Tuesday December 25 ~~ In the news…

Christmas Day

Isaiah52.7-10    Psalm98   Hebrews1.1-12   John1.1-14

Esaie 52.7-10    Psaumes 98  Hébreux 1.1-12   Jean 1.1-14

Jesaja 52.7-10    Psalmen 98  Hebreeen 1.1-12  Johannes 1.1-14

                                   

So much of the news is depressing. Mindless violence, shootings, murder, political strife, dare I say ….Brexit. It is no wonder that life coaches advise to stay away from the news for at least the first few hours of one’s day lest we start the day on a ‘downer’. News organisations know this. Hence the news is modestly sprinkled with ‘good news stories’. Small items of ‘good news’ on acts of kindness, or quaint coincidences that worked for ‘good’. Happy tales to offset the bad and the ugly. When we read such stories we smile, but its goodness hardly outweighs the bad. Can good news ever overcome the bad?

Yes it can! Consider God’s story: The Lord bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations; and all the end of the earth shall see the salvation of our God (Isaiah 52:7-10). What a headline! The story of Good….that one day will swallow all the bad. The news-bringer ‘who announces peace, who announced good news , who announces salvation’, Christmas a climactic event in God’s Good News broadcast. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Jesus, our Lord and King, born in frailty, will conquer all in perfect love. Now we see in glimpses….then we will see Him face to face!

So we will sing a new song, and all of Creation with us….everything will break out in music and celebration….and all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God (Psalm 98:4). Are you ready to join that song?

Wishing you and your loved ones a Blessed Christmas!

Paul Vrolijk

Zing een nieuw lied voor de Here.
Hij heeft zoveel wonderen gedaan.
Hij overwint altijd, want Hij is machtig en sterk. (Psalm 98.1, Het Boek)

Chantez à l’Eternel un cantique nouveau!
Car il a fait des prodiges.
Sa droite et son bras saint lui sont venus en aide. (Psaume 98.1, NEG 1979)

Attribution:

The Nativity, Gerard David (Netherlandish, Oudewater ca. 1455–1523 Bruges), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Friedsam Collection, Bequest of Michael Friedsam, 1931, www.metmuseum.org.

Monday December 24 ~~ Sommes-nous prêts ?

Isaiah 52.13-53.12   Luke 1.67-79    Psalm 45      2 Peter 1.1-15

Ésaïe 52.13-53.12   Luc 1.67-79      Psaumes 45  2 Pierre 1.1-15

Sommes-nous préparés à la venue de notre Seigneur et Sauveur Jésus-Christ ?

Chaque année, nous avons l’opportunité de nous rappeler de l’incarnation de notre Sauveur en homme. C’est une grâce que Dieu nous donne afin de nous souvenir du but de la venue de Jésus. Luc nous dit que c’est « afin de donner à son peuple la connaissance du salut par le pardon de ses péchés » (Luc 1.77). Il continue en disant que c’est aussi « pour éclairer ceux qui sont assis dans les ténèbres et dans l'ombre de la mort, pour diriger nos pas dans le chemin de la paix ». (v.79)

Jésus est venu sur terre comme un nourrisson, fragile et doux comme un agneau. Il a vécu une vie exemplaire tout en partageant un message de paix.

Toutefois, « qui a cru à ce qui nous était annoncé ? Qui a reconnu le bras de l'Éternel ? » (Ésaïe 53.1).

Ésaïe a prophétisé la venue du Sauveur plusieurs siècles avant sa venue sur la terre. Il est compréhensible que les gens de son époque ne comprenaient pas son message car ils avaient du mal à imaginer qu’un homme qui n’existe pas encore soit une exception à la race humaine. Mais pour nous qui vivons après sa venue sur la terre en tant que bébé, son ministère, sa crucifixion et résurrection, quelle est notre excuse pour ne pas croire en lui et en son message ? « Méprisé et abandonné des hommes, Homme de douleur et habitué à la souffrance, Semblable à celui dont on détourne le visage, Nous l'avons dédaigné, nous n'avons fait de lui aucun cas » (Ésaïe 53.3). Cette phrase est-elle moins vraie aujourd’hui qu’à l’époque de Jésus ?

Préparons nos cœurs à recevoir à nouveau notre Sauveur lors du réveillon de Noël et à inviter les membres de notre famille, nos amis et collègues à faire de lui, leurs Sauveur et Seigneur.

Are we prepared for the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?

Tracy & Eric Sibomana

Attribution:

Zurbarán, Francisco, 1598-1664. Lamb, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=47446 [retrieved December 13, 2018]. Original source: www.yorckproject.de.

