During the 1000 years between the time of Constantine, the Emperor of Rome, who declared Christianity the religion of the realm and the Reformation and rise of Protestantism an avalanche of religious fervor overtook the European Continent. The rulers of the various countries and city-states would donate their riches to pay for churches and monasteries. Other rulers would donate land to the Church on which they could build the churches and monasteries or farm the land and raise cattle to support the church properties.
The shopkeepers and peasants would flock to the churches and give what little they had to spare for the church. There were numerous religious festivals throughout the year that everyone would joyfully, or somberly, attend depending on the occasion.
In addition to the piety demonstrated by society was the concept and desire of being able to see the mortal remains of the Saints, Apostles and any emblems related to Christ. A vast industry was created to supply the churches with these items. So, how did this become so important?
In 327 AD Constantine’s mother, Helena, traveled to the Holy Land on a pilgrimage. While there she visited a small church where the Dome on the Rock now stands in Jerusalem. She was taken down into a cave below the church where three crosses that Christ and the thieves were nailed were kept in a protective state. She managed to obtain these crosses along with the nails and the lance that pierced the side of Jesus and took them back to Constantinople.
The crosses were whittled down and slivers were sent to the major churches in Christendom. The nails were kept in Constantinople and were eventually buried with Constantine when he died. The lance and a large part of the crossbeam from Christ’s cross was sent to Rome.
These emblems supposedly from the Crucifixion started the veneration of what is termed holy relics. Society was hugely impressed with these relics and requested more symbols from the time of Christ.
The Catholic church was only to eager to fulfill that demand. They sent missionaries and priests to the Holy Lands with a few of them detailed to find the burial sites of the apostles and bring the remains back to Rome while the remaining men would begin preaching to the infidels.
Today, under St. Peters Cathedral in Rome is a spur of the Catacombs. Buried in the catacombs is the tomb and sarcophagus of Peter. In the Cathedral on the main floor and in the center of the cathedral is an elaborate altar. The altar is placed directly above Peters tomb. There are four columns on the altar and in one is the Lance and in another column is a piece of the cross that Helena sent back in 328AD.
Also located in Rome is St. Paul’s Cathedral. Buried under the church is the tomb and sarcophagus of Paul. In fact, located in the archives of Vatican City is an additional 7500 other holy relics from the Middle Ages.
Rome however, is not the only place you will find holy relics from the Middle Ages. Slivers of the cross can be found in churches located in Paris, London, Florence and Venice. You will also find them in Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Kosovo and the Philippines.
Surprisingly, you will also find slivers of the cross here in the United States. In a small church known as St. Ann’s Chapel outside Pittsburgh, PA there are 22 slivers of the True Cross. In addition is a thorn from the Crown of Thorns Christ wore on the cross. They also have a sliver from the table used in the Last Supper. In fact, they have over 5,000 relics including at least a small bone from all twelve of the disciples.
Of course, this maybe fascinating trivia, but think of the implications. The Middles Ages was rife with religious fervor. The majority of the people living in Europe at that time never lived in the Holy Lands or ever traveled there. Obviously they never lived in the Holy Lands during the time of Christ’s sojourn on Earth. Neither were they alive during the years the Apostles lived to witness their missionary endeavors. Yet, the people desired to clutch or see some artifact from that time.
To venerate it.
To be able to look at or touch it.
To have it near when they worshiped and prayed. Don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of people did not worship these relics. Instead they wanted them near to help them focus on Christ and his sacrifice for mankind. Something that we in the modern ages need to do more of. Focusing on Christ and his sacrifice for us.
We are now in the Christmas Season, a time of year when Christians traditionally have focused their attention on the birth of Christ in a manger. A time when people gather as a family and celebrate together. People put up decorations inside and outside their homes. They will exchange gifts and gorge themselves on a big meal and deserts. Then they will retire to their beds with a smile on their faces feeling like they did well that day.
This year, this year of the pandemic things are much different. To paraphrase the title of a book by Judith Viorst; 2020 has been a terrible,
horrible,
No good,
Very bad year! Because of the potential of acquiring Covid we have been told not to congregate in groups, to limit our times in stores and if possible to order our food, medicines, household supplies all onlineand have it delivered to our house. All to ensure we stay home and isolate. It is highly recommended we not visit loved ones or have loved ones visit us. For many, the holidays have not been a time of Ho-Ho-Ho, but instead a time of Bah-Humbug!
