As we continue our study of the biblical background informing the Life of Christ icon, we come to the story of Christ’s being presented in the temple. Psalm 8, Galatians 4, and St Luke’s Gospel all reinforce how Jesus fulfills the our mission to care for creation, as well as God’s mission to bring us into his family and rescue us Jew and Gentile alike from sin and death. As part of Christ’s body may we all grow in our stewardship, gratitude, and trust in our Lord’s great salvation.
This Summer, we are taking a look at the life of Jesus as inspired by the Life of Christ Icon. It has a central pantokrator (Ruler of All) surrounded by vignettes from our Savior’s redemptive life. Today we see consider how Jesus models humility in his incarnation, as we read Psalm 96, Isaiah 9:2-7, and the famous Christmas story from Luke 2:1-14.
On this Trinity Sunday, I thought it best to give a little context to St Paul’s Trinitarian blessing at the end of his 2nd letter to the Corinthians. That way we can better take stock of how we believe, not just what we believe, so we don’t fall into the same schismatic, antinomian, and hubris-laden traps of the Corinthian church. In other words, a practical approach to embracing the Triune the God.
On this Day of Pentecost, we rejoice in the gift of the Holy Spirit given to all believers, and remember to glorify the Holy Spirit – not get preoccupied with the graces Christ empowers us with to bring the Gospel to bear in our lives and the lives of others.
Country Parson at Large 