Sunday December 23~~ Great Joy

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Hebrews 10.5-10    Micah 5.2-5a   Psalm 80.1-8   Luke 1.39-55

Hébreux 10.5-10    Michée 5.2-5a  Psaumes 80.1-8   Luc 1.39-55

How? Why? Anyone with experience of young children will know that these are their most  frequently asked questions as they try to learn about and make sense of the world around them!

The nativity story that forms the main focus of our scripture readings over the Christmas period helps address the question of how Jesus came to be  born into the world as a baby. Whereas the Hebrews reading today helps answer the question why.

‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
    but a body you prepared for me’

 The sacrifices and burnt offerings of animals made under the old covenant law couldn’t make worshippers perfect. What was required was a body; a human body given over completely to God’s will and purpose. This would be the one perfect sacrifice able to re-unite the worship of earth and heaven again, able to remove the problem of sin that had always got in the way. 

Jesus needed a body – a body in which he could be ‘God with us’, a body in which he could model God’s purposes for His children , a body which he would sacrifice to save the world from sin. So he came as a weak fragile tiny baby so the fullness of God could be grown in Him. 

So today, despite being hard pressed by all the practicalities surrounding our celebration of Christmas , lets pray that we would receive great joy from celebrating Jesus’  birth again, and that we would be able to welcome His life amongst us afresh and offer ourselves to Him in return.  

Fiona Simon

Attribution 

Nativity from a Spanish Romanesque panel, 13th century,

Copyright Media Storehouse/Granger Historical Picture Archive. License granted to Revd. Fiona Simons to use in this publication.

Saturday December 22 ~~ How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news (v. 7)

Isaiah 52.1-12     Psalm 124      Jude     Matthew 18.21-35

Esaie 52.1-12      Psaumes 124  Jude     Matthieu 18.21-35

In Isaiah 40, we heard the prophet’s call to speak words of “comfort” to God’s people at the end of their exile in Babylon: ‘Arise, shine, for thy light is come.’ Now, the capture of Babylon by King Cyrus of Persia (c.540 BC) has given the exiles the opportunity to return to Judah and Jerusalem and restore their community in the Promised Land.

The exhortation to “wake up” is appropriate at any time, but especially when there is an opportunity to redeem Israel for the covenant people of God. But this oracle is an extraordinary expression of faith, since it presents the victory as one achieved by God, as the messenger announces YHWH’s entry into his holy place and the complete transformation of Jerusalem from captive slave to victor. On Psalm 124, David Mitchell (The Songs of Ascents) comments that “it was only because the Holy One was with them, only because of his covenant bias towards them, that Israel even survived, either before (King David’s) reign or during it”.

With the cry of triumph ‘Your God reigns’, the people of God will once more know God’s name. It is no surprise that this victory hymn finds its quintessential expression in the glorious music of Handel’s Messiah, where the messenger proclaims peace, glad tidings and salvation. Christians, of course, interpret this as a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. But if the seasonal spirit of goodwill is to be a marker of peace and harmony in contemporary society, we should recall the original setting of this prophecy and pray that God’s universal salvation may spread to the ends of the earth.

Comme ils sont les bienvenus, au sommet des montagnes, les pas du messager qui nous met à l’écoute de la paix, qui porte un message de bonté, qui nous qui nous met à l’écoute du salut, qui dit à Sion : “Ton Dieu règne !” (v. 7, traduction œcuménique).

Jonathan Halliwell

Attribution:

Snowdon, after an April Hailstorm [or Snowdon through Clearing Clouds],  Alfred William Hunt (British, Liverpool 1830–1896 London), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2016, www.metmuseum.org.

Friday December 21 ~~ He is faithful

Psalm 121       Isaiah 51.17-23   2 Thessalonians 3        Matthew 18.1-20

Psaumes 121   Esaie 51.17-23    2 Thessaloniciens 3    Matthieu 18.1-20

Psalmen 121   Jesaja 51.17-23   2 Thessalonicenzen 3  Mattheus 18.1-20

I lift my eyes up to the mountains, where does my help come from? During stressful times in my life, I find myself looking up to the sky, helpless, forgetting. When times are really rough I’m reminded though. And know to leave whatever the problem is in His hands, He who can help me carry the burden and who will comfort and guide me. Psalm 121 is a beautiful description of how He is faithful to us. May we all remember His faithfulness and take comfort from it during the stressful Advent times preparing to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. 

Ik kijk omhoog naar de bergen. Waar vandaan kan ik hulp verwachten? Psalm 121 herinnert ons aan degene die ons zeker kan helpen, onze Heer. Laat ons dat niet vergeten tijdens de stress van de kerstvoorbereidingen.

