City Council
Originally scheduled for
July 31
The work of a city
council, especially in a city the size of Los Angeles, should be
concerned with things which are important, perhaps controversial and
partisan, and often enough expensive.
But this does not apply to all the things the Los Angeles
City Council does. One of its more common duties is to issue a
variety of proclamations. This function may have hit its low point
when the Council issued a proclamation commending the Mystic Knights
of the Oingo Boingo. As you might guess, they were a musical group —
of sorts. What possessed the city Council to command them I do not
know; but the proclamation itself was done in the usual elaborate
ornamental style. From all appearances you would think that this was
something of great importance.
The Christian may
not know it but there is an element of proclamation in the Lord's
Supper as well. The very existence of this ritual proclaims at least
three important things:
·
It proclaims the
perfect sacrifice of Christ. By its existence it says that the death
of Christ was unique.
·
It proclaims our
unworthiness. To say that his sacrifice is perfect is to say that
everyone else is imperfect.
·
It proclaims the
depth of the love that God has for his children.
If we proclaim his
death, we must also proclaim the resurrection. It is the central
miracle of Christianity; without it, the faith makes no sense. But
with the resurrection we also proclaim that Christ has power over
the grave — something that no one else has. We can partake of that
power because of the grace of God; we therefore proclaim redemption
by grace.
If we proclaim his
death and resurrection, then we must also proclaim the sure and
certain hope of his return. Christ made it clear: death, burial,
resurrection and then his ascension — to be followed by his return.
When? None of us knows. But we do know some things about his return:
·
First, we know that
he will bring with him the saints who have passed on before us. They
will return in bodily form, as he has taught us. That alone would
make this a wonderful and glorious time.
·
He returns to judge
the living and the dead; not just punishment, but also for reward.
·
In some way not
known to us yet, he will create a new heaven and a new Earth. The
fundamental order of nature is somehow to be changed.
The City Council's
proclamation was written on parchment paper, in a flowing
calligraphic script, with gold accents and seal. Christ's
proclamation is written in the ceremony of communion and in the
conduct of the Christian. Therefore, when you partake, partake in a
worthy manner. Remember what it is you are telling the world when
you do this: you are proclaiming his death and all that that
implies.
