Obedience to God is to Protect Life Christmas 1A 28th December 2025

 Christmas 1 A  28^th December 2025

• Isaiah 63:7-9     Psalm 148      Hebrews 2:10-18       Matthew 2:13-23

The world is changing and this Christmas was tainted by the darkness.  Christmas is the “Light coming into the dark of our world.  Themes of light and dark, always a part of Advent and Christmas, seemed to take on more meaning this year, knowing that our Jewish community were experiencing such darkness.  One week after the terror, instead of hiding away in the darkness of fear, people came out, and there was a proclamation of the God’s light – which is what Hannukah is – and I ponder   coincident that we, in such close time proximity - at Christmas, celebrate the light of the world, stepping down into our darkness.  Instead of an event that had a few thousand people celebrating Hannukah, the ceremony was attended by something like 20 thousand and televised. It takes courage to stand up and be faithful to God when the darkness is great. 

 

In our readings this week, we discover that the troubles that Mary and Joseph had faced prior to the birth of Christ, was only just the beginning of the difficulties they would face.  Jesus was born and there was the highlight of God’s Angels proclaiming the birth to the shepherds and the whole buzz around from those who had heard the news, but now Herod was on the war path. 

 

For our story today we jump ahead to the time after the visit from the Magi – the wise men from the east who followed the star looking for the King of the Jews.  Joseph again is visited in a dream, by an Angel.  He is warned to flee to Egypt.  The way that the story reads, it appears that he woke in the night, and the family left straight away.

 

Have you ever wondered how Herod fitted into the Jewish story and why he was king?  Herod, as far as belief was concerned, was nominally Jewish.  He was an Edomite through his father and Arabian through his mother.  The Edomites were descendants of Abraham and his son Isaac.  Isaac had twin sons, Esau and Jacob.  Jacob became Israel and the descendants of Esau were the Edomites.  Isreal was under Roman rule and Herod was appointed by Rome, as the King of the Jews.

 

It is documented that Herod was incredibly ambitious and held on to his position by killing anyone who was a threat.  This included some of his own children and one of his many wives.  Although it seems incredible that Herod would kill his own children, I’m reminded that I heard a podcast that suggested some of the fairytales that speak of jealous step-mothers, were actually originally written based on fact, about jealous mothers, who were known to mis-treat and even poison children who posed a threat to them.   One thing is very sure, our values for the sanctity of life and our value of treating others as we might like to be treated ourselves… these are not values that are shared by all.  They have come from the Jewish linage of faith and they have come from the Gospel.  This is also something that struck me as I listened to the Jewish reflection ceremony.  The speakers talked about spreading the light.  They talked about treating others as we would like to be treated.  The 14 year old, Chaya, who was shot while protecting children who she didn’t even know, did so because that is what you do for others.   You protect their life, even though you don’t know them.

 

Chaya, and the Jewish community, reminded me of who we Christians are supposed to be.  And it causes me to ponder; Our society also used to value the sanctity of life.  Our society’s values are built on the values of Christianity….or at least they were built on the values of Christianity – and as we’ve been reminded recently; those values came from the Jewish religion.  Those values come from God.  Toward the end of the day of reflection, after hearing from survivors and commemorating those who were taken, the menorah was lit.  This is important for our readings today, because the Menorah is a sign of the presence of God.  In the temple of ancient time, the menorah was to remain lit at all times.  This was so that the people could look at it and know that God’s presence was with them.

 

Today in our first reading we note that Isaiah says; “in all their distress. It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and pity it was he who redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.”  It may have been an Angel that appeared to Joseph and it was Isaiah, a messenger, who proclaimed God’s message to the people of his time.  These were God’s agents who helped by proclaiming   God’s word - who were vital, but Isaiah is clear – It is the presence of God that saved them.  God Saves!  The name Jesus is “God Saves” – which we’ve also noted in the last couple of weeks.

 

Jesus is the presence of God.  We are saved by Jesus, who redeems us.  “Redeem” is one of those old words that we might hear so often that we often forget what it means.  It was a term used for setting free those in slavery.  It was used in other ways too, but always about paying a price and restoring to a wholesome position.   Jesus, through his life, death and resurrection, has redeemed us all.  We all belonged to God, but all of us at some point choose to do our own thing – go astray – sin.   When we do this, we are making the same mistake as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  God respects our choice and we no longer belong to him.  The spiritual price for this choice is death – not just physical death, but separation from God for all eternity.

 

We read in our letter to the Hebrews; “Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.”  Unwittingly, by turning our backs on God, we belong to the devil.  Jesus redeems us…. Buys us back.   We always have free will and to accept this gift or not – we are completely free to choose.  Just like Joseph was free to choose.  He could have woken up and said, “No – I will stay here.  I’m comfortable here.”  Joseph and Mary chose to be obedient to Christ and it saved their life… and the life of the baby Jesus.  Being obedient to God brings life to ALL.   Mary and Joseph being obedient to God means that we can ALL be redeemed by Jesus and brought into the family of God.  The actions of Mary and Joseph had life changing consequences.  But you know what?  We all are called to be obedient to God.  All of our obedience will bear fruit that will impact eternity.