Sara T

Attribute

Beacon of Hope, Thanksgiving Square, Belfast By Scott, Andy. From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55532 [retrieved December 1, 2018]. Original source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Belfast_(144),_October_2009.JPG.

Thursday December 20 ~~ Advent realism

2 Thessalonians 2     Isaiah 51.9-16   Psalm 46      Matthew 17.22-27

2 Thessaloniciens 2  Esaie 51.9-16    Psaumes 46  Matthieu 17.22-27

2 Thessalonicenzen 2   Jesaja 51.9-16    Psalmen 46     Mattheus 17.22-27

This chapter puts an awful note of realism into Advent.

Why interrupt the joyful season with this?

Because hope is no hope which cannot face reality. Hope is no hope which cannot rise through the horrific world war that ended 100 years ago in Belgium’s muddy, rat-ridden, blood-stained fields, or through the sophisticated barbarity of the next when God's chosen people were systematically dehumanized by a popular dictator. 

And should the world sink to even deeper depths than these, may the Church recall that the reality of a coming universal "delusion" (v.11) headed up by a “man of sin” (v.3) was impressed upon her from the start. The images in Luke 21 and at the end of Revelation 13 were shown to her long before the advent of world wars and modern dictators.

But the true Advent hope is not lessened a bit by any of this. Integendeel, au contraire, it is only strengthened and made all the more vital. Look to the “coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him” (v.1). That is the message. Don’t let anyone persuade you otherwise (v.2). The darkest darkness will be overthrown “by the splendour of his coming” (v.8)! 

So drink in deeply the hope shining from those Advent candles and Christmas lights. 

And 

« levez la tête et prenez courage, car alors votre délivrance sera proche ! » (BDS)

 “Kijk dan omhoog en hef uw hoofd op, omdat uw verlossing nabij is!” (HSV) 

“When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near!” (Luke 21:28, NIV)

James Pitts

Attribution:

Langdon, Fe. "Aging Grace", from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55153 [retrieved December 13, 2018]. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26145336@N08/6044127841/.

Wednesday December 19 ~~ Praise the Lord

Psalm 146     Isaiah 51.1-8    2 Thessalonians 1      Matthew 17.14-21

Psaume 146   Esaie 51.1-8    2 Thessaloniciens 1    Matthieu 17.14-21

Louez l’Eternel

Je louerai l’Eternel tant que je vivrai

L’auteur de ce psaume était réveillé, puisqu’il connaissait bien les œuvres de Dieu,

 il louait l’Eternel en tout temps pour son secours .

Je remercie le Seigneur, par sa grâce, il nous a choisi pour être dans sa famille, nous connaissons bien ses œuvres, et son secours envers nous.

Est-ce que nous sommes reconnaissant de ceux que Dieu a fait pour nous ?

Est -ce que nous sommes réveillés, pour le louer en tout temps, partout où nous sommes, au travail, à la maison, en voyage, comme faisait l’auteur de ce psaume ?

Et si nous lisons aussi dans l’apocalypse 4 : 8 ,

Les quatre êtres vivants ont chacun six ailes et ils sont remplies d’yeux tout autour et au-dedans.

Ils ne cessent de dire jour et nuit Saint, Saint, Saint est le Seigneur Dieu, le tout puissant qui était, qui est, et qui vient.

Dans le monde d’aujourd’hui nous avons beaucoup de choses qui nous attire, des belles maisons, des belles voitures, l’argent, dont nous adorons.

 Nous devons être réveiller, et contempler les bienfaits de l’éternel ;

Celui qui nous donne la vie, la joie, la paix, même toutes les choses que nous disposons appartiennent à lui.

J’ai un appartement, il a été construit en 1950, celui qui l’a construit n’est plus, et je le laisserai aussi dans ce monde.

Les choses de ce monde ne devraient pas prendre place dans nos vies.

Il nous a donné son fils Jésus Christ pour nous sauver

Louons le Seigneur notre Dieu et proclamons ses œuvres en commençant dans nos familles, et notre entourage.

Ne nous confions pas aux grands, au fils de l’homme qui ne peuvent pas sauver

Leur souffre s’en va, ils rentrent dans la terre et ce même jour leurs desseins périssent.

Heureux celui qui a pour secours le Dieu de Jacob

Heureux celui qui met son espoir en l’Eternel son Dieu

Il a créé les cieux et la terre, la mer tout ce qui s’y trouve

Il fait droit aux opprimés, il donne le pain aux affamés

L’Eternel ouvre les yeux des aveugles

L’éternel aime les justes

L’éternel protège les étrangers et soutient l’orphelin et la veuve

Mais il renverse les voies des méchants

Louons -le, louons l’Eternel

Frieda Mukanyangezi


Attribution:

Orans figures with arms in praise, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54464 [retrieved December 13, 2018].

