30^th December 2010

Rev Dr Max Champion at St John's UCA Mt Waverley (Sunday 21 November 2010)

Lessons -- Psalm 96; Colossians 1:15-20; Luke 23:33-43

He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation;
. . . For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell . . .
(Colossians 1:15, 19 RSV)

One of the characteristics of the first Christians was their confidence in the presence of evil. Surrounded by cosmic forces, tyrannical rulers and an upsurge in self-centred spirituality, they proclaimed the defeat of all destructive powers 'in Christ'. Nothing, they said, can destroy the eternal love of God for all! The crucified Jesus is the risen-ascended Lord -- the King of the universe.

This was a word of freedom and hope to frightened, superstitious and depressed people who sought comfort in a vast array of 'spirits' which they believed inhabited the stars, lived in their souls and determined their destiny. In a world where pitiless Fate ruled and people craved spiritual enlightenment and escape, this was a liberating word. At the heart of the universe is the invisible God whose being-and-will has been visibly displayed-and-embodied 'in Christ'. There is no need, they said, to be enslaved by impersonal cosmic forces, earthly tyrants, inhuman life- styles or introspective spirituality. Ultimately, none of these dark forces has power over us!

This is wonderfully affirmed in Colossians 1:15-20, an early Christian hymn. It is an exuberant expression of adoration, a powerful and concise affirmation of Christian faith and an attack on false religion. Adoration and theology are combined in this joyful creed to acknowledge the Sovereign Rule of Christ over all things; to express delight that, in the
(visible) person of Jesus, the very love of (invisible) God has -- in the words of t he Nicene Creed -- 'become truly human' 'for us'. It invites us to worship, to believe, to think and to protest in the service of the One who rules the universe with the grace and power of God himself.

This is controversial! The desire to know the 'invisible being' behind the 'visible world' is shared by all who are looking for spiritual enlightenment. But not everybody is happy to say that the 'invisible' has appeared in the historical person of Jesus.

In this passage, the words used to speak about Christ are similar to what was said in spiritual communities outside the early church. The Colossians were very familiar with words like 'image' or 'icon', 'first born', 'hea ven', 'body', 'head' and 'fullness' which were popular among the spiritualists of the day. Indeed, these early Christians were tempted to use these ideas in ways that did not do justice to what God had done in Christ.

These beliefs are a bit slippery for us to grasp. But in essence they express faith in a 'Supreme Being' who dwells above and beyond the universe, uncontaminated by imperfection. This God is the 'unknowable Father'. Howev er, we can 'know what we don't know' (to quote a former US Secretary of State) about the 'fullness of God' by going through a number of stages of enlightenment. For us to attain this spiritual insight, the 'only begotten mind' of the Father creates Christ and the Spirit to teach us. We are 'redeemed' from ignorance when we realise that we can know all there is to know about the Unknown God by looking deep within ourselves. There we will f ind the Kingdom of God in us.

These spiritualists said that we experience 'fullness of life' when we realise our true 'spiritual essence' and turn our backs on the material world (and bodily life). They totally rejected the idea that the 'Father' is t he Creator of the material world and that Jesus is his incarnate Son. Like new age spiritualists of our day, they insisted that we do not see in the (visible) Jesus the (invisible) God! Christ is not 'the image' or 'icon'
of the Creator. He is not 'sovereign Lord of all, the King of creation'! To say so is offensive to the truly 'spiritual' person.

Thus despite similarities in the terms used, these beliefs, says Paul, are incompatible with faith in God's sovereign love -- as it has been embodied 'in Christ'.

This is magnificently expressed in the exuberant faith of the 'Christ Hymn'. Christians are not to seek release of their souls from the body and the material world through spiritual enlightenment. They are free to live by hope in the midst of the imperfect and sinful world knowing that, at a particular time and place in history, Jesus has embodied the reconciling love of the 'Father' for the real world and real people.

Here is a word of hope for broken people like you and me. The 'fullness of God' is revealed in the costly and merciful grace of Christ -- the 'first born son' of the 'Father' -- who is the incarnate, crucified and risen L ord, the King of the Universe.

