The Full Moon and the Fullness of God
- emilybterrell
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
On Saturday evening, I watched something I’ve never seen before—the moonrise. I’ve marveled at countless sunrises over the years, but the rising of the fully illuminated Paschal moon was uniquely beautiful as it slowly rose above a layer of clouds covering the mountains. The sun had not yet set, but the first full moon of spring was reflecting the sun’s bright light to mark the coming of Easter. This lunar determination of the most important date on the Christian calendar was established exactly 1,700 years ago during the Council of Nicea when leaders decided to set Easter as the Sunday following the first full moon after the spring equinox. What a neat effect of the truth that God “made the moon to mark the seasons” (Psalm 104:19)!
While the lunar method for determining the date of Easter is interesting, it pales in comparison to the other statements made by the Council of Nicea in 325. It is fitting, however, that the same council who determined when we would celebrate the resurrection of our Savior also penned some of the most foundational theology about the deity of our risen Savior in what is known as the Nicene Creed. Think through the depth of truth contained in these words:
“We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.”
During yesterday morning’s fantastic Easter concert at First Baptist Church Dandridge, I was amazed by the beautifully truth-filled display of worshipful talent throughout the entire service, but I was most struck by two simple lines that are supported by the above words:
The fullness of God
Won’t be kept in a grave
Because “the fullness of God was please to dwell” in Christ, no grave could hold him (Colossians 1:19). The deity of Jesus—God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father—is of utmost importance as we consider the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior. He was no mere man. He was fully God and fully man, the only One who could pay the once-for-all price of our sin. The first full moon of spring marks the timing of our celebration this week, but the fullness of God in Christ is the reason we celebrate.
As we enter Holy Week, let us praise the Father for his gift of order in the universe that allows us to mark the seasons, let us recite the deeply theological words of the saints who have gone before us, and let us contemplate the fullness of God in Christ that could not be kept in a grave!
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