|
Today is one of the rare occasions when Christmas falls on Sunday – “The first day of the week,” “The Lord’s Day,” “The Day of Resurrection,” and also known in Christian liturgical history as “The Eighth Day.” What then would our congregation think if instead of singing one of the cherished Christmas carols such as Joy to the World! or Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, we began Worship this Christmas Day Sunday morning with the great Easter hymn, Jesus Christ is Risen Today!
Most Christians are probably familiar with the significance of Sunday in the life of the Church. It was on the morning of “the first day of the week” (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:9; Luke 24:1; John 20:1), recalling “the first day” of creation in Genesis 1, that Jesus rose from the dead and showed Himself to His disciples. Yet by the time many of these first witnesses had died, a new name for Sunday had emerged preserved in the book of Revelation and based on the connection of Sunday to Jesus’ resurrection. According to John on the Isle of Patmos (the writer of Revelation), “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” (1:10a). Eventually both descriptions for Sunday, “the first day of the week” and “The Lord’s Day,” came to be understood as “The Day of Resurrection.”
What then is the basis for the description of Sunday as “The Eighth Day?” Most Christians are probably unfamiliar with this idea first developed by the early church fathers of the 4th and 5th centuries who noticed how the first Christian celebration of Worship on “the first day of the week” occurred as early as the week following the resurrection of Christ: “Eight days later [the following Sunday!], his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, ‘Peace be with you.’” (John 20:26) Here “the first day of the week” is also the one that comes after the seventh: “The Eighth Day.” Consequently, over against the orderly progression of time from week to week, from Sunday to Saturday, from the first day to the seventh day, the early Christians used the language of “The Eighth Day” as a metaphor for God’s definitive action “in Christ” through His resurrection from the dead as changing once for all not only time and history, but also humanity itself and all creation. The idea of “The Eighth Day” pointed the Church beyond the limits of time and space to the reality of God’s present rule over all things “in Christ” as “King of kings” and “Lord of lords.”
According to the account of the crucifixion in the Gospel of John: “When the soldiers had crucified Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each other; also the tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from top to bottom; so they said to one another, ‘Let us not tear it.’” (John 19:23-24a) From these words concerning the seamless robe of Jesus, Christian tradition has developed the conviction that the life of Jesus is like the robe that He wore – it is woven in one piece and no part of it should be separated from any other part (Creation, Incarnation, Salvation, Resurrection).
Few would deny Christmas is one festival during the year that, in many ways, has been captured by our culture and used for purposes far removed from the central message of Christian faith. “Christmas is a season for giving and receiving” or “Christmas is a feeling of love and good will toward others.” No wonder passionate reformers from the Protestant Reformation such as Martin Luther and John Calvin paid very little attention to the observance of Advent and Christmas because, in their view, the drama and pageantry it promoted diverted attention from the heart of Christianity revealed in the conquest of sin by a Savior dying on a cross and by a Risen Lord leaving behind an empty tomb.
There is perhaps no more beautiful and magical as well as emotional and sometimes painful time of year than Advent and Christmas, and especially Christmas Day. So high are our personal and cultural expectations for this season, in contrast to the reality of how our lives fall short before what “we think” they should be, that my experience from 20 years of ministry confirms how at no other time are the pastoral needs of people as great as during Christmas. “Don’t be afraid” cried the angel to the shepherds (Luke 2:10). “Glory to God in the highest!” (Luke 2:13-14) sang the multitude of the heavenly host. And yet, more often than not, the feelings expressed in the lives of God's people are the very ones we tend to deny - fear, regret, brokenness, sadness, pain, and even depression.
“An Eighth Day Christmas” – What does it mean? It means that the God who created the world . . . became flesh for our sake . . . and reconciled us to Himself “in Christ” . . . and raised Him from the dead giving us life eternal. More importantly, it means that no matter how powerful and overwhelming the personal memories and emotions may be (both good and bad!) for so many during this time of year, God still comes to us “in Christ” . . . and walks beside us “in Christ” . . . so that God is always with us “in Christ” . . . in order for God to save us “in Christ” . . . and ultimately to bring us all together again “in Christ” as individuals and a people . . . forgiven and renewed, beloved and completely made whole . . . forever!
And if that’s the truth of it, then what else is there for us to do but to sing this morning the greatest of all the Christmas hymns and call out to one another today . . .
“O come, let us adore Him,
Christ, the Lord!”
|
