NATIVITY OF THE LORD proper 1 year A
Isaiah 9:2-7 • Psalm 96 • Titus 2:11-14 • Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)
Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined.”
I have a daughter who talks a lot. She has lots of great things to say, but she has been a chatterbox all her life. Recently her elder sister told the story of her noticing a change in radio stations. The chatterbox informed her that she had just told her about this change about 5 minutes ago. The problem is that sometimes we tune out and we miss some great stuff.
The Christmas story is one that we’ve heard often. Sometimes amidst the busy time we tune out to the great stuff contained in the season.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. When we are in the dark it is hard to discern one thing from another, but in the light we see things clearly…. Or at least we have the opportunity to actually see things clearly, but first we need to look. Just the same as hearing the message, we can tune in or tune out…. Like a candle in the darkness, we can focus on things in the light, or worry about the shadows and darkness.
What is the message for this Christmas?
We hear the story every year, and every year is an opportunity to hear God’s voice. We think he is silent, or saying the same old same old, but it could be that we are actually not listening.
Way back at the time of Christ’s birth we read that “Mary pondered these things in her heart.” She had given birth to a son, though she had never been with a man. She had been visited by an Angel and had to tell the man she was engaged to that she was with child by God’s Holy Spirit – imagine how that went down!!! Then she had the Shepherds visit her, telling of their own encounter with the Angels. Mary pondered all these things.
The Jews were waiting for the Messiah, but they thought he was going to be a strong military leader who would whip their enemies and Israel would no longer be subject to any other authority. As we know Jesus was different from what any expected.
Success is different in the eyes of God, to what it is in popular culture. Did you ever think about the amazing rejoicing of the Angels over the success of their king and ours, born in a lowly manger?
There was darkness all around. It was night when the Angel appeared to the shepherds. There was darkness when Herod found out a King was born and there would be much darkness surrounding the ministry of Jesus. But HE is the light.
In our own darkness and troubles, Jesus is the light, but are we looking and are we seeing. We may not see the success that we desire, but yet, the success of God’s plan for our lives may be alive and well.
Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,”
The undeserved favour of God is offered for us and brings us salvation. What does “Salvation” mean for us?
There are many churches who use the term, “he got saved”, talking about the experience of personal responding to God, but salvation to all is bigger than a catch phrase can capture.
Salvation means that God loves us so much that he made a way for us to be in constant, unconditional communion with him. He is light in our ever present darkness. There is no other “so called god” who has done this. Every other religion relies on what we must do to attain some kind of goodness… in Christianity alone, God gives himself as sacrifice so that we need do nothing but accept, respond, enjoy.
“In constant communion” doesn’t mean that we always listen. As my daughters have taught me, we do need to tune in.
If we choose to accept, we will find that Jesus, is a great light in our lives, but this does not mean that there is no more darkness. Our challenge for this Christmas is to rejoice in that light, tuning in to the message of God.
Isaiah 9:2-7 • Psalm 96 • Titus 2:11-14 • Luke 2:1-14, (15-20)
Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness on them light has shined.”
I have a daughter who talks a lot. She has lots of great things to say, but she has been a chatterbox all her life. Recently her elder sister told the story of her noticing a change in radio stations. The chatterbox informed her that she had just told her about this change about 5 minutes ago. The problem is that sometimes we tune out and we miss some great stuff.
The Christmas story is one that we’ve heard often. Sometimes amidst the busy time we tune out to the great stuff contained in the season.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. When we are in the dark it is hard to discern one thing from another, but in the light we see things clearly…. Or at least we have the opportunity to actually see things clearly, but first we need to look. Just the same as hearing the message, we can tune in or tune out…. Like a candle in the darkness, we can focus on things in the light, or worry about the shadows and darkness.
What is the message for this Christmas?
We hear the story every year, and every year is an opportunity to hear God’s voice. We think he is silent, or saying the same old same old, but it could be that we are actually not listening.
Way back at the time of Christ’s birth we read that “Mary pondered these things in her heart.” She had given birth to a son, though she had never been with a man. She had been visited by an Angel and had to tell the man she was engaged to that she was with child by God’s Holy Spirit – imagine how that went down!!! Then she had the Shepherds visit her, telling of their own encounter with the Angels. Mary pondered all these things.
The Jews were waiting for the Messiah, but they thought he was going to be a strong military leader who would whip their enemies and Israel would no longer be subject to any other authority. As we know Jesus was different from what any expected.
Success is different in the eyes of God, to what it is in popular culture. Did you ever think about the amazing rejoicing of the Angels over the success of their king and ours, born in a lowly manger?
There was darkness all around. It was night when the Angel appeared to the shepherds. There was darkness when Herod found out a King was born and there would be much darkness surrounding the ministry of Jesus. But HE is the light.
In our own darkness and troubles, Jesus is the light, but are we looking and are we seeing. We may not see the success that we desire, but yet, the success of God’s plan for our lives may be alive and well.
Titus 2:11 “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all,”
The undeserved favour of God is offered for us and brings us salvation. What does “Salvation” mean for us?
There are many churches who use the term, “he got saved”, talking about the experience of personal responding to God, but salvation to all is bigger than a catch phrase can capture.
Salvation means that God loves us so much that he made a way for us to be in constant, unconditional communion with him. He is light in our ever present darkness. There is no other “so called god” who has done this. Every other religion relies on what we must do to attain some kind of goodness… in Christianity alone, God gives himself as sacrifice so that we need do nothing but accept, respond, enjoy.
“In constant communion” doesn’t mean that we always listen. As my daughters have taught me, we do need to tune in.
If we choose to accept, we will find that Jesus, is a great light in our lives, but this does not mean that there is no more darkness. Our challenge for this Christmas is to rejoice in that light, tuning in to the message of God.
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