In credal shorthand, the 'Christ Hymn' declares and celebrates the worldliness of the Gospel. It expresses robust confidence in God's purposes for the whole of creation. Christ is praised, not for being a mystical, spirit ual figure, but for being fully human Lord of life who redeems humanity from the dark forces which bedevil life. He is the 'first born' of all creation and sovereign Lord over the 'principalities and powers' that shape an d misshape human life. He is praised for his reconciling love for the world in his incarnation ('in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell'), his crucifixion (in 'making peace by the blood of his cross'), and h is resurrection (as the 'first born from the dead').

In the person of Jesus, God's total commitment to us and all people is embodied. In his (visible) life we see the image or icon of the (invisible) God. The 'Father' of Jesus Christ is not unknown. In him, says Paul, we kn ow that the Father does not despise the imperfect world but participates in it, defeats evil, reconciles us to himself and continues to reign over all things.

No sphere of life is beyond his sovereign power! In this short passage, the terms 'all' or 'all things' are used eight times. 'All creation' comes under his authority -- 'heaven and earth', 'visible and invisible', politi cs and religion, personal relationships -- all come under the 'lordship of Jesus Christ', the 'beloved Son' of the 'Father'. The universe and everything and everyone in it are 'held together' (v17) and given significance by 'Christ the King' -- the one who 'reigns' in costly, triumphant love.

This means that, although the upsurge in terrorism, fascination with inward spirituality and public attacks on Christian faith can be very daunting, they cannot ultimately overwhelm us.

From early times, icons of Christ the King, the Sovereign Ruler of all, were painted to help Christians worship God with a due sense of awe and mystery. Icons take us out of ourselves and draw us into the loving purposes of God. They help us to 'image' God in the likeness of Jesus.

Traditionally Protestants are suspicious of icons. No doubt the contemplation of icons, like the veneration of saints, can become idolatrous. But properly understood, they enable us to see more deeply into the mystery of God's revelation in Christ.

In the C12th Sicilian icon (see http://www.galenfrysinger.com) Christ is represented in a way that enables us to see who he really is. His humanity is evident, as is his divinity. His clothes suggest the splendour of God (gold) and the royalty-and-humility of his earthly life (dark blue). He wears a large crown- like halo bathed in divine light. In the midst of the crown is the cross. He is no ordinary ruler! With his right hand he blesses the w orshipper (as a sign that he has come to save, not to condemn) and with his left hand he holds the open Bible (as a witness to God's word of grace in him). The dome in which the icon is set suggests that he is King of the Universe

The icon attracts us to worship the King who is not made in the image of ordinary kings but images the Lord of all creation. In him, cross and crown combine to declare that the costly grace of God has been uniquely embodi ed in the real world. The 'Unknowable God' is known in the Person of Christ.

Icons should stop us spiritualising the Gospel -- as should the crucifixion reading from Luke 23:33f included in the lectionary for today. The 'King of the Jews' is unlike any other ruler, but not because he is spirituall y remote from the world. He rules over dark forces in the world as the One who, despite being ridiculed and crucified by the world, has founded a Kingdom of goodness and mercy where evil is judged and the penitent are for given.

The readings for the Reign of Christ and icons of his Kingship are a source of hope and courage when God seems dead, people turn inward and tyrants brutally oppress their people. In C20th Russia, most Orthodox churches we re empty, save for a few old women not considered a threat to communist rule. Yet, in worshipping God through Scripture and icons, they kept alive the knowledge of Christ's rule. Their anonymous witness is testimony to the fact that, despite the terrible power of evil, Christ is the 'King of creation' and the 'first born of those who are raised from the dead'.

The coming of Jesus into our strife-torn world at a particular time in history is the sign of the Kingdom that awaits us when the 'Father' brings all things to perfection in him. Because the crucified and risen One, who embodied the very love of God the Father, has redeemed us, we may live in hope for ourselves and the whole creation -- even in the darkest times when so many people look within themselves to escape Fate.

Our happy task is to worship the One described in Colossians (and our Basis of Union) as 'King of the Universe' and 'Head of the Church' (v18).
Through music, words and icons it is our delight to declare and celebrate the power and love of the One who is at the heart of reality and to enjoy the undeserved privilege -- as a small, fragile and fallible body of people -- of belonging to the Christian community. In all things therefore let us -- in the words of Handel's famous chorus -- praise the 'King of kings and Lord of lords'.

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Rev Dr Max Champion is minister in the St John's Uniting Church, Mt Waverley, Victoria, Australia. Dr Champion is Chair of the Assembly of Confessing Congregations within the UCA.