25 December 2011 Xmas
Isaiah 52: 7-10 Psalm 98 Hebrews 1: 1-4, (5-12) John 1: 1-14
It has just become Christmas Eve, and I’m up rather late. It has been a while since I’ve written a reflection and if the truth be known, I’ve been struggling quite a bit. After Joe died I was coping pretty well. I think I had subconsciously psyched myself into coping before he died, but as the time has progressed I seem to be progressively running out of coping ability. I’m okay.... but worn out.
However, it is time I communicated again.
The readings for Christmas are very precious, and the Gospel reading from John is a personal favourite of mine.
John 1:1-5 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Quite often, when someone first becomes a Christian, it is suggested that they read the Gospel of Mark. Mark is simple and gives a concise overview of the life of Jesus. If I am ever running a Bible study, I like to start with John 1. This is the very centre of Christianity. It is not simple, but divisive, as it states clearly that Jesus is God – and that is not easily accepted.
If you were to walk down the street – or maybe even survey your church about who Jesus is, you might be interested in the varying opinions and understandings. Many can accept Jesus as a good moral teacher, or a prophet.... even the son of God, but very few can grasp the idea of this oneness that the son had with the father.
In the beginning was the word. In this passage, John refers to Jesus as the “word” and we are told that the word was there in the beginning. If we go back to the account of the creation, back to the beginning of Genesis and look for the person of Jesus we might have trouble finding him, but if we look for the “word”, we will discover that God created, not by pointing his finger or twitching His nose, but by speaking.
Genesis 1:3 “And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.”
Throughout the Old Testament there are references to the “word of God” or “word of the LORD”. This is the case in the story of Samuel the prophet. He was a boy who lived with the priest and ministered in the house of God and yet this is said about him at the time that God called him:
1 Samuel 3:7 “Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.”
The “Word of the LORD” isn’t referring to anything written, but a personal revelation of God. Before this encounter Samuel knew about God, but after this encounter Samuel knew the “word of the LORD”..... he knew Jesus. (Though not by that name).
Our Christmas reading from the letter to the Hebrews also confirms the deity of Christ and that the son was there at the creation of the world:
Hebrews 1: 8- “But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”
He also says,
“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.”
There is only one God, but like the Ferrero Rocher add where the goddess splits into 3, we know God is beyond our human limitations and is three “persons” in one. It is fair to say that Jesus is the visible expression of the unseen God and Jesus is a part of God that communicates with us.
In our changing times it is important to remember that God does not change. Our world is changing and we see in the reading from Hebrews a hint that God foresaw this when we are told, the foundations of the earth and the heavens will all wear out like a garment that will be changed. We could become quite panicked about the state of our world and climate change and the many disasters, but as Christians we should have calm at the core of our being because our trust is not in these things, but in the unchanging, merciful and loving God.
Each Christmas we recall that the “word of God” became flesh. It is a most holy recollection, and more often than not, the enormity and consequence is completely beyond our comprehension. A primary objective in this recollection should be to grow in our understanding of what this event means both theologically and personally. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to understand these things, but often it seems to be one glimpse at a time.
A secondary objective in the Christmas story is to remember that Christ will come again. Once again, this is beyond our comprehension also, and we rely on the Holy Spirit to keep us focused on how we should be living our lives as we walk in the shadow of this reality.
In our changing times we sometimes lose sight of how we fit into the picture of God’s plans. Are we the spectators, God’s supporters cheering on the sidelines as God goes into battle against the evil of the world? It often feels this way, but of course, we are not.
We are called to be those who bring the good news. Isaiah 52:7-8 tells us “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the LORD returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes.”
We are the watchmen, looking out to keep the Gods people alerted, but we also bring the Good News of God’s kingdom to those who don’t know about it, or don’t understand it. We are also those who proclaim peace.... not the kind of peace that means we are against war – no, this is much more important, this is the peace that exists between humanity and God because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and this is the salvation that we proclaim.
Many people become anxious when they hear the scriptures encouragement to proclaim the Good News, but this happens very naturally in our daily conversations and in the witness of our lives. Our responsibility is to grow in Christ so that these conversations and lives do bear witness to the Good News.
We, the Church, have a role to play as we herald the second coming of Christ. We are the ones who go ahead to prepare the way.... we are John the Baptist: John 1:7-8 “He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.”
John the Baptist dedicated his life to this role. Without this first coming of Jesus we are all lost in our sin with no hope of eternal life, but only fear of judgment. Instead we rejoice that we do have eternal life and loving union with God. We do not fear judgment because our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross. Without the “word becoming flesh” we have no life and no hope. We owe it then to dedicate our whole lives to heralding the Good News so that the world is prepared for the second coming of Christ.
