December 14: God Sent His Son in the Fullness of Time
♫ Music:
Day 18 - Wednesday, December 14
Title: GOD SENT HIS SON IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME
Scripture #1: Galatians 4:4–6
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
Scripture #2: Ephesians 1:7–10
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
Poetry & Poet:
“From God Christ’s Deity Came Forth”
by Ephrem the Syrian
translated by John Howard Rhys
From God Christ's deity came forth,
his manhood from humanity;
his priesthood from Melchizedek,
his royalty from David's tree:
praised be his Oneness.
He joined with guests at wedding feast,
yet in the wilderness did fast;
he taught within the temple's gates;
his people saw him die at last:
praised be his teaching.
The dissolute he did not scorn,
nor turn from those who were in sin;
he for the righteous did rejoice
but bade the fallen to come in:
praised be his mercy.
He did not disregard the sick;
to simple ones his word was given;
and he descended to the earth
and, his work done, went up to heaven:
praised be his coming.
Who then, my Lord, compares to you?
The Watcher slept, the Great was small,
the Pure baptized, the Life who died,
the King abased to honor all:
praised be your glory.
IN THE FULLNESS OF TIME…
Augustine of Hippo (d. 430) postulated that time was a “distention.” I confess that I am not fully sure of his meaning but perhaps it suggests that the human concept of time is merely God’s singular point of time strung out in such a way as to produce hours, days, months and years––at least from a human perspective. In that sense then the incarnation of the Son of God happened on a particular day, at a particular time, humanly speaking. For it was in this fullness of time that God saw fit to redeem fallen humanity through a particular woman (Mary) in a particular way (“through his blood”). Artist Emmanuelle Moureaux attempts to capture this fullness and particularity of time by showing 120 years of numbers. Imagine each number being a particular moment in time whereas the whole is over a century of time. There is particularity in the fullness.
This chronological particularity gives rise to the particularly of the only begotten Son of God being a particular human being named Jesus who walked around in particular locations, doing particular acts to bring about human salvation. As Ephrem the Syrian notes, he “joined with guests at the wedding feast,” fasted in the wilderness, taught in the Temple and died on a cross––all unique moments in the life of the Savior. The “Huron Carol,” originally written in Huron by the Jesuit Jean de Brebeuf (d. 1649), picks up on this uniqueness and culturizes it. In its telling Jesus was born in a “lodge of broken bark,” wrapped in a “ragged robe of rabbit skin.” In this way we might think of Jesus’ incarnation as a babe as happening at all moments in all places; that is, the particular becomes the universal for “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people” (Titus 2:11). And it is this universality of the Gospel that makes the particularity of Jesus so abundantly important.
For as we anticipate our celebration of the birth of Jesus on Christmas day, we should bear in mind that he is born anew each day in the faith of the Church and in the lives of believers. Each unique believer experiences personally the salvific action of Jesus Christ, put into motion on the day of his birth. We give thanks to God that he redeemed us (particular persons) but also that his Gospel is offered to everyone universally, uniting “all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.”
Prayer:
Almighty God, you have given your only-begotten Son to take our nature upon him, and to be born on a particular day of a pure virgin: Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace, may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the same Spirit be honor and glory, now and forever.
Amen.
Rev. Greg Peters, Ph.D., SMD
Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology
Torrey Honors College
Biola University
Rector of Anglican Church of the Epiphany
La Mirada, California
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Slices of Time from the 100 Colors Series
Emmanuelle Moureaux
2020
168,000 small numbers
NOW Gallery
London, England
As part of its ongoing Design Commission, the NOW Gallery in London selected artist Emmanuelle Moureaux to create a large-scale installation. Inspired by the gallery’s location on the Greenwich Peninsula, near to the Meridian, she created an installation expressing the flow of time. Composed of layers of numbers in one hundred different shades of colors and white, each layer of numbers reflects the now, the past, and the future. There are 168,000 small numbers composing 120 "slices of time” suspended in the gallery space, intended to represent a round representation of the earth floating in space and time. Composed of one hundred layers of numbers in one hundred shades of colors with twenty layers of numbers in white, the installation visualizes the next one hundred years to come (2020 to 2119) and the past twenty years (2000 to 2019). Curator Jemima Burrill describes Moureaux’s work: “The measured detail, and calm considered order of Moureaux’s work seemed the perfect respite from the political bedlam we are experiencing. This exhibition will include everyone, giving them the opportunity to have a moment to enjoy color and form in all its simplicity and complexity. Both elements will work together to surprise and saturate, providing a moment to think about a date of significance within colorful order. A contemplative moment for all.” The work provides a moment, a slice of time, to think about ourselves in contemplation with the now, the past, and the future.
About the Artist:
Emmanuelle Moureaux (b. 1971) is a French architect living in Tokyo, Japan, since 1996. There she has established an architecture and design studio. Inspired by the dense visual layers and colors of the Tokyo cityscape and traditional Japanese spatial elements like sliding screens, Moureaux has created the concept of “shikiri,” which literally means “dividing (creating) space with colors.” She uses colors as three-dimensional elements, like layers, in order to create spaces. Handling colors as a medium to compose space, her wish is to give emotion through colors with her creations, which range from art and design to architecture. Her representative works include the architectural design for Sugamo Shinkin Bank, the 100 Colors art installation series, space design for ABC Cooking Studio, and art installations for clothing designers/retailers UNIQLO and ISSEY MIYAKE. In 2017, she created a large installation entitled Forest of Numbers at the National Art Center in Tokyo for its 10th Anniversary exhibition. Moureaux has been an associate professor at Tohoku University of Art and Design since 2008.
