystery." Zion has become a "watered garden," for in "fullness we have received grace upon grace."
"John testified to him and cried out..." and, four days since New Year's have our resolutions been ones of crying out or only taking in?
Application
Though Zion became a "watered garden," and for the church where the "Word dwells among us," we know that society is still imperfect, suffering abounds, and sorrow reeks with its ugly stench from every street corner. The message we have in our lectionary readings is one of restoration, not perfection. It is a promise, a hope, a thanksgiving, but it makes no claim that it will be fully actualized until the parousia. But, like the Jews returning from exile, it is the message of hope that we have longed for. It is like the first-century believer to whom the long awaited "mystery" has been revealed.
It is the message that we, the John the Baptists of the twenty-first century, must be willing to proclaim.
An Alternative Application
On this first Sunday of the new year, while we are still awash in our Christmas finery and proud of those resolutions that were sincerely and thoughtfully made, must not forget the message of the nativity. As the shepherds came with a hymn of joy and the wise men with gifts of adoration and Joseph with a promise to keep, will we in the months ahead sing like the shepherds, be as obedient as the wise men, and remain as faithful as Joseph? Will New Year's resolutions made this day be like that of Mary, that we shall ponder all these things in our heart?
May your days be merry and bright,
And all your Christmases be white.
The white Christmas of a restored land is the hope and aspiration of all people who suffer throughout the world -- economic depravity, refugee camps, civil war, oppression, inequality, segregation, homophobia, sexism, sexual slave trade, poaching of animals, drug cartels, disease, pandemics, starvation, homelessness, nuclear proliferation, pirates, foreclosures, bankruptcies, downsizing, and poverty are only a starting list of endless sorrows that beseech people the world over. No one, and no country, is exempt.
As Irving Berlin desired to bring hope and restoration through a hymn that accentuated renewal, two of our lectionary readings, paralleling this desire, are written as hymns -- the epistle lesson and the gospel lesson. All three lessons combined have one common theme -- God through Christ will restore us to our former lives of blessing and bounty. Perhaps two weeks after Christmas Day, as gifts have lost their sparkle, the colored paper in which they were so elegantly wrapped is now disposed of in the trash, and the tree with its colorful lights of joy has been packed away for yet another year, it is the hymns of restoration that will renew for us the Christmas message.
Perhaps it is only now, when Santa's list lies crumpled in hand, that we can open the scriptures to see the unrevised list of Christmas gifts.
Jeremiah 31:7-14
The reading from Jeremiah is the second of two oracles exalting the joy of the Jews returning from exile. The first, verses 2-6, said the land would be as desolate as when the Jews first inhabited Palestine. The desolate land is not to be read as punishment nor is it a statement of being destitute; instead, it is the confession that once again, absent of all necessities, the people will be focused solely on God, offering the deity their praise.
The second oracle, which is today's reading, proclaims the glory of God as the people give thanks for being restored to a land of bountiful harvest. Though this text is not a hymn, there is a song of merriment contained within it as the Jews "sing aloud on the height of Zion" for the radiant goodness of God. The people now live in a "watered garden," the most idyllic setting one could imagine. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon may have been one of the original Seven Wonders of the World, but they pale when one dwells in the watered garden of Zion. The Hanging Gardens were a tribute to one mortal, a king's wife, and only a tourist attraction for all others; the watered garden of Zion is a tribute to the Creator and is a place of refuge for all inhabitants.
Ephesians 1:3-14
This hymn, sung as a part of the baptismal liturgy of the early church, recognizes that everyone has been predestined from the moment of creation to live in the fellowship of the Lord. This predestination is not being one of John Calvin's elect or one of the fortunate 144,000 designated by the Jehovah Witnesses, but is the destiny of all individuals to be brought into the fellowship of God through Christ. So maybe, just maybe, if we believe Paul, there is room for 144,000 + 1.
It is a hymn of joy for those who understand redemption; it is a meaningless rap song for those who do not. It is a hymn of gratitude for those who come into the presence of the Lord with joy and thanksgiving; it is as meaningless as Miley Cyrus' twerking performance at the MTV Video Music Awards for those who forsake the gift before them. Perhaps there is very little difference from those who negate "heavenly places," as Cyrus negated the gratitude of the lights afforded her on a nationally televised stage and instead chose to accentuate her god with a foam finger.
It is only in this letter that the theological phrase "spiritual blessing" is used in the entire New Testament. Paul employs it five times, each with the same specific message -- the blessing of being a part of God's heavenly place. It is in God's heavenly sphere that we find ourselves holy and blameless, for we have been adopted as God's sons and daughters. "Predestined" is once again clarified, for it does not mean to be an individual specially selected while others are hopelessly discarded from the moment of conception, but it is to be one, if confessional, to be adopted. The parental ability of God has room for all in his home, and those who suffer from a disability will never have to struggle to find a bed of rest. Our "hope" comes because "in Christ we have received our inheritance."
Paul now informs those of us who have lived in the confusion and uncertainty of despair that the "mystery" is now revealed. Jesus has torn the temple curtain in two, and now all, every one of us, has the privilege of the high priest to approach God directly. This is not the Land of Oz where behind the curtain is an old potbellied, white-haired man manipulating the lives of others; but we behold the throne in its entire splendor upon which is seated Benevolence.
John 1:(1-9) 10-18
John has selected to open his gospel with a Christological hymn that outlines the attributes of Jesus. Every single word and theological doctrine recorded in the remaining chapters all reference back to this single hymn of thanksgiving. In fact, even the synoptic gospels reflect all that this hymn proclaims. Sing this hymn of restoration and return the hymnbook to its pew rack, for the message of God has been received and proclaimed. The "light" has come; there is no more "darkness." The Word has been made flesh; there is no more "mystery." Zion has become a "watered garden," for in "fullness we have received grace upon grace."
"John testified to him and cried out..." and, four days since New Year's have our resolutions been ones of crying out or only taking in?
Application
Though Zion became a "watered garden," and for the church where the "Word dwells among us," we know that society is still imperfect, suffering abounds, and sorrow reeks with its ugly stench from every street corner. The message we have in our lectionary readings is one of restoration, not perfection. It is a promise, a hope, a thanksgiving, but it makes no claim that it will be fully actualized until the parousia. But, like the Jews returning from exile, it is the message of hope that we have longed for. It is like the first-century believer to whom the long awaited "mystery" has been revealed.
It is the message that we, the John the Baptists of the twenty-first century, must be willing to proclaim.
An Alternative Application
On this first Sunday of the new year, while we are still awash in our Christmas finery and proud of those resolutions that were sincerely and thoughtfully made, must not forget the message of the nativity. As the shepherds came with a hymn of joy and the wise men with gifts of adoration and Joseph with a promise to keep, will we in the months ahead sing like the shepherds, be as obedient as the wise men, and remain as faithful as Joseph? Will New Year's resolutions made this day be like that of Mary, that we shall ponder all these things in our heart?
