Ephraim Syrus – Hymns on the Nativity (1)

This is a good time to recall that, “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Psalm 90:1). Our faith is ancient, it is timeless, and it is unchanging; that is, God’s Word and Truth endure throughout all generations. Our faith, that in which we believe, that which envelopes us, that which we breathe – has always been and will always be - for our faith is Jesus Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

When I say “You have been our dwelling place in all generations” I confess that I am not alone but am part of a People. I confess that while I experience faith on a personal level, that I also experience faith as a member of Christ’s Body, His Bride, His Church – and that while in one sense my faith may be mine, that it is also ours. God is our dwelling place – I live in the Trinity with my brothers and sisters.

We do not derive our faith from newspaper headlines. We do not interpret and define our faith based on the media. We do not even chase after (let us hope) Christian celebrities who promise a quick fix and simple interpretations to the complexities of life, who promise a painless and Cross-less sanctification, and who would have us baptized (functionally) in their own names rather than in the Name of Jesus Christ.

Centuries ago, in ancient Syria, Ephraim Syrus wrote a series of hymns on the Nativity, the birth of Jesus Christ. The conclusion to Ephraim’s first hymn is, “Today Godhead sealed itself upon Manhood, that so with the Godhead’s stamp Manhood might be adorned.”

Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23), would become, in and through Christ, God living within us (John chapters 13 – 17). A new Creation would come out of the grave on Easter morning, a new Man. We have been brought out of Adam and into Jesus Christ (Romans 5:12 – 21).

No wonder Ephraim writes in his second hymn, “Glory to that Hidden One, Whose Son was made manifest! Glory to the Living One, Whose Son was made to die! Glory to that Great One, Whose Son descended and was small! Glory to the Power Who did limit His greatness by a form, His unseen nature by a shape! With eye and mind we have beheld Him, yes, with both of them.”

Ephraim continues, “Blessed He Who sealed our soul, and adorned it and espoused it to Himself. Blessed He Who made our body a tabernacle for His unseen Nature. Blessed He Who by our tongue interpreted His secret things. Let us praise that Voice whose glory is hymned with our lute, and His virtue with our harp. The Gentiles have assembled and have come to hear His strains.”

Let us remember, in the midst of confusion and insanity, while high and low, rich and poor, may throw off the restraints of moral good and ethical sense, while humanity is rejecting the image of God; that our God has been our dwelling place in all generations – including our generation. The Patriarchs, the Apostles and Prophets, the Church Fathers, the saints through the ages are with us. We are on pilgrimage to that City whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11) – our roots are in the heavens in Jesus Christ; we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth.

We are not accidents looking for a place to happen; we are the sons and daughters of the Living God. In Christ, “Godhead sealed itself upon Manhood, that so with the Godhead’s stamp Manhood might be adorned.”