“Oh holy night, the stars are brightly shining…” Just as the wise men looked to the stars many Christmases ago, we too seek a bright star to guide us in our celebration of Jesus’ birth. Throughout the season of Advent, we are sharing daily reflections from the people of Saint Luke to help brighten our paths. Our daily writers offer to us their reflections on the various names used for Jesus in the Bible. Together their stars form a constellation of wonder that can fill us with hope, love, peace and joy as we journey towards Christmas.
Today’s reflection is from Pastor Karl Krueger, Saint Luke’s own pastor in residence:
The Word
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” -John 1:1
The Renaissance scholar, Erasmus of Rotterdam, changed how we read the Bible. In 1516, he completed a new Latin translation of the New Testament based on the Greek text that was included when his book was published. It was the first time in 1,200 years that western readers of the New Testament saw the text in Greek! Like any translator, Erasmus was unsatisfied and kept improving his Latin translation. In the 1519 edition, his rendition of John 1:1 took everyone by surprise. The verse was usually translated as, “In the beginning was the Word.” Erasmus’s translation in 1519 read, “In the beginning was the sermon.” Erasmus wanted his readers to see a living, breathing Word, Jesus, standing before them and speaking directly to them.
When Luther translated the New Testament into German, he had a copy of Erasmus’s 1519 edition at the Wartburg. Erasmus inspired Luther, who wanted Germans to hear the scriptures in the living/breathing language they spoke in the kitchen and on the streets. Luther wanted Germans to hear Jesus breathing and speaking with them. Erasmus has inspired me when I write a sermon as I desire to offer Jesus as the living and breathing Lord who engages us in our lives in 2022.
Breathing. People of God, I took breathing for granted, and then came COVID. The first time I had to wear a mask in the supermarket was one of the strangest experiences in my life. I felt like an alien, my glasses fogged up, and it was difficult to breathe, let alone read product labels. Preaching while wearing a mask was brutal. I thought I was smothering. At Christmas services, singing “Angels We Have Heard on High” was torture. Meeting people was difficult as I only saw a portion of their faces. I took breathing for granted until COVID. Post-COVID, I give thanks. I can breathe without a mask. I can preach the Word without a mask. Shake hands and speak with a person face-to-face. I can read the labels on products in the supermarket. I feel connections. I feel human again. Christmas 2022 is gift.
Thank you, Lord, for the vaccines and boosters that have allowed us to remove the masks and breathe in Advent and Christmas 2022. It is great to sing and speak without a mask. Lord, you never come masked. You are our living and breathing God who engages us face-to-face. Lord, let us never forget the miracle of your birth when you took a breath and joined us in our journey. Amen.