Identify Yourself, Identify Jesus (Proverbs 8.1-31, Colossians 1.15-20, John 1.1-14)

 

If you were to describe me, what would you say? What words would spring to mind? Young? Dashing? Handsome? Irritating?

What words would you use to describe yourself? We’re all a mixture of things. We all have an identity, or a series of identities. Some of them are true, others are false impressions of who we are.

Jesus has an identity and it’s clear. As one who has always been.

We say it in the creed all the time. We believe in One Lord Jesus Christ, the only son of God etc, begotten not made etc. But have we sat down and thought about what that means for us, and why it’s important? What that means for us as people of God? What that means for our identity?

So proverbs then. A great book of the bible, that’s all about wisdom. In it Wisdom is described like a person, or an entity.

This bit of Proverbs is probably one of the most famous bits. It’s a hymn of praise all about Wisdom and Wisdom’s place in the world and creation. Wisdom has its own identity, She has always been with God. Since before the creation of the world. Always there.

Wisdom is good. That’s the point of this book. This part of proverbs is a bit like when your Mum or Dad sits you down and says ‘right son/daughter we need a chat about life.’

 It’s sort of the ancient Israelite equivalent of a parental chat. A bit of guidance for young people about what really matters.

Our reading though, misses out a few verses. In verses 2-21 it talks about how Wisdom is central to good leadership. It says: “O simple ones, learn prudence; acquire intelligence, you who lack it.”

It’s quite comforting to know that even that far back people still called each other stupid. That don’t be stupid, has echoed down the ages. It goes on: “Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold; for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her… By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me rulers rule, and nobles, all who govern rightly.”

It’s through wisdom and discernment that we come to know our identity. They’re trying to teach young people what’s important. Wisdom, not riches. I wonder how different our world would be if our education system emphasised growing in wisdom, rather than ‘success.’ Wisdom is at the heart of what it means to follow God. To live well. To be secure in our identity, that takes wisdom.

Now, you know whenever you come across a letter written by Paul, he’s gonna have beef with somebody.

Colossians is no exception. Usually this beef concerns identity.

Different kinds, from the identity of the individual, community, and in this case the identity of Jesus.

This is probably the most famous part of Colossians. Paul’s writing this hymn of praise to correct the Colossians own hymn (that we no longer have.) Though I doubt it’d get into the charts these days ‘He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation’ is hardly the most snappy title.

The problem with the Colossians was that they just weren’t acting with Wisdom. Teachers in the church were claiming they had secret knowledge of salvation that was superior to Paul. A bit like conspiracy theorists now, they had super special knowledge, which in reality was just misleading.

Theology you see evolves. It’s not something that always was, unlike wisdom. It took a few hundred years for Christians to really decide and discern what they believed, and what the identity of Jesus is; So in the early days all sorts of fights were breaking out about circumcision or not, whether they should keep Jewish laws or not, what should Christian communities look like?

These are all questions that took a bit of time to sort out, and some of them are still being debated about now, but what all Christians believe in, is the consubstantiality of Jesus. Which is a fancy word for saying that Jesus wasn’t created but has always been. Equal, truly part of God.

Yes Jesus was truly human, but fully God as well.

Why does this matter, and what’s it got to do with us?

It’s like Paul says “God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.”

It had to be God. God is the one who goes the distance. God is the one who reconciles everything. God is the one who saves us from ourselves. If Jesus wasn’t God, then that didn’t happen, it was just a nice bloke nailed to a tree.

We believe in one God. God cannot be divided. If Jesus was created by the Father then that makes The Father more powerful than Jesus, or older than Jesus. Which then makes Jesus a kind of demi-god, like a son of Zeus or something. We don’t believe in that. If Jesus is a demi-god, then it’s not truly God on the cross, so reconciliation hasn’t happened, again, it’s just a nice bloke nailed a tree.

Jesus must’ve always been, yes He became one of us, but Jesus always existed. It’s a bit indescribable but this is what Paul is getting on about.

It’s an amazing mystery that I don’t think we will be able to fully understand this side of eternity.

It matters to us who Jesus is because our identity is wrapped up in him.

We all have an identity, or a series of identities. Some of them are true, others are false impressions of who we are.

John shows us what Jesus’ identity is. As the living Word of God. The fount of life, the creator of everything that has ever been and will be. Isn’t that amazing!

That God chose to be with us. That God as Jesus came into the world filled with darkness, and the hope of God’s light will never go away.

What’s the consubstantiality of Jesus got to do with us?

That despite the false identities I give myself, despite how annoying I am or how flawed as a person I can be. God is with us.

That we’re never alone. That our identity is secure in God. That we are saved, loved and redeemed whoever we are, whatever we’ve done.

“But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”

Grace, truth and wisdom and peace be with you.

Preached at Zoom Service for St John the Baptist Old Lakenham with St Paul's Tuckswood, Norwich. 07/02/21

Photo by Dom J from Pexels