12/12- Union with Christ a Foretaste of the Resurrection

(Communion icon, united with Christ)
Devotional using scripture, quote from John Calvin and thoughts for the day each day- on the 500th anniversary of Calvin's birth.

12/12/09- Union with Christ as a foretaste of the resurrection.

8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

Calvin abridged: None but Plato recognized our highest good as union with God, and he only saw it dimly…On this earthly pilgrimage we know this [union with God] as the sole and perfect happiness. But this happiness kindles our hearts more and more each day to desire the full fruition . So we who desire union with Christ should raise our thoughts toward our resurrection.

Thought: For Calvin, the goal of this life is to glorify God. But a spiritual goal is to seek to be united with Christ. This union he learned in part from Bernard of Clairvaux’s writing on spirituality. We are to seek to be close to Christ so that our will becomes his will (Thy will be done). We actually get close to Christ when we long for Him. We long for His presence in our lives now, and long for His presence with us in heaven. This seems so foreign to secular thinking which longs for more of the world, and holds onto life with all our might as if it was the highest, eternal good. Some have said that if we focus on heaven we become no earthly good. C.S. Lewis once wrote that those who focused on heaven most did some of the most good for our world because we want to make this world like th next (thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven). Yet, right now we have an opportunity to have a taste of heaven by being united with Christ by recognizing we are his children (adoption), by joining with him in baptism, by uniting with him in communion, and living for him (his will becoming our will), facing our crosses with him (Gal. 2:20), and being finally united with him in death. We are clothed in him now, and he connects us to the Father as the high priest. My daughter, Rebekah, says we are united with Christ in appreciation. If a policeman jumps in front of us and takes a bullet meant for us, we want to know about that policeman's life, and are forever grateful. So Christ has died for us. In heaven we will be fully united to Him.

Prayer: May we draw closer to you this advent season, Lord, as you drew close to us. May we be so united to you that your thoughts become our thoughts, your will our will, your goals our dreams.