Letter 6/10

June 10, 2010
Pastor Steve Mathewson
  

How about those Blackhawks! I can’t resist leading off today’s letter with a tip of the cap to the new Stanley Cup winners. This was the first championship for the Blackhawks since 1961! I watched as Patrick Kane scored the winning goal last night. But like most viewers – and even like most Blackhawk players! – I was not sure immediately if he had really scored the winning goal. But he did, and it will go down as a great moment in Chicago sports. At least one of our staff members was wearing his Blackhawks jersey this morning! By the way, if you’d like to read a thoughtful discussion about sports and how a Christian should keep sports in perspective, get a copy of The Reason For Sports by Ted Kluck (Moody Press). Kluck is the guy who co-authored Why We Love the church with Kevin DeYoung.

Our family had a great time at Ben and Nicole’s wedding last Friday. It was a great time of joy and celebration.  I enjoyed during the ceremony, and, yes, I shed a few tears. Ben and Nicole are wrapping up their honeymoon today in the Chicago area, so we’re enjoying a little bit of time with them before they had back to Peoria tomorrow and back to work. 

Let’s take some time to reflect on a magnificent confession or hymn which appears in 1 Timothy 3:16. We are going to read this together during our worship this Sunday. It is so brief, though, that I fear we will miss how profound its message really is. After a discussion of what it means to live in a godly way, the Apostle Paul shares the “mystery of godliness” – that is, the truth about Jesus Christ which is the basis for living a godly life. Six lines in 1 Timothy 3:16 unpack this mystery.

·         He appeared in a body. The Greek text literally reads “who was revealed in flesh.” This affirms the incarnation – the coming of God to earth in human flesh.

·         Was vindicated by the Spirit. This line is harder to understand, but it most likely refers to Christ being vindicated by his resurrection.  We know from Romans 8:11 that the Spirit was involved in raising Jesus from the dead. Christ’s resurrection shows that his death was not a defeat but a victory. The resurrection vindicates his claim to be the promised Messiah and the Son of God.

·         Was seen by angels. While the first line speaks of Christ’s incarnation and the second of his resurrection, this line speaks of his glorification. The reference is to the worship given by the angels to the resurrected, glorified Christ.

·         Was preached among the nations. The fourth line shifts the focus to the ongoing ministry of Christ through his church. This line focuses on the proclamation of the victory Christ won. It acknowledges the church’s responsibility to share the gospel with the world.

·         Was believed on in the world. Here the emphasis falls on the response to the preaching of the gospel. This verifies that God’s plan to bring salvation through Jesus is working!

·         Was taken up in glory The final line provides a glorious climax to the hymn as it focuses on Christ’s ascension to heaven after his resurrection. Jesus who was humbled in the incarnation is now exalted through his ascension to the Father’s right hand in heaven!

Take some time to reflect on this great hymn before we read it together on Sunday. Also, our series on the letter of James begins this week. The text for the sermon is James 1:1-18, and the title is: “How People of Faith Handle Trials.” This text has stirred my thoughts and affections for Christ, and I look forward to sharing it with you. It is so timely and helpful! I’ll see you on Sunday!