Contracted to a span
- Anne of DyerLogic
- Dec 9, 2020
- 1 min read
Last time I wrote on a phrase I reckon I may have invented - apophatic apocalypticism. So now instead of a negative revelation - of what we can't say about God, let's go to what can be said.
It is Advent of course right now, So let's go to what it is all about. It was Jesus' adventure on earth. He came to us. WHO came? God incarnate came. Next time I'll maybe reflect further on these incredible thoughts thanks to Charles Wesley. After all, I am a member of the Methodist church and use the first of its hymn writers.
A revelation in itself.
Let earth and heaven combine, Angels and men agree, To praise in songs divine The incarnate Deity, Our God contracted to a span, Incomprehensibly made man.
He laid his glory by, He wrapped him in our clay; Unmarked by human eye, The latent Godhead lay; Infant of days he here became, And bore the mild Immanuel’s name.
Unsearchable the love That hath the Saviour brought; The grace is far above Or man or angels thought; Suffice for us that God, we know, Our God, is manifest below.
He deigns in flesh to appear, Widest extremes to join; To bring our vileness near, And make us all divine: And we the life of God shall know, For God is manifest below.
Made perfect first in love, And sanctified by grace, We shall from earth remove, And see his glorious face: Then shall his love be fully showed, And man shall then be lost in God.
Charles Wesley (1701-1778)
NB The photo is one I took myself in Bethlehem in 2011 of their tableaus.
Advent means 'coming towards'. The church invented it as part of the church calendar which teaches through the Bible in effect starting with advent. It prepares us for the feast (mas) of Christ. So on Christmas Eve there would be a communion service rejoicing in remembering Christ came into the world, as a child. It was not the literal day if his birth but the commemoration of it. Preparing for pascha us lent. The church rather over contextualised the name Easter which was borrowed from a spring pagan goddess.. but their Easter but coincided with pascha the Pesach of the Jewish feast we call Passover. That forty days before the resurrection day is Lent. That is more about repentance. Advent…
Thank you for clarifying this. I am actually not familiar with Advent since it is not mentioned in The Bible unless explained just as you have done. However, are we supposed to observe it as one of the church events regarding Christ's coming? And so is Christmas as well which Christians have decided to use as an opportunity to minister the truth to others regarding the birth of Jesus Christ and why he came. Therefore, more information regarding 'The Advent' along those lines will be much appreciated. Thank you.