The similar phrase 'Worldly Christianity' is one used by Bonhoeffer. It's J Gresham Machen that I want to line up most closely with. See his Christianity and culture here. Having done commentaries on Proverbs (Heavenly Wisdom) and Song of Songs (Heavenly Love), a matching title for Ecclesiastes would be Heavenly Worldliness. For my stance on worldliness, see 3 posts here.

A Charles Wesley Christmas 4

The idea of Christ's Godhead being hidden is also in Join all ye joyful nations:
Go see the King of glory, Discern the heavenly stranger,
So poor and mean, His court an inn,
His cradle is a manger:

Who from his Father's bosom,

But now for us descended,
Who built the skies, On earth he lies,
With only beasts attended.

Whom all the angels worship,
Lies hid in human nature;

Incarnate see The deity, The infinite Creator!

The idea of Jesus as stranger is in Angels speak, let man
Wrapped in swaths th' immortal stranger,
Man with men, We have seen,
Lying in a manger.

Another repeated idea is that of God stooping down. This points to God’s humility. It is in All glory to God, O astonishing grace and
All-wise, all-good, almighty Lord.
What moved the Most High so greatly to stoop,
He comes from the sky our souls to lift up.

The Creator of all, To repair our sad fall,
From his heaven stoops down, Lays hold of our nature, and joins to his own.

How did thy glorious mercy stoop To take the fallen nature up,
When thou thyself wert man?

The humility involved is referred to in Glory be to God on high along with the identifying with man.
See the Lord of earth and skies Low humbled to the dust He is,
And in a manger lies!
See - Jesus is our Brother now, And God is all our own!

The 'God and sinners reconciled' is in
Let earth and heaven
He deigns in flesh t’appear, Widest extremes to join;
To bring our vileness near, And make us all divine:
And we the life of God shall know, For God is manifest below.

It is also in
Away with our fears!
Made flesh for our sake, That we might partake
The nature divine, And again in his image, his holiness shine.

In manifest love, The Ancient of Days
To redeem a lost race, From his glory comes down,
Self-humbled to carry us up to a crown.

Also see Sing, ye ransomed nations, sing
Humbly in a manger laid. Jesus is our flesh and bone,
God-with-Us is all our own.

And
All-wise, all-good, almighty Lord
Didst thou not in thy person join The natures human and divine,
That God and man might be Henceforth inseparably one?

And Father, our hearts we lift
The Lord of hosts, the King of Kings, Declares himself our friend,
Assumes our flesh and blood, That we his Spirit may gain.

No comments: