The story in the story
We've been talking at church about the "Christmas songs" in Luke. Last week we talked about the angels song to the shepherds. There is this part before the song at the beginning of the passage that reads simply "in the time of Caesar Augustus..."
This is the same Augustus whose quotes include that he was "god in flesh on earth". He also referred to himself as "son of god". He was also referred to as the "turning point of salvation" because he was going to save the world by bringing peace to everyone (except he was going to bring peace by his army and killing anyone in his way). They even coined (literally put it on their coins) the phrase, "Salvation is found in none other than Caesar" and "Caesar is Lord".
In the midst of this time the angels say to the shepherds, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." The glory goes to God not Caesar. Peace comes from God, not Caesar. Hmmmm... It's quite a political statement.
This also begs the question - what do we turn to now for peace? hope? Who or what do we hear claiming to be our salvation? Who or what do we turn to for peace?
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Thoughts on life and ministry
About Me
- Brian
- Journeying with as many as I can to find out the best life. I believe this means following God in the way of Jesus.
Other blogs to share
Books I'm Reading
- Christian Tradition vols. 1-3
- History of Christian Thought vols. 1-2
- "Torture and Eucharist" by William T. Cavanaugh
5 comments:
Or do we as a race of people really have any hope in peace?
Kipper, peace is as peace does.
There is hope, but it's easy to be blinded by the glaring lights of anger and bitterness.
Usually anger and bitterness have the loudest voice so that everybody hears them while peace whispers its promise to those who are willing to listen.
I would agree with that, Josh. I think that as a whole, however, the human race has lost much of its hope that peace will ever be present. Losing that hope naturally leads one or many to thereby abandon the advancing of peace if their own lives, families, neighborhoods, cultures, etc.
For instance, why was it so easy for us to go to war in the Middle East? Could it not have been that the acts of terrorism on 9/11 crushed our hopes for peace and tranquility? Certainly our nation rebounded with a strong display of support and defiance; but at the same time, peace wasn't exactly on our minds as much as force of arms.
Ergo, my point (and mutual concern with you) is that we as a people, a collection of sinful beings, have lost hope in peace, lost hope that it can ever be...and have become embittered precisely because too few people have openly pursued it. I, of course, launched that as a gentle attack on the Church who have not openly proclaimed the story of peace so much as they have forcibly tried to thrust it upon the unbelieving, unconforming, uncompromising populace around it. But at the same time, in the midst of all the despair around me, I still hold out enough hope so as to pursue it to whatever end.
I wonder at times if we are really ready to ask for true peace, Shalom? If we truly realize that the reworking of our own webs to get to peace have shaking consequences elsewhere as well? It is awfully hard to give up that kind of "control" of our lives.
So, what do we do?
Lack of hope perpetuates lack of peace.
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