Readings for today: Colossians 1-2, Psalms 13
In early December, I have the privilege of chairing the board of the Petros Network. The Petros Network is an organization dedicated to bringing the gospel to unreached villages all over the Horn of Africa by empowering and equipping indigenous church planters. I’ve been part of this ministry for almost fifteen years now and it is one of the greatest blessings of my life. Literally thousands of churches have been planted in that time and over a million new believers have come to faith. It’s incredible. One of the ways I get to serve when I go on a trip is to teach on the character and nature of God. Specifically, I spend a lot of time teaching on the doctrine of the Trinity which declares that the One True God exists eternally as Three Persons. Distinct yet undivided. Different but not separate. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…all are God. But the Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Spirit. And the Spirit is not the Father. Though they are diverse in their personalities and roles, they all share in the same essence or being. It’s a paradox to be sure and a stumbling block to faith for many. It is also notoriously difficult to translate into local tribal dialects!
The term “Trinity” was coined by a 2nd century African theologian named Tertullian. Considered by many to be the “Father of Western Theology”, Tertullian attempted to put into human words what is ultimately a divine mystery. From the opening pages of Scripture, the One God reveals Himself as a plurality. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...and the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters...then God said...” The Apostle John affirms this central truth in the opening verses of his Gospel. “In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” And then comes these words today from the Apostle Paul, “Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross..” (Colossians 1:15-20 CSB)
Why is all this important? In the consumeristic and materialistic mindset that marks American Christianity, what is often lost is our wonder and awe at what God has done in Jesus Christ. The magnitude of the miracle of God becoming one of us is something that should bring us to our knees. It should cause our stomachs to flip flop and our hearts to skip a beat. We should all fall face down on the floor in worship and adoration of the Resurrected Christ. And yet, we can barely get to church on Sunday morning. We can barely bring ourselves to pray or read God’s Word on a regular basis. Even during the Christmas season, we spend most of Advent prepping for Santa Claus, decorating the house, and going on spending sprees we cannot afford.
Jesus is the very image of the invisible God. He is the perfect representation of God’s being. In Jesus, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. He is preeminent over all creation. Jesus is the Word of God Incarnate. The God of the universe taking on human flesh and entering into our world. Jesus is before all things. He created all things. He sustains all things. He reconciles all things. And He will one day glorify all things, whether on earth or in heaven. It is utterly amazing and beyond words that this God...this Jesus...would bend the heavens to come down and become one of us. Be born of a virgin for us. Suffer hardship and pain for us. Shed His own blood for us. Die a humiliating death on the cross for us. Spend three days in the grave for us. Descend into hell itself for us. And rise again from the grave for us. But this is our God. He is faithful and true and nothing can separate us from His love.
As I prepare to enter yet another Christmas season, I find myself asking why is Jesus Christ still not enough? Why do I not spend more time at the manger? More time at the foot of the cross? More time at the empty tomb? More time in silent awe and wonder and worship at what the Triune God has done in giving His only Begotten Son for the sake of the world?
Readings for tomorrow: Colossians 3-4, Psalms 14