We have the tension of both discipline (law) and grace (gospel) to hold together, guiding us toward the range of God’s expectations and mercy. We have the pull between mystery and revelation- the ways that the Eternal Light has been made manifest and tangible on earth and the things that we still hold in faith to be true, without having seen any kind of proof.
We also have a time tension- a strain between understanding that God’s ways are not our ways. Neither God’s time nor God’s timing is like ours either. The pressure of this difference highlights one of the more difficult of the Christian tensions- already and not yet.
Already and not yet covers the span of what we already know God has done- made promises to our ancestors and kept them. The Holy One reconciled the earth to her Maker through Christ. The Spirit has kept the church alive through the ages- even when the way the faith was lived changed shape and expression.
That same reconciling and sustaining power is still at work today, which gives us a “now” in the middle of the already and the not yet. (I told you binaries don’t fully elucidate the situation.)
The not yet is hard. There is no way to cushion that blow.
We do not yet know why bad things happen to good people.
We do not yet perceive the full reign of the Prince of Peace.
We do not yet see all people united as one family of God and the animals together as in the image of the peaceable kingdom from Isaiah.
We have not yet beaten our swords into plow blades.
We do not yet understand suffering or what to do when it seems the shadows have overcome the light.
Not yet, not yet, not yet.
When the not yet becomes overwhelming- as we watch the news, as we grieve, as we experience a season of difficulty- we must help one another remember the now.
When I looked for good news headlines of 2023, I saw information about entering a golden age of medicine- including a potential cure for AIDS, new cancer treatments, and many countries eliminating specific deadly illnesses. Many countries began to have more collaborative conversations about changing weather patterns and how to cooperate through the experience. Deforestation in the Amazon decreased by 55% and several animals were taken off the endangered species list, as well as other animals being reintroduced to their original homes. More than 254 million acres of land have been restored to Indigenous groups around the world through successful land back and reparations movements.
I invite to you pause for a minute and think about your own “nows” of the year- what are the things that happened across the year that fed your hope, gave you joy, or increased your awareness of God’s work in the world.
(For me, my daughter’s all-clear MRI two years out from her brain tumor surgery is a massive NOW of God’s work through science and medical vocations.)
Our songs tonight were selected to highlight and comfort us within the tensions of already, now, and not yet.
When we sing “Joyous Light of Heavenly Glory” and “Children of the Heavenly Father”, we’re singing of what God has done. We sing of the love of creation, and we sing of God’s knowledge of nesting birds, stars in heaven and our own needs. These two songs underscore our trust in what God has done.
“Come Now, O Prince of Peace” is a song of not yet. This is a specific song on that theme for it was written by Korean hymnist Geonyong Lee as a hymn for the opening worship service on a conference for the peace and reunification of the Korean peninsula in 1988. This song speaks to our ache for what is not yet, but what we know God can do.
Finally, we will close our service with “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”. Unusual among Christmas carols, this hymn does not mention Jesus’ birth at all. The song is purely about the message of the angels. While recalling the angels of the Christmas story bringing good news to the shepherds, it speaks of what the angels are doing right now. They are still singing a song of peace- a song that can be heard by those who pause and listen for it. Rest beside the weary road and hear the angels sing.
The song of peace is happening now. It echoes what is already and it leads toward what is not yet. It is a song of love, a song of peace, a song of joy, and a song of hope. It is the song we need when the “not yet” gets too loud and the substance of the “already” is too far in the past.
In this season, remember the nows of this year. Know that the light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot, will not, shall not overcome it. Pause and listen and for a few moments, on this longest of nights, give back the song, which now the angels sing.
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