Besides being told we should wear masks it is also recommended we stay 6 feet away from others. And if we need to see the Doctor we should do so using our phones or the internet via tele-medicine just to limit our exposure to Covid. One cannot wait for a new year and new hope and the end of Covid!
Yet, the core message and purpose of Christmas has not been affected by the Pandemic. The story of Christ’s birth, life and death has not been hindered by disease. The only thing that has changed is our focus or lack thereof.
Today, my sermon is about Christ, but not necessarily the traditional Christmas message. Instead, I want to focus on his purpose for coming to Earth in the singular fashion that he did. Why did he come? Why is it so important? What is the message that he left for us?
I would like you to turn in your Bibles to Philippians 2 and beginning with verse 5. I will be reading from the NIV.
“5 Your attitude should the same as that of Christ Jesus: 6 Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Now I am going to read the same verses from the Clear Word Paraphrased Bible by Dr. Blanco: (read from Clear Word)
I would like to briefly describe the context of the time when this was originally penned by Paul. The church in Philippi was in discord. There were individuals fighting with one another. There were people that were trying to impress others with their wealth, titles or position. For being a church that professed to follow Christ they were not acting like Christians. Paul decided that a little re-education was in order. He needed to remind them that being a Christian meant they had to emulate Christ not only externally, but also internally.
Paul is reminding the people what Christ’s attitude was. He described who Christ was and what he became. He explained how he humbled himself for us. What he gave up to walk among us. How he sacrificed himself, even died for us. Finally, he informed the people of Philippi how he was rewarded for this inconceivable self-sacrifice. Then he asked them how their actions in Philippi compared to Christ’s actions. Very humbling wouldn’t you agree?
Now let us look in depth at these 6 verses Paul wrote.
In verse 5 Paul urges the members of Philippi to adopt the same attitude of Jesus. Christians should emulate the humble and selfless actions that Jesus assumed when he took on the persona of man. An attitude he took all the way to Calvary and even on the cross.
Again, we must remember what the attitudes were of the people of Philippi; that is they were constantly seeking attention for themselves. They were always looking for a way to put themselves, that is the individual, above anyone else. They were a self-aggrandizing, narcissistic mob caring little about others. Not a very Christian attitude.
Therefore, in verse 5 Paul is emphasizing the fact that as Christians we need to be humble which Paul thinks is one of the highest virtues of Christ. He believes that the virtue of being humble should be the foundation of our being. And from it our character as a Christian can be built in a more Christlike manner. If we wish to benefit from his death, then we first have to live like he did; meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11: 29)
In verse 6 Paul continues to reflect on how Christ lived his life, both on earth and in heaven. Paul points to the fact that Christ came to earth from heaven. Christ was an agent in creation. A point that was noted in the New Testament in John 1: 1 -3 and Revelation 3:14 and also by the writer of Hebrews in chapter 1 verse 2. Paul states that Christ was with God and in God. Not only did he arrive as a human, he came as babe, totally helpless and depending on his mother to care for him and keep him safe. But not only did he arrive as a human infant, he arrived with no means,
no wealth,
no power,
no home. He arrived on earth to the music of the cows lowing and sheep bleating while he laid in a trough filled not with blankets but hay.
Paul does not say that Christ was no longer divine. Christ lived in heaven and existed already in the form of God. By becoming human and residing on earth, he did not desire to remain equal with God while he sojourned on earth. He did not want to seize on that power while here, otherwise his example that he would leave with us and the goal he wished to achieve will be all for nought.
Continuing in verse 7 Paul says that instead of exploiting his equality with God for his own advantage, Christ “emptied himself”. Meaning he divested himself of the glories and prerogatives of his divinity. Paul basically told the Christians of Philippi that Christ set aside his own interests for the sake of others. Those others being the Christians of Philippi. And by extension all Christians then and now. But not just Christians or Jews, but all humanity. Yet, while Christ was human he still retained his divinity.
Verse 8 tells us that Jesus appeared as a man. That means his divinity was held deep inside so that all the people would see was the human Jesus. Neither in action or words was his divinity manifested. The people only saw a humble man. A man that worked for years as a carpenter. A man that sweated and had callouses on his hands. Someone just like them.
Furthermore, this same man who went from carpenter to Messiah suffered all the dignities of a poor man. No roof to shelter him from the night, the cold or the rain. A garment yellowed with age. A garment torn by heavy use and patched repeatedly. A man that was beaten, tortured and died on a cross. A man who died for our sins and faithlessness, not his sins or lack of faith. A man that willingly died for us, so that we may live.
