December 17: By Faith
♫ Music:
WEEK THREE- INTRODUCTION TO THE WEEK
December 17 - December 23
One of history’s great tragedies is that Christmas has been culturally co-opted so as to not only separate its observance from the core commitments of the Christian Church but to also remove its connection to personal faith. Christmas (or, to be more politically correct, the “December holiday season”) is, really, a story about faith because the coming of the Son of God as a baby, to die for my sins, is a story about faith. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is the reason for faith and the object of our faith. The Apostle Paul sums it up this way, “confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead” (Rom. 10:9). That is, our faith is not in something uncertain but in the person of Jesus Christ who was born and who died and was resurrected. Unfortunately, Christmas without faith really is just “the holidays.” This week we investigate the nature of faith.
Day 15 - Sunday, December 17
Title: By Faith
Scripture: Hebrews 11:1-3, 12:1-2
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Poetry:
When I Buy Pictures
By Marianne Moore
or what is closer to the truth,
when I look at that of which I may regard myself
as the imaginary possessor,
I fix upon what would give me pleasure in my average moments:
the satire upon curiousity in which no more is discernible
than the intensity of the mood;
or quite the opposite—the old thing, the medieval decorated
hat-box,
in which there are hounds with waists diminishing like the waist
of the hour-glass,
and deer and birds and seated people;
it may be no more than a square of parquetry; the literal
biography perhaps,
in letters standing well apart upon a parchment-like expanse;
an artichoke in six varieties of blue; the snipe-legged
hieroglyphic in three parts;
the silver fence protecting Adam’s grave, or Michael taking
Adam by the wrist.
Too stern an intellectual emphasis upon this quality or that
detracts from one’s enjoyment.
It must not wish to disarm anything; nor may the approved
triumph easily be honored—
that which is great because something else is small.
It comes to this: of whatever sort it is,
it must be “lit with piercing glances into the life of things”;
it must acknowledge the spiritual forces which have made it.
WITH ASSURANCE AND CONVICTION
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
Assurance
Hope commonly refers to the feeling of expectation or desire for something to happen. If you’re like me, in November 2017, you hoped that the Dodgers would win the World Series. As a young person, you might hope for entrance into a preferred university, or that you’ll pass an important test, or later that you’ll find suitable employment and that your job will remain stable during tough economic times. In each of these circumstances, although we can hope, we have no certain assurance that any of those things will come to be.
Scripture defines hope in a different way. Our hope is confident expectation – a recognition that in Christ is found the fulfillment of God’s promises. Our faith is, indeed, the assurance of things hoped for – the confidence that what God has promised for His people will come to pass.
The artist for today’s images seems to guide us into a contemplation of hope. Notice at the bottom of both images there is a cold, barren landscape, while along the top, light radiates. The dark expanse speaks of isolation and hopelessness, in contrast to the crystal blue sky above. It is as if the artist communicates that what, today, might feel hopeless will not always be so.
Conviction
Conviction refers to a firmly held belief or opinion. Throughout the book of Hebrews, we see examples of men and women who expressed their faith and lived out of their convictions. Despite the lack of material evidence, these men and women performed remarkable acts because they believed in the invisible God and his promises of a heavenly future. Their souls saw what their eyes could not. Their steadfast hope, with their assurance of a better tomorrow, motivated them to live as a radical expression of their faith.
Though our eyes cannot see, our faith does not lack evidence. We believe based on the testimony of the men and women who had a firsthand encounter with the Person in whom we place our trust. Biblical faith is confident trust in an unseen reality for which we have much evidence.
Let this knowledge deepen your confidence in God’s promises, so that you live a life like the men and women of the Bible – a life that is rooted in hope in the one, true God. Even when the circumstance feels impossible to endure, hold fast to God’s promises. No matter what “cold, barren landscapes” we encounter, with assurance we know God’s light will shine through. Emanuel is near.
Prayer:
Lord, as we reflect on today’s scripture passage, let us maintain the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. When we or when our loved ones experience difficult circumstances, may we set our hope on You with assurance and conviction. May we experience your light penetrating the darkness. Open our eyes afresh to your glory and give us a new taste of your indescribable joy. We are confident that You will lead us through whatever we face.
Amen.
Robin LaBarbera, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, School of Education
About the Artwork #1:
Lake Superior, c.1923
Lawren Stewart Harris
Oil on canvas
111.8 x 126.9 cm
Museum London
London, Ontario, Canada
About the Artwork #2:
From the North Shore, Lake Superior, c.1927
Lawren Stewart Harris
Oil on canvas
111.8 x 126.9 cm
The Thomson Collection
Art Gallery of Ontario
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
From the early 1920s through 1933, the Canadian artist Lawren Stewart Harris produced a remarkable body of work that significantly informed an image of Canada that has remained deeply rooted in the country’s identity. His scenes of a cold and empty Northland, isolated peaks, and expanses of dark water beyond barren shorelines, remain for many the essential images of the country. Harris’s work progressed from a nationalistic interpretation of the northern landscape towards a universal vision of nature’s spiritual power. His sparse iconic landscapes of the north shore of Lake Superior, of the Rocky Mountains, and of the Eastern Arctic remain haunting and clear statements of an individual striving to go beyond the surface to a more profound reality.
About the Artist:
Lawren Stewart Harris (1885–1970) was a Canadian painter born in Ontario, Canada, who helped to pioneer a distinctly Canadian painting style in the early twentieth century. Many Canadian artists copied European styles, but Harris and other painters wanted to create a distinctive Canadian style in 1920; and so after many years of working together, a group of artists with similar views formed ‘The Group of Seven’. During the 1920s Harris’ works, especially his stark landscapes of the Canadian north and Arctic became more and more abstract. In 1948, Harris was awarded honorary degrees from the University of British Columbia and the University of Toronto, and was given an exhibition at the Toronto Art Gallery. That was the first time a living artist was so honored by the Gallery. In 1969, Harris was made a Companion of the Order of Canada, an honor bestowed on those who make major contributions to Canada.
About the Music:
“Untitled 3” from the album Samskeyti?
About the Composers and Performers:
Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós was formed two decades ago, and now includes members Jón Þór “Jónsi” Birgisson, Georg “Goggi” Hólm, and Orri Páll Dýrason. Much of their music is ambient or minimal in style, and though many of their vocals are in Icelandic, lead singer Jónsi also frequently sings a form of glossolalia coined “Hopelandic,” where original streams of syllables are vocalized to fit the music emotively. The track “Untitled 3,” from the album Samskeyti? is translated “Seam” or “Connection.”
About the Poet:
Marianne Moore (1887-1972) was an American Modernist poet, critic, translator, and editor. Her poetry is noted for formal innovation, precise diction, irony, and wit. She was honored for her work with a Bollingen Prize, a National Book Award, and a Pulitzer Prize. She wrote with the freedom characteristic of the other Modernist poets, often incorporating quotes from other sources into the text. Yet her use of language was always extraordinarily condensed and precise, capable of suggesting a variety of ideas and associations within a single, compact image. Much of her imagery and inspiration was drawn from the natural world.
About the Devotional Writer:
Dr. Robin LaBarbera is the Director of Special Education at Biola, and she is the author of the textbook, Educating students with autism spectrum disorders: Partnering with families for positive outcomes. She is passionate about family and teacher well being, specifically the stress, resilience, and coping strategies needed in raising and educating children with disabilities.