Reflections on “Christ Still Appears” based on 1st Corinthians 6:12-20 for January 15th, 2012

The seasons of the Church Year are meaningful. They are not tradition for the sake of tradition. The seasons are intended to keep Christ before us and to rehearse the teaching of Holy Scripture, to teach, remind, and strengthen us in our faith as we constantly review the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for our salvation from sin and death. We begin with Advent (about the coming of Christ predicted), and then Christmas (the birth of Christ), and then the season we are in now: Epiphany. It means “appearing”. What appeared? The glory of Christ appeared. That is God provided signs that the One born as Savior on Christmas is truly God. His divine nature is seen through the various “appearances” (epiphanies) that prove that Jesus is more than just a man, but the very Son of God.

The epiphanies are numerous and include the Magi/Wise Men who followed the Star of Bethlehem (an Epiphany of Christ’s glory and true identity) to worship the Christ child. They gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts are epiphanies of who Jesus really is: gold was for kings, frankincense reminds us of prayer and worship that rises as incense to God, and myrrh was used to anoint bodies for burial. These said to Jesus: “You our King, You are our God, and You are our Savior who will die for our sins!” The epiphanies continue in Scripture and include the baptism of Christ when heaven opened, the Holy Spirit descended on Christ, and the Father spoke of His beloved Son; and who could forget Christ’s first miracle in Cana turning water into wine? Again, these were appearances or indicators of Christ’s true identity.

So have the epiphanies ended? No.

Christ still appears to His people through His Word and Sacraments. These epiphanies are so powerful that the Word of God attributes God creating and working faith in our hearts through the powerful Word of Christ!

Are these the end of the epiphanies? No.

Christ also appears in His people.

1st Corinthians 6:12-20 makes it clear that His people — by His grace — are led to live a life in which their very bodies are meant for the Lord. How we live and how we present ourselves to the world matters! Our very lives are testimony to Christ as the One who said that He and the Father would come to the one who loves God (John 14:23)!

But recall that we spoke of the context of things last week.

How is this life of God with us (even today) sustained and cared for? Answer: through your membership in Christ’s Body, the Church. Protect yourself from the crass skepticism towards “institutionalized religion.” Don’t let the devil cause you to throw the baby out with the bathwater! The Church is God’s creation, not man’s idea! We need her ministry. It is God’s ministry!

In 1st Corinthians 6, Saint Paul transitions from speaking of our bodies made for the Lord — which demonstrate our lives with Christ — as being members of a greater body, the Church. In this Church, in this body, Saint Paul wrote, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” (1st Corinthians 6:19) Simply put: God dwells in His Church, His body the Church is “a temple of the Holy Spirit within [us Christians].” Christ is in our midst. Christ appears through His Word to strengthen us, to keep us in His forgiveness, to keep us in His grace. Christ still appears. He does so so that His people who are members of His body may remain in Him!

Dr. Espinosa

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