 

The 14 year old Australian Jewish girl, Chaya, felt God say to her, “Go, protect those children”.  She said she knew that God was with her and this was her call.  She knew she could be killed, but she knew that God called her to do this thing.  Mary and Joseph travelling to Egypt was not necessarily safe.  This time they were journeying with a little one.  I don’t know exactly what the journey entailed and we are not told, but I can only imagine the anxiety of trying to get far enough away without drawing attention from those who could alert Herod.

 

In our own calling from God, we may face danger or even be injured like Chaya was.  Many others will probably not understand why we do what we do.  We might be the oddities in our nation who strive to preserve the sanctity of life, protecting the life of those we don’t even know, all because we know, we are ALL so precious to God.  We might find ourselves worn out because we are being obedient to God’s call.  Others might say that we are doing the wrong thing in “feeding the poor, protecting the vulnerable, the elderly and unborn, caring for the injured, or the intoxicated on the streets”…  wearing ourselves out etc…  But we know that God has called us, and we may well be injured along the way – sometimes by the well-meaning friends who don’t understand that this IS God’s call– but we know that we are called.  This call is not an easy one, but we remember that we ourselves are save by God.  We know the love of God and that he desperately wants to reach out to others with his love that he can only show through us – his body on earth.  Through His Holy Spirit God’s presence is always with us… It is him who saves us for eternity. 

How can we today, be like Joseph, answering God’s call and actively protecting God’s Word so that God’s salvation can come to all?

Christmas 2025 WHO IS HE? Who IS he to you?

Christmas sermon 2025

Isaiah 9:2-7    Psalm 96   Titus 2:11-14     Luke 2:1-14 (15-20)

 

Two thousand and twenty-five years ago, something happened that radically altered the future of the world.  The year we are in, is 2025, but two thousand and twenty-five years ago isn’t when time began.  So, what is it that happened that was considered so important that the whole of the world came to mark time since that point?

 

It is about two thousand and twenty-five years since the birth of Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem.  How far back can you trace your ancestry?  I know my grandmother, her mother and I think one or two generations before that, and pretty similar on by father’s side.  Jesus was born into a family that could trace their linage back to King David – who was the most famous and good King of the Israelites. …  and then he could trace back much further than that. 

 

Just who is this baby Jesus that we hear about?  Did you know that Santa Clause, whose real name is Saint Nicholas actually ended up in a little bother because he slapped someone for claiming something untrue about Jesus?  St. Nicholas was a Bishop, and he attended a meeting in the year 325 AD to talk about the nature of Christ.  A man by the name of Arius said things that were contradictory to what the scriptures tell us about Christ and St. Nicholas got so angry that he slapped him.  St. Nicholas was then thrown in jail for doing so.

 

Who IS Jesus?  Still celebrating his birth 2025 years later, it is clear that something about him is pretty important.  In fact, our eternal life depends on him.

When Jesus was born there appeared a particular star in the sky.  This star was an indication to the wise men, who studied things like this sign in the sky, and the ancient prophecies, that this was the one the prophecies talked about– the true King of the Jews… the descendant of King David… the anointed one – the saviour – the one prophesied by the prophet Daniel. 

 

When Jesus was born, it was such an important event that Angels appeared to some shepherds in the field and told them, “Do not be afraid.  I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David (that is Bethlehem) a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.   This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”   Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”  Can you imagine being there?  Can you imagine being one of the shepherds?

 

The birth of Jesus was significant because of who Jesus is. 

Throughout the many years before the birth of Jesus, there were many prophecies about the Saviour that God would send, and there were many titles given to him, such as, Messiah – meaning anointed one, and this is the same as Christ – Messiah is Hebrew language and Christ is Greek.  Another title is, THE WORD.  But some of my favourite titles are the ones we hear about at Christmas time in our readings from the Prophet Isaiah.  He calls him Immanuel – which means, “God with us”.   He calls Jesus, Prince of Peace – which tells us about Jesus’ role in bringing peace between mankind and God, by his death on the cross, as does some of his other titles, such as, REDEEMER and LAMB OF GOD.  Isaiah also calls him WONDERFUL COUNSELOR – which tells us of the divine wisdom of Jesus.  But my favourite titles that tell us about who Jesus really is, are MIGHTY GOD, and EVERLASTING FATHER.

