Justus,
To the church of Antioch in God, the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Mercy, grace, and peace to you.
To the church of Antioch in God, the Father of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Mercy, grace, and peace to you.
I give thanks to our God and
Father to hear that you are well. I remember
the love that you showed to me when I was with you and am confident that the
fellowship of love continues to grow among you.
You accepted the good news of the Kingdom of God in Christ from me with an open heart and you now live lives of love for God and for each other. As to your questions about our Lord’s birth, I will pass on to you what was shared with me, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
Though he was, in his nature, God, he did not consider this an advantage to be exploited, but instead became a servant, born of a servant, Mary, who named her son Jesus. And being born as a man, he humbled himself before the Lord in all obedience. He was circumcised on the eighth day in fulfillment of the law. He was born to be the salvation of all Israel, and a light to the Gentiles. And this is the light of love that you have seen.
Brothers, I urge you to continue to share this love in your lives, be humble and sincere. Serve one another, just as Christ has served us. Do not take pride in high positions or in wealth, but seek always to give of yourselves to others. Be diligent in fulfilling the law of love.
You accepted the good news of the Kingdom of God in Christ from me with an open heart and you now live lives of love for God and for each other. As to your questions about our Lord’s birth, I will pass on to you what was shared with me, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
Though he was, in his nature, God, he did not consider this an advantage to be exploited, but instead became a servant, born of a servant, Mary, who named her son Jesus. And being born as a man, he humbled himself before the Lord in all obedience. He was circumcised on the eighth day in fulfillment of the law. He was born to be the salvation of all Israel, and a light to the Gentiles. And this is the light of love that you have seen.
Brothers, I urge you to continue to share this love in your lives, be humble and sincere. Serve one another, just as Christ has served us. Do not take pride in high positions or in wealth, but seek always to give of yourselves to others. Be diligent in fulfilling the law of love.
To God and Father, and to our Lord
Jesus, and to the Spirit be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Greet all of God’s people in the
love of our Lord. All the brothers here,
including Aristarchus, send greetings.
The Grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. Amen.
The Grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. Amen.
The writing these Alternate Nativities has been an exercise, for me, in trying to better understand the gospel accounts of Jesus' birth, by coming at them sideways.
The two accounts of Jesus' birth that we have in the gospels are mutually incompatible (despite attempts through the centuries to harmonize them) in their details. We should face up to the fact that they may not be strictly historical. But even if they aren't factual accounts of Jesus' birth that does not mean that they aren't True in a larger, deeper way.
I have tried to write these alternate nativities wondering what the story of Jesus' birth might look like if it were written in various styles, or genres of biblical writing, such as: The creation story in Genesis 2, The Odes of Solomon (though this is not strictly a "biblical" writing...), The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (again, not strictly a biblical writing), or as an apocalyptic vision.
I have tried to write these alternate nativities wondering what the story of Jesus' birth might look like if it were written in various styles, or genres of biblical writing, such as: The creation story in Genesis 2, The Odes of Solomon (though this is not strictly a "biblical" writing...), The Infancy Gospel of Thomas (again, not strictly a biblical writing), or as an apocalyptic vision.
This alternate nativity is based on the format of New Testament Letters - drawing inspiration, obviously, from the letters of Paul - even though Paul says nothing at all of Jesus' birth -excepting Galatians 4:4 that he was born of a woman and under law. I also drew some from Luke.
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