Christmas Night/Christmas Day +++ Rejoice!

Psalm 98│Isaiah 52.7-10│Hebrews 1.1-12│John 1.1-14

 

Rejoice!

 

The wait is over. Christmas is here and we rejoice. We celebrate Jesus, ‘the Lord saves’. Immanuel ‘God with us’. God became one of us to enter fully into life, suffering and death to open the way of glory. Light shone in the darkness and the darkness could not grasp it and destroy it.

 

However, sometimes we struggle to rejoice at Christmas. Our lives can feel like ‘Groundhog Day’, a movie where a man (played by Bill Murray) relives a day time and time again, till he finally finds a way forward (a hopeful story!). Christmas can feel that way. ‘Here we go again….’

 

There is a way forward. A way out. We can celebrate ‘hope fulfilled’. Besides just celebrating what God did in the past, we can rejoice in what He will do. After centuries of prophetic waiting, God did what he promised. He will do it again. Although human history can feel like a very long Advent (waiting for God’s final reckoning - our Psalm 98 rejoices in that foresight!), at Christmas, we celebrate God is faithful. We can take God at his word. God will complete the work he has begun. The ultimate Christmas and the ultimate Easter all rolled into one will come. Ultimate joy and victory after the longest wait.

 

……and all the ends of the earth shall see

   the salvation of our God. (Isaiah 52.10b)

 

Paul Vrolijk

Image: 'Christmas at the Annunciation Church in Nazareth 1965/12/24.  By Photographer: Israel Press and Photo Agency (I.P.P.A.) / Dan Hadani collection, National Library of Israel / CC BY 4.0, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95594862

Christmas Eve +++ King Messiah

 

Psalm 45│Nahum 1│Revelation1.1-8│Matthew 23.13-28

Psaumes 45|Nahum 1|Apocalypse 1.1-8 |Matthieu 23.13-28

 

King Messiah

The readings for Christmas Eve can seem a bit puzzling. Contrary to expectation, we find no baby in manger, no virgin mother, no watchful Joseph, no shepherds, no ox, no ass, not even one little lamb. Instead, these readings are a series of declarations of power and looming destruction.

It begins with Nahum’s prophecy of doom over the Assyrian capital, Nineveh, the source of such bitter cruelty and destruction to the Israelites. Nineveh will be destroyed, at once, with complete destruction, never to rise again (1.8–9).

Then comes Psalm 45, a vision of the conquering Messiah, of whom it is said, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever (v.6), who rides forth, girt with sword (v.3) to destroy his enemies as his sharp arrows pierce their hearts (v.5).

Then, in Matthew 23, that same Messiah, the Lord Jesus, now walking in the flesh in Jerusalem, prophesies woes, rebuke, destruction, and Gehenna in the faces of those hate him, that is, to the scribes and Pharisees of Jerusalem.

Finally, in Revelation 1.1–8, we read of the same Messiah’s coming again on the clouds of heaven, when ‘all peoples on earth will mourn because of him’.

So why these four fierce readings for Christmas Eve? Why not something altogether more Christmassy? Surely it is because the one who came forth in Bethlehem is none other than the King Messiah, the mighty God, Jehovah of hosts, going forth to conquer. He was not born a baby to remain a baby, but to be King of kings and Lord of lords, to requite, by overwhelming force, the prince of evil and his servants, to make them like a fiery furnace on the day of his appearing, when he will come to take his righteous throne. The one born at Bethlehem was born to conquer.

And it is your majesty! Succeed! Ride forth for the sake of truth and humble justice, and let your right hand teach you fearful deeds. (Ps. 45.4)

David Mitchell

Image: 'Messiah by Rubio Milan. From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=58021 [retrieved December 4, 2021]. Original source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/rubio2d/27923652250.

Be a humble servant

 

Psalm 130│Malachi3.13-4.6│2 Peter 3│Matthew23.1-12

Psaumes 130 |Michée 3.13-4.6 |2 Pierre 3 |Matthieu 23.1-12

Be a humble servant

 

This is one of those passages that is so familiar it can just bounce off us when we read it. We might have to sit with it for a while to feel the significance it holds for us. Jesus is talking about the Pharisees and their hypocrisy. While acting holy, they exploit others and do not put into action the principles that they preach. Verse 5 says Everything they do is done for people to see …

Few of us are ‘Teachers of the law’ (or the modern-day equivalent), so it can be easy to hold the accusation in this verse at a distance. But surely it applies to each of us more frequently than we would like to admit. We are all experts at putting on a show, at creating an image of ourselves for others that doesn’t match the reality of all our failures, doubts and weaknesses. The way we retell events to cast ourselves in a better light, the practiced ease with which we let blame and responsibility for mishaps fall on others rather than ourselves, the care we take with what our social media posts show about us … - how often we give in to the desire to be seen as being in control, being good, being right.

Thought no. 1 - This needs to stop. The Nativity is all about humility – God of the universe taking flesh in the form of a human baby, in a poor family, in an oppressed nation. Where is the humility in our own lives?

Thought no. 2 - If we can face just how far we are from being humble as Jesus demands, then maybe we can be more compassionate to others when they fail too.

Thought no. 3 - what change in our lives, in our relationships, perhaps even in the world, might be possible if we could stop trying to be right, and let God be right instead? Let’s pray about this today.

Mags Bird

Image; 'Christ Teaches Humility by Lauder, Robert Scott, 1803-1869.   From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55623 [retrieved December 4, 2021]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christ_Teacheth_Humility.jpg.

Who do you look up to? │Qui admirez-vous ?

 Psalm124│Malachi 2.17-3.12│2 Peter 2.4-22│Matthew 19.16-30

 Psaumes 124|Michée 2.17-3.12 |2 Pierre 2.4-22 |Matthieu 19.16-30

Who do you look up to? │Qui admirez-vous ?

In Old Testament times it was common to look up to and admire rich people. It was believed that riches and prosperity were a sign of God’s blessing – and therefore someone who was rich must be extra especially righteous and holy if God had chosen them for such a special favour.

 

The Rich Young Ruler in our Gospel passage is a splendid example of the Old Testament thinking. He is rich, he is a ruler and if we are to believe his proud boast he has led a spotless life. What’s not to like? Won’t Jesus praise him for being so righteous? No, He completely takes the wind out of the young man’s sails. Rather than saying that the rich must have earned a special relationship with God because of their good deeds, he says to His disciples ‘How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!’ We live in a society where the amassing of possessions, always wanting more and more and the latest of everything is seen as the ultimate goal in life.

 

Jesus teaches that there is a danger in riches. In the Sermon on the Mount he said that we should store up treasure in heaven, not on earth. John Wesley famously urged his followers to ‘work as hard as you can to earn as much as you can to give away all that you can.’ 

 

Who do you look up to? Would Jesus admire them too? And is your heart devoted to earthly treasure or heavenly?

 

***************************************************************************************

 

À l'époque de l'Ancien Testament, il était courant d'admirer les riches. On croyait que la richesse et la prospérité étaient un signe de la bénédiction de Dieu - et donc quelqu'un qui était riche devait être particulièrement juste et saint si Dieu l'avait choisi pour une telle faveur spéciale.

 

Le Jeune Dirigeant Riche dans notre passage évangélique est un magnifique exemple de la pensée de l'Ancien Testament. Il est riche, c'est un dirigeant et si l'on en croit sa vantardise, il a mené une vie sans tache. Qu'est-ce qu'il ne faut pas aimer ? Jésus ne le louera-t-il pas d'être si juste ? Non, il coupe complètement le vent dans les voiles du jeune homme. Plutôt que de dire que les riches doivent avoir gagné une relation spéciale avec Dieu à cause de leurs bonnes actions, il dit à ses disciples « Comme il est difficile pour les riches d'entrer dans le royaume de Dieu ! » Nous vivons dans une société où l'accumulation de biens, le désir de toujours plus et le dernier de tout est considéré comme le but ultime de la vie.

 

Jésus enseigne qu'il y a un danger dans les richesses. Dans le Sermon sur la montagne, il a dit que nous devrions accumuler des trésors dans le ciel, pas sur la terre. John Wesley a exhorté ses partisans à « travailler aussi dur que possible pour gagner autant que possible pour donner tout ce que vous pouvez ».

 

Qui admirez-vous ? Jésus les admirerait-il aussi ? Et votre cœur est-il voué au trésor terrestre ou céleste ?

 

David Fieldsend

Image: 'Heinrich Hofmann, "Christ and the Rich Young Ruler", 1889

Purchased by John D Rockefeller Jr, now residing at Riverside Church, New York, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14265296

Let the little children come to me

 Psalm 121│Malachi 2.1-16│2 Peter1.16-23│Matthew19.13-15

Psaumes 121 |Michée 2.1-16 |2 Pierre 1.1-16 | Matthieu 19.13-15

 

Let the little children come to me

 

Psalm 121 is one of the only two psalms (the other is 23!) which I can admit I know almost by heart, and that’s largely because both are short and memorably set to music in the Scottish metrical psalter.  You can listen to it here: https://youtu.be/RpuuE26BpCs. With its simple message enjoining us to put a child-like trust in the Lord it speaks directly to our fundamental need for reassurance, in all times and in all places, and is probably my favourite.

 

I think it was for this reason I suggested it to my mother and grandmother that we have it as a hymn at my grandfather’s funeral.  He had not had an easy life, being either orphaned or from a broken home in Edwardian England (he never spoke about it); he ended up in prison before his eighteenth birthday and upon release in early 1914 found employment with probably the only organisation that would accept him – the British Army…in which he served for three years until he was wounded and taken prisoner at Passchendaele.  He had a leg amputated in a German hospital before being sent home in a prisoner exchange. 

 

Life for a barely literate, one-legged ex-soldier in the 1930’s Depression cannot have been easy, yet he came through it all as one of the loveliest men I have ever met, married, widowed, re-married happily with children and grandchildren whom he adored and who adored him.  Small children in particular, who recognised a kindred spirit, and, as todays Gospel reminds us, the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.

 

 

In memoriam, Arthur X. Clay, 1896-1979

 

Levez les yeux vers les collines et faites confiance au Seigneur.

 

Carol de Lusignan

Image: Private. Used with permission from Carol de Lusignan.

 

Privilege and responsibility

 

Psalm46│Malachi 1.1,6-14│2 Peter 1.1-15│Matthew 19.1-12

Psaumes 46 |Michée 1.1,6-14|2 Pierre1.1-15|Matthieu 19.1-12

 

Privilege and responsibility

 

Living a Christian life is one of both great privilege and great responsibility. We are reminded of this equally empowering and sobering lesson in 2 Peter 1:1-15, where Peter calls on us not only to acknowledge our calling to God, but to confirm it as well.

At this time of year we remember the gift that the Lord has bestowed upon us: his son, Jesus Christ, born to free us from sin. It can be easy to fall into complacency once we grasp the gravity of this gift; why bother with morality and righteousness when, at the end of the day, we are saved? Is Jesus not the answer to all our problems – the light sent down from Heaven to bring us peace?

Yes, he is – and it is precisely because of his presence and love that we have a responsibility to live the life to which he has called us. Peter implores us to live with goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love. For without these things, he says, we cannot fully understand – let alone embody – what Jesus has done for us and the stewards he has empowered us to become.

The cynical among us – and yes, criticism is welcome – will point out that Peter does not specifically attribute rejection from God’s kingdom to the absence of the qualities mentioned above. Maybe I am naïve, but I don’t think we need an ultimatum to be coerced into a life based on goodness and love. Goodness, in its purest form, expects nothing in return.

The birth of our Saviour is testament to the power of good over evil, especially when we inspire others to live with love for God and each other. To fully appreciate the privilege we have been gifted, we have a responsibility to reproduce acts of kindness, mutual affection, and love towards people and planet.

By confirming this responsibility – and with enough practice – we may even start to see glimpses of God’s eternal kingdom right here with us.

Benjamin Jance IV

Image:'A Potter in Bangalore, India' By Muhammad Mahdi Karim - Own work, GFDL 1.2, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36687161

Canticle: Magnificat (Luke 1.46-55) │Micah 5.2-5a│Hebrews 10.5-10│Luke 1.39-45

le Cantique: Magnificat (Luc1.46-55) │ Michée 5.2-5a│ Hébreux 10.5-10│Luc 1.39-45

 

La grâce

La plupart d’entre-nous pensons que si nous ne faisons rien, Dieu ne va rien faire. C’est loin d’être la vérité car, d’éternité en éternité notre Dieu est un Dieu d’amour. Il a toujours initié la relation entre nous et lui. Dans la nouvelle alliance, il nous a donné le plus beau cadeau de tous les temps qui n’est autre que son Fils unique. En Jésus, l’homme se repose de ses œuvres car nous n’avons plus besoin du souverain sacrificateur pour présenter nos sacrifices et nos offrandes. Jésus Christ, le Souverain sacrificateur est lui-même le sacrifice ultime. Les sacrifices couvraient les péchés mais n’enlevaient pas le péché. On se repose parce que l’œuvre de Dieu est parfaite. Au verset 7 de l’épître aux Hébreux, Jésus dit : « Voici, je viens pour faire, ô Dieu, ta volonté. » Au verset 9 de nouveau, il dit : « Voici, je viens pour faire ta volonté. Il abolit ainsi la première chose pour établir la seconde. » La première chose, représente la loi. La loi exige des œuvres ; fais le bien et tu auras une récompense. La seconde représente la grâce. La grâce est le fait de recevoir ce que nous ne méritons pas. C’était la volonté de Dieu de nous envoyer Jésus. C’est au travers de l’œuvre de Jésus à la croix que nous sommes sauvés. Aujourd’hui, nous avons le Saint Esprit qui rend témoignage à notre esprit que nous sommes enfants de Dieu (Romains 8 :16). Puissions-nous tressaillir d’allégresse tout comme Jean-Baptiste car un Saveur nous a été donné en Jésus Christ.

 

Eric Sibomana

Image:'Mary visits Elizabeth, 1873 By Unknown author - The story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59736098