Monthly Archives: December 2006
Jenson: Christ’s Preexistence
Today my wife and kids are out of town for a birthday party, so I had to opportunity to read Jenson’s chapter, The Christological Problem, after finishing both worship services. In this chapter, Jenson thinks critically about the Antiochene/Alexandrian christological controversy and begins to offer a constructive alternative. Citing Maximus Confessor and following his Christology to an extent Maximus did not, Jenson writes, “If we adhere to this and follow Maximus’ arguments to their end, we will say: the second identity of God is directly the human person of the Gospels, in that he is the one who stands to the Father in the relation of being eternally begotten by him (p. 137).” In the footnote, Jenson argues that sufficiently drastic NT scholarship should reach this same point.
One of the questions that arises from his discussion concerns the preexistence of Christ and is especially relevant as we contemplate Christmas. Where was Jesus before his birth and incarnation in Bethlehem? Jenson responds:
“…in the full narrative of Scripture, we see how the Son indeed precedes his human birth without being simply unincarnate: the Son appears as a narrative pattern of Israel’s created human story before he can appear as an individual Israelite within that story.”
“In the triune life, what ontologically precedes the birth to Mary of Jesus who is God the Son, the birth, that is to say, of the sole actual second identity of that life, is the narrative pattern of being going to be born to Mary. What in eternity precedes the Son’s birth to Mary is not an unicarnate state of the Son, but a pattern of movement within the event of the Incarnation, the movement to incarnation, as itself a pattern of God’s triune life (p. 141).”
Admittedly, this presses the boundaries of the ability we have to even speak and understand. However, I think it is important to consider these difficult questions – ironically the kinds of questions that children love to ask! Somehow we have to craft an answer from this deep theological reflection. Where was Jesus before he was born? He was somehow eternally moving toward incarnation within the life of the Trinity. Would that satisfy your 4 year old? It wouldn’t mine. I think we can safely answer this for a pre-schooler (and have any of us really developed much theologically beyond pre-school?) by saying before being born to Mary, Jesus was God and was with God. Clear? 
Signs of Spiritual Enlightenment
Gordon Atkinson at Real Live Preacher posted these signs of spiritual enlightenment back in November. I know many folks have already read this, but it was interesting enough that I wanted to link to it even now. Here they are for those of you too busy to click the link:
- The embracing of paradox
- The love of mystery in the presence of unanswered questions
- The acceptance of your small place in reality
- The willingness to engage in spiritual exercises without knowing how they will work or even what it would mean for them to work
- The increase of love, grace, forgiveness, and patience visible in your life
Part of me wonders if these are true signs of spiritual enlightenment or if they are signs he has interpreted as enlightenment in his own life. I can say that I share some of these traits, but I haven’t necessarily considered them signs of spiritual enlightenment. Befuddlement…perhaps. Hopefully we can embrace a blessed befuddlement as a kind of grace that we can receive. I’ve heard theologians talk about the simplicity beyond complexity, and I think blessed befuddlement can be that simplicity that we should strive toward. Is this the goal? Maybe the true end of our search is realizing that creation is so darn complex that we just have to shake our heads and smile a perplexed smile of amazement.
Jenson: Sin and Righteousness
“Throughout Scripture, the central moral and historical category is ‘righteousness.’ Since Israel’s God is invested in Israel’s community, her righteousness consists in faithfulness in that community; thus righteousness in Israel’s Bible is the vigor of the entire network of communal relations within which participants divine and human live…Scripture’s many words for sin are mere contraries of ‘righteousness’ and denote one or another betrayal of community (pp. 71-72).”
How often do we portray sin and righteousness in this way? So often, it seems to me, sin and righteousness are defined by participating in or refraining from particular acts. For instance, some traditions forbid dancing and drinking alcohol as sins. I think these can be sins, but only in the sense in which Jenson here defines sin. Only as authentic community with God and neighbor are compromised are these sin. We can easily see alcoholism as a sin. Dancing? Maybe if it is dehumanizing in some sense. So, let’s start to define sin and righteousness communally, and maybe we’ll make some strides in our conversations about sin.
Advent with Robert Jenson
For Advent, I am reading Robert W. Jenson’s Systematic Theology. What better way to prepare for our Lord’s arrival! So far, I am floored by Jenson’s breadth, depth, and at times…clarity. He is a terrific writer and the only reason there aren’t more of these crystalline moments is my own lack of breadth and depth theologically and philosophically. There is something powerful about reading first rate theology such as this as you prepare week-in and week-out to preach to a congregation hungry for God. It seems to me that our quest to communicate the mystery of faith is aided insofar as we are willing to passionately pursue answers to our own questions about the faith. That’s why I read folks like Jenson. He’s willing to face the tough questions. For instance, like Pannenberg, he believes Feuerbach’s assertion that “God” is simply human interest writ large is an important assertion to interact with and question. I’m about half-way through this now, and I look forward to delving further into the mystery of our Triune God.
Advent Resource
This year for Advent I’m using a resource by Blair Gilmer Meeks: Season of Light and Hope: Prayers and Liturgies for Advent and Christmas. I struggled to find a good resource for Advent services this year, since I wanted to use something other than the Book of Worship this time around. So far, I’ve been very pleased with Meeks’ resource. It is scripturally-grounded and a very rich place to gather materials for worship.
Web Prayer Resource
Gavin Richardson helpfully pointed me to Sacred Space, a prayer site produced by the Irish Jesuits. I am very impressed by the thought and work put into this site; I recommend it highly. You’ll see that I’ve added it to my links. Thanks Gavin!
