December 24, 2021 - Advent week 4
Galatians 3:23-29; 4:6-7
23 Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, 26 for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. 27 As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.
4 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.[1]
As our advent season of preparation draws to a close, it is time, beginning this evening, to welcome the Christ of Christmas. This very night we will proclaim Luke’s ancient “…good news of great joy for all people.” (Luke 2:10).
On the one hand, we are glad that the time of waiting is over. The celebration is nearly here! On the other hand, having now spent many days reflecting on the meaning of Jesus’ coming, we wonder, are we really ready for the kingdom which he proclaimed?
Paul’s letter to the Galatians spells out some of the implications of the coming kingdom of God for the Church of Jesus Christ. They are as beautiful as they are weighty.
First, St. Paul reminds the Church that we are no longer “under the law.” He describes the role of the law by using the Greek term ‘paidagogon.’ One translation has chosen the English term ‘babysitter’ for this word. As a firstborn child, I can still remember when my parents stopped hiring a babysitter and put me in charge. I was thrilled, at least at first. No more answering to the babysitter! And then I realized that babysitting isn’t the easiest job! After a night of trying to get my brother and sister to listen to what I had to say, I was often rather relieved when my parents arrived home. Likewise, we greet the news that our babysitter (the law) is gone with a sober realization: The coming of the kingdom of Christ means that we are now called to do more than merely “keep the law.” Rather, we are to respond to God’s call as those who are trustworthy and faithful. This means that not only our actions but also our motives must be subject to the control of the Holy Spirit.
A second implication of the coming of Christ has to do with the makeup of the kingdom of God. Whereas before, the law identified the people of God with a particular ethnic group, the sons and daughters of Abraham. Now, however, the gates to the kingdom of God have been opened that all may come in regardless of ethnicity, gender or social status. In Christ “…there is no longer Jew or Greek, male or female, slave or free for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (vs. 28) This means that we dare not see the church as existing just for “people like me.” It is not a club for those who share my preferences, rather it is a community whose doors must be open to all who wish to take up their cross and follow Jesus. I wonder, am I truly ready for the challenges that come with that kind of community?
And then my eyes fall on the last verse of our reading: “God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying Abba! Father! So you are no longer a slave, but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.” I read these words and I realize – I am ready after all! I am ready because the Spirit of Christ draws me ever closer to God and to His kingdom. I am ready because the Christ who came to the stable in Bethlehem, the same Christ who will one day come again to rule the earth, has, somehow, taken up residence within me.
Thanks be to God!
- The Rev. Steve Bateman
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Ga 3:23–4:7). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