 

The prophet, Isaiah, lived about 700 years before Jesus was born and this is what he said about him; (Isaiah 9:6) “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

 

Two thousand and twenty-five years ago a baby was born in a stable  - Jesus.  But Jesus was more than an ordinary baby.  Jesus was more than a great man who suffered and died.  Jesus was and is mighty God, everlasting Father.  At Christmas, we celebrate that God did something that we can’t even understand - Out of love for us he became human and was born as a baby in a stable. It’s incomprehensible!

 

There are no words that I can use to portray the magnitude of this event.  But the Holy Spirit says, “God Loves YOU”!!  Only because of the great love of God, would God do this.  As a parent you might imagine what you would do to save your child… well this is the heart of God for us.

 

Two thousand and twenty-five years ago Jesus was born.  It was as though heaven was torn open and for a while a piece of heaven was born in a manger…. But even that image doesn’t do justice to the majesty of the occasion.  Songs try to capture it and they cry, O holy night…  Jesus, Lord at thy birth. 

 

We celebrate an event in history – the birth of Jesus, but today should not be about history and “Ghost of Christmas past” – We celebrate to proclaim that Jesus is LORD.  He is Mighty God and Everlasting Father… He IS these things – it is presence tense.  Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead – he is living forever and so as we recall His birth, what is our response?  Jesus, Lord at thy birth, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Mighty God.  Let him be the King of your heart.  The LORD of your life.  YOU – because he loves you - YOU are the reason that he came.  

 

Called to stand in faith and bring God's Love Advent 4 A

 Advent 4 A  21 Dec 2025

Isaiah 7:10-16   Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19   Romans 1:1-7     Matthew 1:18-25

Today we reflect on the need to grow in God's love and to spread the LOVE of God.  Especially after the recent news of Bondi.  

In our readings we meet some characters; Isaiah the prophet, Ahaz the king, Mary and Joseph.  They are all connected as the chosen people of God.  They are all Israelites –So, just to explain the history; that means that they are descendants of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham – etc.. Jacob had 12 sons and God changed his name to Israel – meaning, “he strives with God”.  One of the sons of Jacob/ Israel was Judah.  Judah had a son, who had a son… etc.. and one of those descendants was David who became the King of Israel.  Our character, Ahaz was the son of the son, of the son… etc… of David. And guess what!  So was the prophet, Isaiah.  It is believed that the prophet Isaiah was descended from the royal line of Judah.  But wait.  There is more; in our Gospel reading, Joseph was the descendant of Judah and David too….  And so was Mary!  There are two genealogies in the Gospel of Matthew and Luke.  One is believed to be Joseph’s line and the other is Mary’s.  Both are descendants of Judah and King David.

 

These people were called by God for a special purpose.  We learn from the letter of St. Paul, that the Gospel of Jesus was prophesied by the prophets since ancient times and these characters, and indeed the nation of Israel, were to be the chosen people to reveal God’s plan and God’s love and goodness to the whole of the world.

 

We are also people who are called by God for a special purpose.  God has given us free will, and we all respond to the call independently.  Today we look at how our characters responded to God’s call.  Three of those four did a great job.  King Ahaz was not inclined to trust God.  To be fair, Ahaz was in a tough position.  He was the King of Judah, while the people were, oppressed and harassed.  The people were particularly being hassled by the by a couple of kings who were making an alliance against the tribe of Judah.  at this time and Ahaz had decided that he would pay another nation to help.  God uses these events to give an important message through Isaiah to pass on to Ahaz.  God assures him of his ability to look after him, but Ahaz didn’t even want to know about it.  This is why he says he won’t put God to the test.  He tries to sound like he is being noble in not testing God, but he essentially doesn’t want God to interfere in what his plans were…. Actually, he thought that his own plan was better.

 

To make our own plan to save ourselves instead of praying and asking God; we would never do this, would we?  It is pretty likely that we are a lot like Ahaz.  Most of the time, we strive to have control of our own destiny, only thinking of God when things go wrong.  And even then, many will strangely blame God instead of turning to him.  There is a part of the Message from Isaiah to Ahaz just prior to our reading that is a great sentence to remember.  It is; “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’”

 

Mary and Joseph were born about 700 years after Ahaz and Isaiah.  Both Mary and Joseph were people who DID stand firm in their faith.  BUT it was not at all easy.  In that culture, Mary could well have been stoned to death for being an un-wed mother.  Joseph didn’t want Mary to be stoned.  Even though the passage says that Joseph was Mary’s husband, they were actually only at the stage of the marriage, similar to being engaged.  There was a legally binding contract between them, which is why the text talks about him divorcing her quietly.

 

At the beginning it is possible that Joseph was not trusting in God either.  I mean… what would you think if the woman you were engaged to, told you that she was going to have a baby and it was the Son of God?  But just as God sent Isaiah to Ahaz with His message, God sent an Angel to appear to Joseph in a dream.  And this is where Joseph is different from Ahaz.  Joseph responds to God’s message with faith.  Angel or not – Joseph was still free to choose his own actions.  He chose to trust in God. 

