December 25, 2012       Daniel Daring        Daniel's previous reflections

You are my child – Christmas Day
Isaiah 52:7-10; Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18  

At the beginning was a word. It was like music to her ears when he asked: ‘Will you marry me?’ And this statement brought them to that moment when a priest said: ‘I pronounce you husband and wife.’ Their status changed. These words proclaimed that they were not single anymore but a married couple. But how could this simple statement cause such a change in the lives of two people? Certain conditions were met. First, the words were uttered by someone who had the necessary authority – a priest in this case; second, they were said to two people who willingly expressed their desire to get married; third, they were spoken at the right time – at the end of marriage ceremony; finally, they were said in the right place – in the church in this case. These four conditions cause the statement, ‘I pronounce you husband and wife,’ to effect an irrevocable change in the lives of two people.

At the beginning was the Word. God said, ‘Let there be . . . ,’ (Genesis 1:3) and it became. ‘Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made” (John 1:3). But how could it be? Again certain conditions were met. This creative Word was spoken by someone who has the necessary authority, by God himself, it was spoken to a chaotic void and darkness, at the moment of creation in the universe. These four conditions cause the statement, ‘Let there be . . . ,’ to create the whole universe with all its living creatures.  

The necessary authority  

We are well aware that certain people have authority to declare something to happen. Judges sentence people to prison or acquit them from charges; presidents or prime ministers declare wars or martial law; priests and pastors declare someone to be baptized, married, or
absolved  from sins, and so on. We ourselves have authority as well to declare that certain things are taking place in our lives. ‘I resign!’ – you say to your boss; ‘I vow to take care of you’ – you say to your sister who barely survived an accident.

The Gospel of John describes the Word as having life and light in himself and therefore able to create life and light in the universe. This Word became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ bringing grace and truth and revealing the mystery of God. However, there is still one aspect of his creative power, namely to declare a wo/man a child of God. Such declaration can be only done by God. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born . . . of God” (John 1:12-13). It is God, and only God, who has the necessary authority to effect such change in someone’s life that s/he can be declare a son/daughter of God.  

Willingness  

In the case of two people getting married, the necessary authority is just the first condition to effect change. Another important condition is their willingness to get married. They have to express this desire first to themselves and then to the ‘whole world’ during their marriage ceremony. We are very familiar with this question and answer pattern: ‘Do you, John, take Ann as your wife?’ – ‘Yes. I do.’ We love to hear that and we presume that it comes from a sincere heart, that there is no blackmail or threat or any other hidden agenda on the part of the two persons involved.

Willingness is also an important condition in the case of becoming God’s child. It is to those who received Jesus and to those who believed in His name that the right of becoming children of God was given. S/he who wants to become a child of God has to express the longing of his/her heart - ‘Jesus, I receive you; Jesus, I believe in the saving power of you name’ - and s/he needs to announce to the ‘whole world,’ that ‘I want to become a Christian.’ The problem that many churches are facing is that the majority of their members were baptized as children. They seem to know very little about Jesus, and they often live as if God does not matter much. In such cases, the word of God cannot effect His creative and transforming power. Without our willingness to receive Jesus and believe in His name, God’s power will be unable to transform us, not because God cannot do it, but because God values our freedom. He will not force Himself upon us.  

Right time and right place  

The verdict of sentencing or acquitting a person takes place at the end of a trial in the court; the pronouncement of marriage is uttered at the end of the rite of marriage in a church. There is a right time and a right place for such declarative statements, ‘I acquit you from all charges’ or ‘I pronounce you husband and wife,’ to be uttered. The same is valid in the case of God’s word. “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) at a particular time in the history of humanity when Augustus was the Caesar of Rome and Herod the Great was the king of Judea, and in a particular place, in Bethlehem the town of David. We call this event the INCARNATION. The Word became flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. This event has divided history of the world into ‘before’ and ‘after’ Christ.

Robert came to the Philippines to study computer science. In order to expose himself to English, every Sunday he joined Christian worship during which American pastors were preaching the word of God. Coming from an atheistic background, Robert was more interested in English than in religion. However, slowly the whole atmosphere of worship began to have an impact on him. He posed questions about God and the meaning of life. He realized that he was missing something extremely important. Then  the time arrived when Robert, accompanied by his friends, declared in the midst of the Christian community that he believed in Jesus. The history of his life was divided into that ‘before’ and that ‘after’ Christ.

Each one of us has his/her personal story to tell. Does that story, however, include the incarnation of Jesus into our lives? Can we tell others about that time and that place when and where God ceased to be an illusive idea and  became flesh, dwelling among us? Can you and I also divide the story of our lives into ‘before’ and ‘after’ Christ?  

Conclusion  

There are four conditions necessary for certain sentences to effect change in people’s lives: authority, willingness, right time and right place. These four conditions are also present when God, through his Word, declares us His children. Jesus Christ “came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born of . . . God” (John 1:11-13). Now is the right time. Our Christian community during the Eucharistic celebration is the right place. God holds the necessary authority. Are we willing, however, to receive Him and believe in His name? If the answer is ‘yes’ that we can hear God’s statement: ‘You are my child.’