Let me interject here to state just how impactful that cross was. The cross was not a punishment that the Romans used willfully. The cross was reserved for the most heinous of crimes. It was also used only for the most dastardly of criminals. In fact the Romans actually did not like using the cross as they felt it was an abominable method of punishment and death. To the Romans, the cross was a four letter word, an obscenity, one of which they did not want to see or speak of. In addition, according to Jewish law anyone who was crucified died under the curse of God. A further indignity the members of the Sanhedrin imposed was the fact that Jesus was nailed to a cross between two actual criminals.
This. . . . this was the punishment given to Christ. He did not commit a heinous crime, nor was he an unrepentant criminal. Yet, he gladly suffered the punishment for us.
Paul states in Galatians 6:14, “May I never boast except in the cross of Jesus Christ.” The Romans would not speak the word of cross in polite conversations or society, yet Paul was willingly to break this norm to publicly hail the sacrifice of Christ for all mankind. May we be so brave to do the same.
After stating the willingness of Christ to give up his home in heaven
To give up his divinity,
To suffer the indignity, torture and being spit on,
To suffer the humility of the cross,
And the separation from God. All this to give us hope.
In verse 9 Paul tells us this self-renunciation of Christ was rewarded with exultation. A celebration in heaven and by God. A celebration of Jesus’s sacrifice. A sacrifice made out of love. In Romans 5 verses 6 through 8 we are told that while we were helpless, ungodly and sinners Christ died for us. We have been saved and made righteous because of the blood he spilled on that day over 2,000 years ago on Calvary. Because of his sacrifice we have been reconciled to God. For this, God gave Christ a new name.
Just like God renamed Abram to Abraham and Jacob to Israel. Now God gave Jesus a new name and title, that of Lord. The word Lord has significance. In Roman times the word Lord originally meant master or owner. Eventually the Roman Emperors took on the title. It was even used to identify their pagan gods, though used with a lowercase l.
So, now God awarded that title to Jesus. In doing so he suborned a title used by the godless. A true Lord who is indeed our master, our King of kings. A Lord who outshines in every way any pagan god, Roman Emperor or cruel master.
Further, Paul tells us in verses 10 and 11 that Jesus our Lord will be celebrated by all in heaven, on earth and even under earth. Every knee shall bend and every head will bow in the presence of Jesus. Jesus will be declared Lord and Master of heaven, earth and what we call hell. Indeed, his sacrifice will never be diminished nor forgotten.
So, why did Christ come to earth? The answer simply is to save us, who cannot save ourselves. He came to show us by his example how to live our lives. To show us that it is possible to live our lives in a fashion that is honorable, honest and humble. Yet, at the same time full of dignity and worth.
Today we live in a world that is little changed from that time in long ago Philippi. Today we have people that seek riches, mindless of those whose lives they ruin all while obtaining greater wealth. We also have people who desire recognition and power. Wanting their fifteen minutes of fame. All too often they will assume a persona of meekness while secretly looking for the camera and lights to shine on them. Unfortunately, this happens not only in boardrooms, courtrooms and diplomatic rooms, but also in our churches. Perhaps we need to look inward at our Christianity and examine closely if we truly do emulate Christ.
Today, there are many who live a life that seems hopeless. It is especially true of the many impacted by the Pandemic. With millions infected and hundreds of thousands who have died it has been an unprecedented year. As relentless and tragically this Pandemic effects people, we see on TV the long lines at unemployment facilities. We people spending hours waiting for food at food banks. There are thousands and thousands who do not have funds to pay their rent or mortgage. Thousands of people with no money for food or medicine. A year that began in January full of promise and hope, now is a year full of desperation and hopelessness.
This Christmas season many of us are searching for a symbol of hope. Just like those early pilgrims who wished for a glimpse of a relic from Biblical days. We too have a desire to hold, if only briefly, a splinter from the cross. A symbol of hope and an aid to help focus our prayers.
Paul has shown where our hope can be found. His words written two thousand years ago provides us a splinter if you will, from the cross. A reminder of the significance of Christ’s humble birth and life. And a powerful if brief sermon of how we should live our life to honor Christ’s sacrifice.
He who was without sin, took on our sin. So that we, who had no righteousness could receive his righteousness so we may live. All we needed to live he showed us even unto death.
That is the message of Christmas.