Notes: 

Panel from an early Christian Coptic church in Bawit, Egypt, 5th-6th century, Louvre Museum, Paris.

Tuesday December 18 ~~ The Transfiguration: do we just believe our eyes?

Matthew 17.1-13   Isaiah 50   Psalm 70       1 Thessalonians 5.12-28
Matthieu 17.1-13   Esaie 50   Psaumes 70   1 Thessaloniciens 5.12-28

We think we know what we’re seeing. We like to believe we’re behaving appropriately in the circumstances: ideally, we’ll be in control of them. But in Matthew’s account of the Transfiguration it is made abundantly clear that Peter, as he and his fellow disciples so often did, got hold of completely the wrong end of the stick. Initially he seems to be almost flattered that he, James and John, alone of the Twelve, have been invited by Jesus to walk with Moses and Elijah. Does he think “What a vision. Has Heaven touched Earth? Am I numbered with the elect of God?” His reaction is to try and “secularise” the situation, to offer them earthly hospitality by building shelters for them. Then things notch up a gear. God himself speaks, and the three disciples are, quite reasonably, terrified – and firmly put back in their place. However, they have Jesus with them, who being fully human as well as the Son of God, can know and understand them better than they do themselves. He is there to reassure them and explain what they have seen, like a loving older brother.

Let us pray that, like the first disciples, we try to understand what is really going on by obeying God’s instruction to listen to His Son, put our trust in Him and follow his words.

 La Transfiguration: croyons-nous simplement nos yeux? Cette histoire montre que nous devons écouter la parole de Jésus pour comprendre ce qui se passe réellement. 

 Carol de Lusignan

Attribution

Bellini, Giovanni, d. 1516. Transfiguration of Christ, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46565 [retrieved December 13, 2018]

Monday December 17 ~~ Who do you say I am? Who Do You Say He Is? Matthew 16:15

மத்தேயு 16:13-28 Tamil Bible

Matthew 16.13-28    Isaiah 49.14-25   Psalm 40   1Thessalonians 5.1-11
Matthieu 16.13-28    Esaie 49.14-25   Psaumes 40   1 Thessaloniciens 5.1-11

 In a 1929 Saturday Evening Post interview, Albert Einstein said, “As a child I received instruction both in the Bible and in the Talmud. I am a Jew, but I am enthralled by the luminous figure of the Nazarene. . . . No one can read the Gospels without feeling the actual presence of Jesus. His personality pulsates in every word. No myth is filled with such life.” The New Testament Scriptures give us other examples of Jesus’s countrymen who sensed there was something special about Him. When Jesus asked His followers, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” they replied that some said He was John the Baptist, others said He was Elijah, and others thought He was Jeremiah or one of the prophets (Matt. 16:14). To be named with the great prophets of Israel was certainly a compliment, but Jesus wasn’t seeking compliments. He was searching their understanding and looking for faith. So He asked a second question: “But what about you? . . . Who do you say I am?” (16:15). Peter’s declaration fully expressed the truth of Jesus’s identity: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (v. 16).Jesus longs for us to know Him and His rescuing love. This is why each of us must eventually answer the question, “Who do you say Jesus is?” "Lord, I long to know You better. Teach me more about Your beautiful character so that I might grow more in love with You and follow You with my whole heart."
 By Bill Crowder Taken from Our Daily Bread®, Copyright 2018 by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

 Contributed by Priscilla Alexander

 அவரை யாரென்று நீங்கள் கூறுகிறீர்கள்? "நித்தியத்தை நிர்ணயிக்கும் பிரதான கேள்வி இயேசுவின் அடையாளத்தைக் குறித்ததே"

Attribution:

Raphael, 1483-1520. Christ's Charge to Peter, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55924 [retrieved December 13, 2018]. Original source: http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/t/raphael-cartoons/.  

Sunday December 16 ~~ Be glad and rejoice

Third Sunday of Advent

Zephaniah 3.14-20  Psalm 146.4-10       Philippians 4.4-7   Luke 3.7-18

 Sophonie 3.14-20   Psaumes 146.4-10   Philippiens 4.4-7   Luc 3.7-18

John tells us, as he tells the crowds near the Jordan, that there are things we can and should be doing to live good lives; being generous, not being greedy, being satisfied with what we have (things worth reflecting on in this “Black Friday” season). But these are more than just good deeds; these are ways to demonstrate our commitment to Christ and show our repentance for our sinful human nature.

