December 7, 2009

Dear friends,

How many Christmas letters have I written? I was ordained in May of 1985, so this is my twenty-fifth Christmas as a pastor. However, since I was an assistant curate for the first three years, I do not think I wrote a Christmas letter until after I moved to Eganville in June of 1988. So this is probably the twenty-second Christmas letter I have had the occasion to write. That’s a lot of Christmas letters!

Hollywood loves “resurrection” moments. It is amazing how often in movies these occur. You know what I mean – towards the end of the movie, a sympathetic key character, after doing something heroic, “dies”. The director balances the sadness and disappointment of the other characters (and the viewers) with an acceptable “wait time” before the character breathes again. In typical Hollywood “resurrection” moments, the character is very soon back to full vigour!

Good story tellers, whether in print or “film”, tap into deep longings and images in the reading and viewing public. Some might say that that is all the gospel writers did. They knew what would make a good story – they knew of the deep longings and deep images in people’s souls – so they wrote a good story. As is often the case, such critics misread the facts.

First of all, the early eye witnesses of Jesus’ life and death and the empty tomb and the resurrection appearances of Jesus specifically deny that they were merely following “fables” or “myths” – deep stories of the imagination which touch on deep yearnings and images. Listen to Peter, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16 ESV). Note that he makes two key claims. First, that in telling the story of Jesus he did not follow myths. Second, the reason he did not follow myths is because he was an eyewitness. He did not have to follow a story pattern – he could just tell what happened.

The deep question for critics is, “Where do such myths and images come from?” It is entirely reasonable to suggest that the presence of deep yearnings and images are pointers to something real which will satisfy the image of longing. After all, we long for love or food or knowledge because love and food and knowledge exist. In the case of Jesus, it is not that his story is one more “resurrection” myth. Instead, in the case of Jesus, myth became fact – that which myth and longings and images yearned for truly arrived. The end of our yearnings and longings has arrived!

As Christians, we believe Jesus Christ is the end of our longings and yearnings. He is true in the way facts are true – but He is true in its deepest sense of satisfying longings and yearnings. He really died. He really died as our substitute. He really defeated all that separates us from God. He really did defeat evil and death in His resurrection. He really is the way and the truth and the life.

Have a blessed Easter!

George+

Dear friend in Christ,

Is the glass half empty or half full?

Depending on your age and where you grew up, you will have different memories of how Christianity fit into the society and welfare of your youth. Ottawa in the 1950s would be quite different than Hong Kong or Czechoslovakia or Italy or Egypt or Rwanda. Canadians who grew up here and are over 55 often lament the fact that Christianity has lost its place in our society and culture. That lament is often dangerous. With that lament, we can lapse into indifference and nostalgia.

We have just as much a right as anyone else to seek in our sphere of influence to exert an influence consistent with the Christian world view—in fact—that is what we should do. I do not mean witnessing to Jesus while someone else forms the rules and shapes the culture. In our sphere of influence, we can shape that sphere so that it’s consistent with the Christian world view. How do we view the truly fragile and weak? Do we have responsibilities to them? What best helps the poor? What place does true truth have? What place should family have? To follow Jesus Christ as Lord implies we live a certain way, and we should live in such a way as to have a godly influence on the shape of our culture and society.

Of course we are also called to bear witness to Christ whom the opportunity arises—and we are to pray for opportunities! People need to know Jesus.

Back to the glass being half empty or half full. We are never to wait until the cultural moment is right before we live as Christians. There is no cultural situation where we cannot begin to bear witness. The Bible tells us that the right time for Jesus to come was forwarded on obedience to the Father, not on any obvious cultural movement. John describes it this way: “The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:9-12 ESV).

Much has been lost in Canada which can be lamented. But, truly, we should see ourselves as being privileged to labour in a rich mission field. We are, by the grace of God in Christ Jesus and by faith in Him made children of the true light.

It is time to shine. Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas!

Under the mercy,
The Rev. George Sinclair