What Has Not Been Assumed, Has Not Been Healed
Matthew 1:23
Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.
“Pleased as man with man to dwell; Jesus our Immanuel” sings the hymn, Hark! The Harold Angels Sing. The omnipotent Godhead takes on flesh and dwells in our midst, to live and suffer with us. However, there were some, in the early history of Christianity, that wanted a Platonic god, a God that didn’t have pain or concern - a God that was untouched by the perishable. These ones said that Christ only appeared to be human. He was divine, but had only a disguise of humanity. He wasn’t fully human.
In steps Gregary of Nazianzus, one the three great Cappadocian theologians that gave rise to the Chalceadan definition of Christ as being fully man and fully divine- not mixed as a third thing (as in a hybrid entity, as a mule or tiger trout). Gregory of Nazianzus and his two friends, Gregory of Nyssa and Basil the Great, argued that Christ was not of a similar substance to God but was of the exact same substance of God, meaning he was not like God, but was God in every way. They likewise argued that Christ was fully human. He was not veiled in flesh, as a shroud or disguise, but was 100% human. The math makes this a bit confusing, but they would argue that the paradox or mystery of Christ was to be found in the fact that he was 100% man and 100% God. Bad math but good theology.
Why did this matter to the Cappadocian fathers and why should it matter to us? The minutia of theology can get a bit complex and hairy at times eliciting a frustrated, “yeah but who cares!?” kind of response. I implore you not to go there. It mattered greatly to the Cappadocian fathers because Christ was the second Adam, the healed and renewed humanity that heals and renews the rest of creation. As Gregory of Naz. has said, “what has not been assumed, has not been healed.” God created humanity to be his image bearers, but they sinned and caused a rift in all of creation. But since Christ is human, the seed of Adam and Eve, he takes in himself all of humanity as well as the vocation of humanity, leading and directing creation in the wisdom and love of God. Christ was not a platonic god that cared only about the heavenly realm, e.g. merely teaching people how to get to heaven. He came to redeem the whole of creation, by fulfilling the role that humanity had from very beginning (in Genesis)- to be the leaders, lead worshipers, of keeping and working within creation, of reflecting God’s image of love, patience, and mercy into the world, and by leading creation in the worship of God the creator. In Christ, humanity and the human vocation is redeemed. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians, “God was in the Messiah reconciling the world to himself …and he has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation.” If Christ is fully God and fully man, as we believe, then the curse of humanity, the curse of hating, retribution, hoarding, distrust of fellow humans… this curse has been broken by the one that has the power and the nature to do so. And if that is true, which it is, then we have a task before us. We are given the same mission: reconciliation. We have the image of Christ dwelling within us, redeemed humans, made in the image of God, to be workers of God’s righteous/justice in the world, workers of reconciliation. As the hymn says,
“Come, Desire of nations, come!
Fix in us Thy humble home:
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head;
Adam’s likeness now efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Final Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.”
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The time for waiting is over! The unabridged Advent Devotional is here!!!
Feel free to share this with anyone.
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Announcements:
Invite any youth to attend the 9:45 Youth Group on Sunday Mornings. Daniel and Emily Mendez are leading this.
We are working on creating an Advent Devotional Book written by our church for our church (as well as anyone else that would like to read it). If you are interested in writing a 1-2 page devotional for this advent season, please contact Pastor Steven. We would love to have as many people involved in this as possible.
Coming Soon! Children’ s Christmas Musical! More information will be provided as we get closer to the Christmas season.
Adult Sunday School Classes - 9:45
Youth/Children’s Sunday School Classes -9:45 (Up stairs)
Mitchell and Sarah Davidson are hosting a weekly Bible Study at their house on Thursdays (6-8)
Their address and number are listed below
Trail Life 2-3pm each Sunday
Ask Pastor Steven or Damon Hargraves for more information
Church Weekly Schedule
Sunday worship at 11am
Sunday School at 9:45am
I am teaching through the Gospel According to Matthew
Youth/Children’s Group! Daniel and Emily Mendez are heading up the Youth Group Bible Study at 9:45
Wednesday Prayer Posse 12pm
Thursday Bible Study with Mitchell and Sarah 6-8pm
Mitchell’s cell number: 907-942-0381
address: 1815 E Rezanof Dr.
Trail Life each Sunday from 2-3pm
Pastor Steven’s Office Hours 8-4 Mon-Thursday
I have an open sign (if it is on, I am here)
If I am not in the office at these times, I am meeting with someone
Call or text me 972-921-2516
Email steven@kodiakcbc.org
