CHRISTMAS HOPE FOR COVID-19 & TC YASA
This is one Christmas Mass that I find it hard to preach on the joy and peace of Christmas. How can Christmas give hope, meaning and future to our brothers and sisters in the set back from COVID-19 and STC Yasa.
What is the meaning of Christmas that can embrace the whole universe-creation, all peoples, all religions. But if Christmas is a Christian symbol of God – then it must have meaning and relevance otherwise we might as well drop Christmas – Jesus?
Jesus
When Jesus was born, Joseph and Mary named him Jesus as instructed by the angel. Jesus is the Greek translation of Hebrew – Yeshua. A common name in the NT. Meaning Yahweh-God saves.
Jesus Christ
After the Resurrections Jesus’ disciples gave him the title ‘Christ’, hence Jesus Christ or Jesus the Christ.
So, Christ is not the second name or surname of Jesus. It’s a title given to someone worthy of the Christ. So what does it take to be Christ? How is the function of Christ different from Jesus?
Christ comes from the Greek Christos which is the translation of the Hebrew meshiah or messiah, meaning the anointed one.
OT meaning of the messiah – anointed one
- Jewish Apocalyptic time: history is not cyclical but always moving towards a goal, an end point – the fulfilment of the Kingdom of God
- That God’s ‘anointed one’ is the agent for bringing about God’s kingdom.
What qualifies Jesus to be the Christ?
The answer lies in the disciple’s experience.
To the disciples – Jesus fulfils the expectations of the Christ and the coming of God’s Kingdom. To the disciples Jesus proved to be the Christ – through his person, his teachings, his work – healing, speaking for the poor, sinners, women, children, raising the dead to life, challenging injustice, reaching out to those marginalized by society – inclusivity, suffering, death and resurrection. So, they proclaim: ‘Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Christ-Messiah, the Lord.’
We bring hope and joy to others when we radically follow the footsteps of the historical Jesus of Nazareth.
Towards the Universal Christ
But Christ – the Word has been in the world before Jesus. Tomorrow’s Gospel,
John 1:1-18 states: ‘In the beginning was the Word: The Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things came into being, not one thing came into being except through him.
Col 1:15-20, He is the image of the unseen God, the first-born of all creation, for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible, thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers — all things were created through him and for him. He exists before all things and in him all things hold together,
Christ -the Word; existed from the beginning and not limited to Jesus of Nazareth. Christ came into the world 13.7 billion years ago.
Creation is the first incarnation – first bible before the second bible – OT or Hebrew bible. Christ is present in creation and in world ancient religions. world.
Christ and the Holy Spirit: tell us that God is whole world is the presence and revelation of God. But maybe it might be more correct to say that Jesus came into an already Christ-soaked
Creation is the monstrance of God. We have to see Christ beyond the manger!
Christ and the Holy Spirit teach us 3 important things:
- God is working in the world.
- God is in creation and all peoples, races, religion, sexual orientation.
- With God – there is hope for a better future.
Our purpose is to cooperate with God to bring about a better world; a world where there will be no pandemic and cyclones. This is our Christmas Hope!
