Christ in you, the Hope of Glory
“the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints… God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:26-27)
You are warmly welcome! I pray and hope you are enjoying this festive season, with meaning. For some it involved surprise blessings, and for others surprise losses, but such is life; we learn to thank God and trust Him in all circumstances.
This Christmas season reminds us of the powerful revelation that Paul talks about in his letter to the Colossians; but the season is also long enough for the Church to fit more commemorations: St Stephen the First Martyr, St John the Evangelist, and The Holy Innocents. All these observances have a component of revealing the mysteries of God differently, yet centering and focusing on Jesus Christ. Ask yourself if you have been shaken by the revelation we celebrate in this season; take some time to think, meditate and consider the weight of this God made man, the Word made flesh, the surprise humble King. The Jews waited eagerly for this revelation, but when He appeared, God graciously extended the revelation to the Gentiles – this was also surprising, yet it was part of God’s original plan. Don’t miss to think about these things deeply and truly celebrate God’s great gift to us.
The Holy Innocents are the children who were killed on the orders of King Herod as he sought to eliminate baby Jesus. Prophet Jeremiah had announced this horrible lamentation and bitter weeping much earlier, yet with a strong cushioning of comfort: “I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them and give them gladness for sorrow” (Jer 31:13-15). We reminded that on the one hand there may be such suffering by the innocent, yet God is not blind to these; but we are also reminded that we should not fight God using such cruel acts as Herod did – such effort will never succeed: Baby Jesus was not harmed by that attack! Indeed, no weapon forged against God’s children will ever prosper.
In similar fashion, Stephen was stoned to death to kill the power and message of Jesus Christ that he was championing. These deaths only fueled the fire and the gospel to spread wider.
John the evangelist was a full-time disciple of Jesus Christ, having transitioned from following John the Baptist. He contributes to the New Testament not just the fourth Gospel but also three epistles. John’s Gospel is so powerful a summary of the Bible that we had it printed as a stand-alone book many times and it would be a great life changing reading prescribed to new believers. It is a worthwhile commemoration.
Christ in you is the hope of glory. Take time to thank God for the revelation that brings us all into Him blessed salvation plan.
Merry Christmas and God bless you all.