Sermon – 7 November 2021 James Morgan

'Salvator mundi': Christ as mediator of reconciliation
Christ's work of reconciliation – God coming to us, twice, making right what we could not make right ourselves.

Reasons to celebrate.

When victory or success is in the air, everywhere you look, you find all sorts of expressions of celebration: posters and lights, horns honking, and joyful crowds waving flags and banners. Some of the greatest recorded images of such scenes mark the end of a war. There is joy and relief that it is finally over. Normal life is back again without fear and anxiety. Some of us may have experienced such a celebration in our home countries. We certainly got a taste of it when the first lockdown came to an end. Celebration was in the air and in the streets. Fortunately, there are other joyful events to celebrate: the birth of a child, a wedding, a graduation, a new job, or the victory of your favourite sports team. These events are just too good to keep to ourselves. We want to share the joy of the victory and look forward to further success! Often these moments produce great amounts of memorabilia: banners, posters, photos, videos, books and the like. People want to capture that moment in time, to celebrate a great event, a celebrity or even an idea. By doing this, we immortalize them in time. In ancient times, people were not much different than us: banners, standards, monuments, inscriptions, sculptures, even graffiti proclaimed the triumph of an army, a political alliance, or an athletic victory.

The context of the Letter to the Hebrews.

Today we are going to consider a short passage in the Letter to the Hebrews. The whole letter reminds readers to consider the victory of reconciliation that Jesus brought to the whole world. It was no less a bold statement in those times, especially if we remember that the letter was written during the Roman Empire, which seemed all-powerful and often proclaimed their own saviours. The author of the letter, whose identity we still don't know, thinks that some people might be tempted to turn away from their faith in Jesus because of social pressure and periodic persecution. Believers from Jewish background may have been tempted to return to the 'first covenant' and safer surroundings in their Jewish communities. Believers from pagan background may have also thought about the times when it was easier to be like everybody else. But the author of this letter reminds them of their Saviour, who is not a local deity, but the almighty God who came to reconcile the world to himself. He wants to remind them that the current circumstances do not change the victory that Jesus brought to them. It is the salvation, redemption, reconciliation that they need. Another salvation like this will not happen again! Whatever the circumstances may be, Jesus is still saviour. The point is this: when faced with difficult situations, it is easy to forget the victories of the past and to be encouraged to live in light of them. Discouragement sets in and the world looks dreadfully bleak.

For this reason, the Letter to the Hebrews is one of the best letters that celebrate what is new in Christ, that is, to understand the relationship between the first covenant and the new covenant. In our study of the Old Testament prophets, we considered some of the passages that announced a new covenant. This letter explains what this new covenant is and how it is substantially different than the old covenant. By the way, it takes about 45 minutes to read the letter, and it is well worth the time! The author takes pains to show that the new covenant is superior to the former one in all aspects, because Christ is superior as mediator and high priest and as the sacrifice. In fact, the whole letter is a comparison, which is made clear through some repeated expressions: 'better', 'greater', 'superior', 'once for all'. But let us not fall into the trap of thinking that the old covenant has no value because it is surpassed. On the contrary, it provides the theological foundation and historical background for Christ's ministry and points toward the creation of one people through Christ. This is a sophisticated letter. Some think that it was an Easter sermon that was later sent in letter form. The author knows how to make his point by using all sorts of rhetorical techniques to encourage and correct his readers. For example, for those of you who like ancient philosophy, you might like to read this letter through the lens of Platonic thought, because of the author's contrast between the poles of 'earth' and 'heaven' in the sense of 'less real' and 'more real'. In other words, if such and such is true for earthly things, then it must be even greater for heavenly things. We will see this more clearly in the passage.

The passage: Hebrews 9:24-28.

So, let's now have a look at these five verses that build on what the author has said so far, because he really wants to nail down some very fundamental truths for his readers. He organises this section by talking about two appearances of Christ: his appearance in heaven after his death and resurrection, and his appearance a second time to complete the work of reconciliation. In a few verses, he encapsulates God's plan for humanity, the 'big picture' if you will. In fact, many of our creeds were developed based on passages like this one. In verses 24 to 26, the author compares Jesus's ministry as high priest with the ministry of the high priests of the first covenant. He uses the words 'not' and 'nor' to show that Jesus is superior to them. First, Jesus entered heaven itself not a sanctuary made by human hands. The real sanctuary is God's sanctuary, not the temple which is only a copy of it. Christ appeared there, before God on our behalf. As the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, he alone could return to heaven to represent us before God and intercede for the world. This is not some isolated text that talks about Christ's sacrifice for the world. For example, the apostle John writes: 'And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Saviour of the world.' (1 John 4:14).