However, John also makes it very clear that that alone isn’t enough. Good behaviour doesn’t spare us from judgment. Judgment is not reserved for only non-believers; we will all be subject to judgment in the end so we all must repent to be gathered into His barn. But the light at the end of that potentially daunting tunnel is the abundant reassurances that God gives us in the other readings for today. The passages from Psalm 146, Zephaniah and Philippians (among many others!) reassure us that the Lord is near to us; that He remains faithful to us and will protect us, provide for us and love us steadfastly, regardless of our status or any “failings.” Therefore we should be glad and rejoice in the Lord in this season and always.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4.7)

Praise the Lord!

Morgan Buckner

Attribution:

Gallen-Kallela, Akseli, 1865-1931. Hand of Christ/The Palm of Peace, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55740 [retrieved December 13, 2018]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kristuksen_k%C3%A4si_Gallen-Kallela.JPG.

Saturday December 15 ~~ The Coming of the Lord

1Thessalonians 4.13-18    Isaiah 49.1-13    Psalm 145       Matthew 16.1-12

1 Thessaloniciens 4.13-18   Esaie 49.1-13  Psaumes 145   Matthieus 16.1-12

1Thessalonicenzen 4.1-13   Jesaja 49.1-13 Psalmen 145    Mattheus 16.1-12

Death is a headline in many newspapers and a tragedy in recent cases such as the shootings in the United States and tensions in the Holy Land escalating into conflict. When we hear such news we feel sorry for tragic losses of lives. However the grief and loss that death brings hurts us most when it’s one of our own on a personal level, and it seems as everything is turned upside down. It is then that we realise how difficult it is to struggle against hopelessness and despair, and to be able to come to terms with death. But we are comforted by Jesus Christ. Paul showed the Christians of Thessalonica what the grounds of their hope should be, as they face the death of fellow believers. It has to do with what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in the past and will do for us in the future. Verse 14 tells us what Christ has done. “For if we believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again…” In the next verse he adds what Christ will do: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord…” From this we understand that there are three important things that can make a great difference not only to the way we live, but also to the way we die: The death, resurrection and return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Met Christus in je leven heb je Eindeloze Hoop, maar zonder Christus zul je een Hopeloos Einde hebben. Welke van deze heb je? Een eindeloze hoop of een hopeloos einde?

Mark van Eker

Attribution

Christ shows himself to Thomas, Resurrection Chapel, Washington Cathedral

By LeCompte, Rowan and Irene LeCompte. From Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54879 [retrieved December 1, 2018]. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/maryannsolari/5119341372/.

Friday December 14 ~~ De weg door de donkerheid Le chemin de l’obscurité

 Lesser Festival for John of the Cross, poet, teacher of the faith, 1591

John 14.18-23          Psalm 34.11-17     1 Kings 3.6-14          1 Corinthinians 2.1-10

Jean 14.18-23          Psaumes 34.11-17  1 Rois 3.6-14            1 Corinthiens 2.1-10

Johannes 14.18-23   Psalmen 34.11-17  1 Koningen 3.6-14    1 Corinthiers 2.1-10

De weg door de donkerheid

Le chemin de l’obscurité

What mysteries are here! Is Jesus really saying that the world has had its chance to work out who he is, and that God’s presence is now to be restricted to those who recognised the merits of keeping the commandments: the obedient, the rule-followers? Is it now too late for everybody else? Judas is also confused and asks Jesus for clarification. The answer is reassuring. A right response is to be measured not by an ability to conform to the rules, but rather by a capacity to love, which will go hand in hand with keeping Jesus’ words. John of the Cross discovered that to love and to keep Jesus’ words sometimes leads us directly to what feels like the opposite of what is promised here. The dark night of the soul brings anguish and disorientation: we feel like orphans, we feel alone. But this, according to John of the Cross, is a sign that we are moving into a deeper relationship with God. It is merely this part of the journey, taking leave of the things of the world, that feels dark. If we keep going, keep loving, keep listening, we will see Jesus and we will live.

Suggested listening: Rückert-Lieder. Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen (I am lost to the world). Alice Coote

https://youtu.be/i3DoPnA7VCA

Jane McBride

Attribution:

Amorosa Inebriatio from The Life of Saint John of the Cross (or The Soul Embracing the Cross as a Token of his Ardent Love for Christ from The Spiritual Song of the Carmelite John of the Cross), by Antonius Wierix III (Dutch, 1596–1624), The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, The Elisha Whittelsey Collection, The Elisha Whittelsey Fund, 1951, www.metmuseum.org.