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A Christmas Sermon: The Pathos of Advent
In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind (John 1:4).
The Incarnation of the eternal Son is situated within human experience. In other words, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) means that God experienced the fulness of human experience, and humans might experience the fulness of God. Pathos is an expression of emotion, or passion. So, to speak of the pathos of Advent is to reflect on how the coming of Christ moves us towards faith in God. The pathos of Advent is illustrated in the candles of the Advent wreath. As we moved towards the celebration of Christmas, we light a candle and reflect.
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The Theology of Christmas
Christmas is about theology. During this season of the year, we read selections of Scripture that tell the story of the Virgin conception of the Son of God. We sing hymns like O Come all Ye Faithful (Wade) that are replete with theological phrases:
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When God Comes Down – 1st Sunday of Advent
Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at Your presence—To make Your name known to Your adversaries, that the nations may tremble at Your presence! (Isaiah 64:1-2 NASB).
Advent is a word that speaks to the arrival, or appearing, of a notable person/event. Advent denotes hope, expectation, joy, and even fear. Christians celebrate a season of Advent as a time in between. The first Sunday of Advent is both historical and eschatological, that is, it remembers God’s appearances in history, and it anticipates the culmination of God’s kingdom in the future.
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Growling Bears, Moaning Doves, & the Prince of Peace
All of us growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves. We hope for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us” (Isaiah 59:11).
Peace is the fruit of righteousness and justice. When strife erupts into protests and demonstrations the cry for justice is lost among the cacophony of voices competing to be heard, competing for power. When power is the goal of protests, justice will be forfeited because unrestricted power by its very nature suppresses the weak. The ancient prophets of Yahweh lamented the corruption, oppression, and sinfulness of the people of God. The “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6) had degenerated into “growling bears and moaning doves.” The “growling bears” are locked in combat over territorial rights. The moaning doves lament the absence of peace.
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Advent Devotion – HOPE
The first candle of Advent signifies HOPE. As we light the candle of hope we are reminded of the faith of our ancestral fathers and mothers of the faith – the ancient patriarchs. About 4000 years ago God called Abram from the land of Iraq and said, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; and I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Genesis 12:1-3).
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