Friday • 2/18/2022
Friday of 6 Epiphany, Year Two

This morning’s Scriptures are: Psalm 102; Genesis 32:22–33:17; 1 John 3:1–10; John 10:31–42

This morning’s Canticles are: following the OT reading, Canticle 10 (“The Second Song of Isaiah,” Isaiah 55:6–11; BCP, p. 86); following the Epistle reading, Canticle 18 (“A Song to the Lamb,” Revelation 4:11; 5:9–10, 13, BCP, p. 93)

Genesis 32–33. There have been several mini-breakthrough moments in Jacob’s relationship with Yahweh: the prophecy of his destiny (Genesis 25); the dream of the stairway between heaven and earth (Genesis 28); the dream preceding the Mizpah covenant (Genesis 31). And ever since his stairway dream, Jacob’s life has taken a turn towards faith. The decisive breakthrough lies here, though, in his wrestling with the angel. To be finally subdued, Jacob must throw his body into one last self-assertive grapple with God. The result is a vision of the “the face of God,” a permanent limp, as well as a new name. Jacob/Israel is finally not just Abraham’s grandson and heir. Now it’s fair to say he’s God’s son.

1 John 3. We, says 1 John, are children of God, which means our lives increasingly take on the characteristics of our Heavenly Father and his only Begotten Son, our brother. The conclusion that John draws in today’s passage in 1 John is that a life of sinfulness no longer defines us: “No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him” (1 John 3:6). At the same time, John has already told those who abide in Jesus that they are kidding themselves if they pretend they are beyond sin; but they always have access to forgiveness through confession, because Christ is their atoning sacrifice (1 John 1:9–2:2).

The reality is that our lives work themselves out somewhere between an Eeyore-ish fatalism (“Salvation is just moving from one failure to the next”) and Tigger-ish triumphalism (“Good morning, Jesus! I’m so glad I’m getting better and better every day, and growing closer and closer to you!”). We live in “the between times,” no longer slaves to sin, but also not yet able to say we don’t have to be ever vigilant.

The resources that John offers us in today’s words are: 1) the surety of our Father’s love; 2) the promise that God has committed himself to transform us into “the spittin’ image” of the Father whose children we are; 3) our Christus Victor is destroying the power of the Evil One who would destroy us if left to his own devices; 4) there is an inner compass within us that keeps pointing us in the direction of “doing right” and “loving our brothers and sisters.”

John 10. That’s why it’s so intriguing to find Jesus countering his opponents’ charge of blasphemy by citing to them Psalm 62, which faults Israelite leaders for failing in their duties: “I said, ‘You are gods’” (i.e., I called you and equipped you to exercise God-like care for my people). If God calls mere humans “gods,” how can it be blasphemy for the “one who came into the world” (i.e., the eternal Word who was in the beginning “with God” and who from eternity always “was God” — see John 1:1) to call himself God’s Son? (John 10:36).

The direct point is that Jesus as God’s Son is fully divine. May his name be praised!

The indirect point is that God’s lesser sons and daughters (you and I) are so invested with God’s blessing, so infused with his communicable attributes, and so commissioned to exercise dominion over his creation that there is a way in which they (we) can be referred to as “gods” without violating the distinction between Creator and creature. Accordingly, Paul refers to our salvation as a complex of “justification, sanctification, and glorification” (Romans 5–8). Peter says God has made us “sharers (koinōnoi, partakers, participants) in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).

There’s a deep mystery here, one that challenges the imagination. And we, whose perspective tends to be earth-bound, need the challenge. C. S. Lewis probably put it best when, in an oft-quoted passage from his “Weight of Glory” sermon, he said that the destiny of the redeemed is to become “everlasting spendours.” If we could see each other as we will be when this whole “between times” process of mortifying the flesh and living into the reality God’s sanctifying work in our lives is over — if we could see the finished product now, we would be tempted to fall down and worship each other. (Of course, when God’s work is finished, we’ll be beyond that temptation!)

May we walk in God’s calling as children he cherishes, and yield to his hand as he enables us to “do right” and “love our brothers and sisters.” May we worship him in wonder, love, and praise.

Be blessed this day,

Reggie Kidd+