Hi First Presbyterian,
It's time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Back when I was in graduate school at Wheaton College, the Eastern Orthodox bishop and theologian Kallistos Ware gave a lecture at the college. He is a well-known theologian, especially among Protestants since he is a convert from Protestantism to Eastern Orthodoxy. He possesses an ability to explain Eastern Orthodoxy to Protestants because of his background. I was interested in his theology, and so I went to hear his lecture.
One thing he mentioned during his lecture is the fact that Protestant and Eastern Orthodox Christians tend to emphasize different aspects of salvation. For Protestants, the most important thing God has done for us to save us is, through Christ, dying and rising again. This should come as no surprise to those of you who are very connected to First Presbyterian Church. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are incredibly important to our understanding of who God is and what God desires for our lives. It’s integrated into everything we do as a church. And it’s the reason Easter is the biggest celebration for us. For Eastern Orthodox Christians, however, the most important thing God has done for us to save us is, through Christ, becoming human. In other words, while Protestant Christians find great meaning in the saving work of the cross, Eastern Orthodox Christians find great meaning in the saving work of the incarnation.
In my faith journey, hearing Kallistos Ware talking about the importance of the incarnation for salvation was incredibly important for me as a Protestant. It’s not that I ever thought the birth of Christ was insignificant. I just didn’t assign it the same importance as Christ’s death and resurrection. If Christ is not born, there can be no death and resurrection. But even more than the simple fact that the birth of Christ allows for the possibility of his death and resurrection, his birth signifies something incredibly important on its own. The incarnation shows us that God desires to be with us, even in our grief, pain, and sadness. Have you ever had a friend show up when you were going through a very difficult time, but there was nothing they could do to assuage your pain other than simply sit with you? The simple act of sitting with someone can be incredibly meaningful and even healing. God demonstrates the desire to sit with us through our difficulties in the incarnation.
Let’s all learn a lesson from Eastern Orthodoxy and from the incarnation this Christmas. The gift of presence is better than the gift of presents. Let’s give the better gift to each other this holiday season.
Peace to you,
Pastor Neff