https://nowgallery.co.uk/exhibitions/slices-of-time
About the Music:
“Huron Carol” from the album Twas in the Moon of Wintertime
The "Huron Carol" (or "Twas in the Moon of Wintertime") is a Canada's oldest Christmas song, probably written in 1642 by Jean de Brébeuf, a Jesuit missionary at Sainte-Marie living among the Huron/Wendat people in Canada. Brébeuf wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people; the song's original Huron title is "Jesous Ahatonhia" ("Jesus, He is Born"). The song's melody is based on a traditional French folk song, "Une Jeune Pucelle" ("A Young Maid"). The well-known English lyrics were written in 1926 by Jesse Edgar Middleton. This version is derived from Brébeuf's original song and Huron religious concepts. In the English version, Jesus is born in a "lodge of broken bark" and wrapped in a "robe of rabbit skin." He is surrounded by hunters instead of shepherds, and the Magi are portrayed as "chiefs from afar" who bring him "fox and beaver pelts" instead of the more familiar gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The English translation uses a traditional Algonquian name, “Gitchi Manitou,” for God. The original lyrics are now sometimes modified to use imagery accessible to Christians who are not familiar with the cultures of Canada's First Peoples. The song remains a common Christmas hymn in Canadian churches of many Christian denominations and is also found in several American hymnals, including The Hymnal 1982 of the Episcopal Church (No. 114), The United Methodist Hymnal (No. 244), and Evangelical Lutheran Worship (No. 284). Because the melody spans a modest range, it is ideally suited to instruments that have a limited pitch range, such as the Native American flute.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huron_Carol
Lyrics:
(1926 English version by Jesse Edgar Middleton)
'Twas in the moon of winter-time
When all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou
Sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the stars grew dim,
And wandering hunters heard the hymn:
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria.
Within a lodge of broken bark
The tender Babe was found,
A ragged robe of rabbit skin
Enwrapp'd His beauty round;
But as the hunter braves drew nigh,
The angel song rang loud and high…
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."
The earliest moon of wintertime
Is not so round and fair
As was the ring of glory
On the helpless infant there.
The chiefs from far before him knelt
With gifts of fox and beaver pelt.
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."
O children of the forest free,
O sons of Manitou,
The Holy Child of earth and heaven
Is born today for you.
Come kneel before the radiant Boy
Who brings you beauty, peace and joy.
"Jesus your King is born, Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria."
About the Performer:
Thomas Dale Jackson (b. 1948) is a Canadian actor and singer. He was the chancellor of Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, from 2009 to 2013. Jackson was born on the One Arrow Reserve in the province of Saskatchewan—the son of a Cree and an Englishman. As an actor, he starred in television shows such as North of 60, Shining Time Station, and made a guest appearance on Star Trek: The Next Generation. His films include Loyalties, The Diviners, The Dependables, and Cold Pursuit. He has also released several albums of country and folk music. A well-known philanthropist, Jackson created an annual series of Christmas concerts called the Huron Carole, which featured Jackson and numerous Canadian singers and performers who traveled across Canada each year, raising money for the Canadian Association of Food Banks. Jackson has been honored several times for his life's work. Most notably, in 2000, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and is a former member of the Order of Canada Advisory Council. He has been nominated for Juno Awards and Gemini Awards. He received the Humanitarian Award at the 2007 Juno Awards due to his charitable efforts. In May 2014, Jackson received a Governor General's Performing Arts Award (GGPAA) for his lifetime contributions to Canadian broadcasting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Jackson_(actor)
https://tomjackson.ca/tomali-pictures/
About the Composer:
Jean de Brébeuf (1593–1649) was a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada in 1625. There he worked primarily with the Huron people (Wyandot people) for the rest of his life. He learned their language and taught it to other missionaries and colonists. Brébeuf is credited with composing the "Huron Carol," Canada's oldest Christmas song, written around 1642. He wrote the lyrics in the native language of the Huron/Wendat people. The song's melody is based on a traditional French folk song, "Une Jeune Pucelle" (A Young Maid). In 1649, Brébeuf and another missionary were captured when an Iroquois raid took over a Huron village and together with other Huron captives, the missionaries were tortured and killed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_de_Br%C3%A9beuf
About the Poetry & Poet:
Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306–373), also known as Saint Ephraem, Ephrem of Edessa, Ephrem Syrus, Ephrem, or Ephraim, was a Syriac Christian deacon and a prolific hymnographer and theologian of the fourth century who is said to have written over three million lines of verse. Ephrem wrote a wide variety of hymns, poems, and sermons in verse, as well as prose exegesis. These works of practical theology for the edification of the church eloquently defended Christian orthodoxy during a time of great social and political upheaval. Hymns became one of Ephrem’s most effective weapons against the heretics of the day: he penned his own orthodox hymns in the style of traditional folk songs as a counter to heretical songs. He often used the Greek and Roman natural science of the day to explain and illustrate Christian ideas. Ephrem’s poems, with his profound and mystical meditations on all aspects of salvation, can be found in churches around the world.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephrem_the_Syrian
https://catholicexchange.com/saint-ephrem-poet-theologian
About the Devotion Author:
Rev. Greg Peters, PhD, SMD
Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology
Torrey Honors College
Dr. Greg Peters is a professor in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University and Vicar of Anglican Church of the Epiphany, La Mirada. He is also the author of The Monkhood of All Believers: The Monastic Foundation of Christian Spirituality.