A second very crucial difference is noted in verses 25 and 26. Jesus did not have to repeat his sacrifice over and over like the priests had to do in the past. Jesus offered himself as the perfect sacrifice once and for all. This echoes other expressions in the same chapter, for example: 'not made with hands, that is, not of this creation...and not with the blood of goats and calves' (9:11-14). That is his first appearance, and its objective was 'to remove sin by the sacrifice of himself' (v. 26). We note also how he willingly gave himself for us, so that we might be reconciled to God. This sacrifice was sufficient once and for all. The apostle Paul describes this reality in a beautiful way: 'For our sake he [that is, God] made him [Jesus] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God' (2 Cor. 5:21). It's worth reading that sentence a few times to let it sink in!

In verses 27 and 28, the author moves on to talk about Jesus's second appearance. This is the part that remains for Christ to accomplish. The author writes that 'Christ will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him'. There is thus some time in between these two appearances. He will return for those who are expecting him. So, this is a time when we are asked to wait patiently, knowing with assurance that he will return to make things right. Again, the author drives the point home that Jesus is not coming back to deal with sin, to die a second time. Jesus has already taken care of that, by reconciling us to the Father. We are invited to receive this gift, not to try to earn it somehow, hoping that someday he will forgive us. No, he has already died for our sins and has given us new life in him. As a response, we are asked to receive this gift of reconciliation and enter into the fulness of Christ's love. This means allowing him to do the amazing work of sanctification in our lives, that is, restoring God's image in us. This second appearance makes the reconciliation complete. Other verses bring these two elements together succinctly. Saint Paul writes: 'But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.' (Phil. 3:20). Likewise, in another letter, Paul writes, 'For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe.' (1 Tim. 4:10). In summary, the priests of the old covenant and Jesus had something in common: they had to appear before God offering sacrifices on behalf of the people. There are, however, huge differences. Christ did not appear to offer other sacrifices, but to offer himself as the Lamb of God for our sins and to stand before God in the sanctuary of heaven on our behalf. Also, his sacrifice is perfect, offered once for all times. The priesthood of Jesus is unique in that he is both priest and sacrifice. He will appear a second time to complete what he had begun. This is the work of reconciliation. It is God coming to us, twice, making right what we could not make right ourselves.

Conclusion.

Let's have another look at the stained-glass window. Jesus is in the middle, between St. Ursula and St. Etheldreda. I will not even come close to explaining all the symbolism in the panels. First, let us not be distracted by the very European looking Jesus. Let's focus on those things that help us understand the message in the letter to the Hebrews. The banner above Jesus celebrates his victory: 'Salvator mundi'. We can imagine an exclamation point there! It still is a bold statement. We also notice how Jesus is holding a globe in his left hand, which represents the world. He gazes upon our world with compassion, interceding for us as our mediator. In his right hand, we notice that he blesses the world in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures use various expressions to describe this reality: salvation, deliverance, redemption. Each expression adds a nuance to Christ's reconciliation. In the good times but also in the difficult times, let us celebrate this daily and in the Eucharist. When we see Jesus and the banner proclaiming his victory, let us take courage to joyfully follow Christ. Let us also remember that Jesus shares with us his ministry of reconciliation. As Paul writes, 'All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.' (2 Cor. 5:18). That certainly is a passionate reminder of our mission in the world. Sometimes it is easy for church life to become self-absorbed, especially in gloomy times. But, like Christ, let us also look upon the world with compassion, praying for people and inviting them to receive Christ's love for them. Let us conclude with a prayer:

Merciful God,
purify our hearts in the flame of your Spirit
and transform our toil into an offering of praise,
that we may reject the proud rule of might
and trust in Christ alone,
for he is our Lord for ever and ever.
Amen.
Common Worship: Daily Prayer

James Morgan