And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”
They said, “Caesar’s.” Then he said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” – Matthew 22:20-21
The Season of Advent, a new year on the Christian calendar, has come. A time of preparation, consecration, devotion and praise! Our Savior first came to take on our human flesh and blood as an infant, a baby conceived in his mother’s womb by the Holy Spirit, and began an earthly journey that led to his death as a sacrifice on a Roman cross. It is a story that we contemplate every year while the days grow short and the night grows long. Then, in the darkest night of the Northern hemisphere, we celebrate the birth of our hope. Yes, we know that Jesus’ actual birth date was not established by the Church until the 5th century and many scholars place it more likely in the early fall of our year. Others hold fast to the 25th of December in spite of the Roman celebration of Saturnalia which it replaced. Either way, however, it remains symbolic of a turning from darkness to light in the Nativity of our Lord.
Many in our day and in our culture and around the world see again a darkness coming over the world in which we live. It is not a new darkness, but one that cycles throughout human history when morality becomes increasingly and universally more corrupt; when governments grow more intolerant of individual freedom and the free expression of religious faith; when economies decline and lives are lost in poverty and disease and war and terrorist acts. In times like these Christians look up, knowing that our redemption is near. But we must not use that wonderful assurance, we know to be true, as reason for passive resistance when we have been given the means for humanities sake to act responsibly. For as sure as God has given us the Gospel in His Son Jesus Christ, releasing us forever from the bondage and decay of the world; He has also through divine providence given us systems of governance rooted in his Law by which we have access in civil matters to voice our objections and concerns so that right and reasonable laws prevail.
Over the last several months a new Christian declaration has been formed and signed by Orthodox, Catholic, and evangelical Christians who have united to reaffirm fundamental truths about justice and the common good, and to call upon our fellow citizens, believers and non-believers alike, to join us in defending them. These truths are:
1. the sanctity of human life
2. the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife
3. the rights of conscience and religious liberty.
Their website at ManhattanDeclaration.org says the following:
Inasmuch as these truths are foundational to human dignity and the well-being of society, they are inviolable and non-negotiable. Because they are increasingly under assault from powerful forces in our culture, we are compelled today to speak out forcefully in their defense, and to commit ourselves to honoring them fully no matter what pressures are brought upon us and our institutions to abandon or compromise them. We make this commitment not as partisans of any political group but as followers of Jesus Christ, the crucified and risen Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
It seems to me that in the darkness, as we proclaim the Light who came into our world, the above referenced declaration gives honor and meaning to the Christian faith given to us in our baptism. May you have a blessed Advent and Christmas Season, and at the same time consider your declaration for the sake of our culture. Look up the Manhattan one, read it and if you agree, sign it on line. I did, what about you?
Merry Christmas,
Pastor PJ