Christmas / Navidad 2021

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M. Campbell-Langdell

All Santos, Oxnard

(Isaías 52:7–10; Salmo 98; Hebreos 1:1–4, (5–12); Juan 1:1–14)

“Do you know your worth?” “¿Conoces tú valor?” Esta fue la pregunta que leí en un correo electrónico esta semana. I read these words in an email this week. And in this case, it was talking about knowing your financial worth. Hablaba de mi valor financiera. But what came to mind was the song that has been going through my head these past two weeks, “O Holy Night,” as Alene prepared to play for Susanna. She needed me to (rather feebly I might add) sing alongside her while she practiced. He estado escuchando y a veces cantando la canción “O Holy Night” mientras Alene practicaba para acompañar a Susanna ayer.

And there is that beautiful verse,

“Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Till he appear'd and the soul felt its worth.”

En español la letra aquí es:
“Tanto esperó el mundo en su pecado,
hasta que Dios derramó su inmenso amor.”

Que es muy lindo, pero no tiene el mismo sentido. En ingles, dice que cuando vino Jesús, el alma sintió su valor. When he appeared, the soul felt its worth.

Does your soul feel its worth? ¿Tu alma siente su valor?

It has nothing to do with your bank account. No tiene nada que ver con el balance de sus cuentas bancarias.

Hoy día leemos la tercera opción para el día de Navidad. Hoy no escuchamos de pastores en el campo. No, escuchamos del cosmos. Instead of shepherds and fields today, we hear of the whole Cosmos. We hear of God coming to the world in the form of a Word- that is Jesus, pointed to by a man named John.

Escuchamos de la Palabra, que es Jesús, señalado por el hombre llamado Juan.

According to Marianne Meye Thompson, saying that Jesus is God’s Word means that “he is God’s self-expression, God’s thought or mind, God’s interior word spoken aloud … [John portrays] Jesus not only as the representative of God, but also as the representation of God: the one whose origins lie uniquely in the very being of God.”[1]

Según Marianne Meye Thompson, decir que Jesús es la Palabra de Dios significa que él es “la autoexpresión de Dios, el pensamiento o la mente de Dios, la palabra interior de Dios dicho en voz alta. Juan habla de Jesús no solo como un representativo de Dios, sino también como la representación de Dios-uno en quienes origines vemos el mero ser de Dios.”[2]

Y ¿Qué es el ser de Dios? What is the very being of God? Why, it is love! Simplemente dicho, es el amor.

God loved the world, and so sent his son. Dios amó al mundo, y nos mandó su hijo.

So we could learn to love. Para que nosotros Podemos aprender a amar.

This son, who was higher than the angels, and whom the angels glorified. Este hijo, más alto que los ángeles en la presencia de Dios. Quien los ángeles adoraban y adoran todavía.

Was sent to teach our soul its worth. Fue mandado para mostrar el valor de nuestras almas.

When you get down, remember that. Remember that the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it. Remember that the God of all creation came and made all creation new by dwelling among us, because you are important. You are loved. And because that love can change the world.

Cuando sientes triste, sepan esto. Que esta luz brilla en las tinieblas, y las tinieblas no han podido apagarla. Que el Dios de toda la creación vino al mundo e hizo todo nuevo, viviendo entre nosotros, porque te importas. Eres amado. Y porque el amor puede cambiar el mundo.

Y, de hecho, ya lo ha cambiado. Solo tenemos que completar la tarea iniciado por Cristo. In fact, that love has already changed the world. We just need to begin the work begun by Jesus, and keep on loving.

Amen.

 


[1] Marianne Meye Thompson, John (New Testament Library. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2015), p. 39. With thanks to Judith Jones of Working Preacher.

[2] Translation of the above by MCL.


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