 

The message the Angel gave to Joseph addressed him as the descendant of King David and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife.  And here is where it gets very specific; “The baby in her is from the Holy Spirit”.   This was no ordinary baby.  In our creed each week we declare our faith in this, and the nature of who Christ is, when we say, “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 (Jesus) all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became truly human.”

 

Of course, the Angel also told Joseph that Mary would give birth to a son, and he should call him Jesus.  The name “Jesus” is important because it means “God Saves”.  The Angel told Joseph that Jesus would save his people from their sins.  We say, “Jesus”, yet in the Hebrew or Aramaic original, it probably sounded more like Yeshua…. In Greek it was Iēsous.  We pronounce it Jesus. 

 

What’s in a name?  Well, God does tend to be specific and mean something by it when he declares it.  In the original culture, to name someone was to give them a destiny.  When Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, he gave him a new place, a new purpose, a new destiny.  The name of Jesus declares the destiny of Jesus.

 

Jesus’ name is associated with healing also.  You might recall the times that Jesus healed someone and He would say, “Your faith has healed you” or “your faith has saved you”.  In the Greek, the word for save means the same as heal.  So the name Jesus – God Saves, also means, God heals.  It is a word that can mean to save, heal, deliver, preserve, rescue, and make whole.  It was in the name of Jesus that the disciples prayed for healing of people and they were healed.  It was in the name of Jesus that the disciples cast out demons and they were cast out.  However, it is not a magic name – it is powerful because of who Jesus is, and we have permission to use his name in this way because we belong to God.   Our world today needs people who can bring the light and love of Christ into the darkness.  

 

The story of Christmas re-echoes in our own time.  Especially this year, because the darkness in our world shows that it is so very much in need of God.  It was a tough time for King Ahaz, and a tough time for Joseph.  It was a tough time for Mary.  Today may  well be a tough time for us too, but we are all called by God who loves us.  By the Holy Spirit, God is with us always.  We always have free will and we can choose to accept God or not.  You and I are called, just like Joseph and Mary.  We are called to carry Christ within us, and then to bring Christ into the world.  Like Joseph, we might be a little anxious about what people will think.  We might plan to just quietly divorce ourselves from any “bad press” or controversy that arises from it.  God’s message is clear – DON’T BE AFRAID – our job is to be involved, not divorced.

 

Learn from King AHAZ who was told, “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.’”  God has a plan and it will be achieved.  We can be part of it and stand in faith.  The Holy Spirit is stirring.  It is time to rise up and walk in faith – It is an exciting adventure when we bring God into our world.  Don’t be afraid to answer the call.  God is with us.  Immanuel.

Like the seed that grows in darkness - JOY. 14th Dec 2025 Advent 3A

2025  12  14  Advent 3 A

Isaiah 35:1-10   SONG OF MARY   -Luke 1:46b-55   James 5:7-10   Matthew 11:2-11

How is everyone going?  At this busy time we can tend to have nerves on edge and have people get on those nerves… so, we are asked today, have we been doing any grumbling against one another?  😊

 

 It is pretty hard, to not have any grumbling, especially when we are working together to get things done and it is common for families to annoy each other at Christmas time.  So, perhaps it is timely that we have this little warning from the Letter of James.  But James is actually giving us a tool to help with that grumbling and it is about keeping things in a proper perspective, and that perspective is about understanding that Jesus is coming.

 

This season is a joyful one for so many.  I have a friend who does a Christmas count down each year and probably the first one will be the day after Christmas… perhaps another in June.  Today is a day of Joy!  We light the candle of Joy, and we wait for Christmas.  The word Christmas means – Christ and Mass, which is the service of celebration of Christ.  We approach this in joyful expectation.  However, you might have noticed that this season of Advent bares the colour, purple, just as in Lent, which we think of as a solemn time. 

 

Both Lent and Advent are meant to be a solemn season of prayer and fasting.  Both declare a joyful truth waiting at the end.  With the festivities of the Christmas season, we seem to have lost the solemn aspect of Advent, yet there could be great benefit in reclaiming that solemnity, as we properly understand that we are in a time that is “now! but not yet” – Jesus has come and saved us, but the fullness of God’s plan is still to come into being.  Isaiah speaks of the time of EVERLASTING JOY.  Jesus has come, and we have Joy in this, but we are still living among a fallen world and our joy is not as complete as the prophecy declares… Yet.  And most prophecy is like this; it was for the near future, the Messianic time, but the full extent of the prophecy is completed when Jesus will come again.  Right now, we understand that we are living in a fallen world where there is still grief, and loss.

 

Most years there will be a “Blue” service held somewhere.  This “Blue” service is to acknowledge the pain of those who’ve experienced loss, and for whom Christmas holds little joy, but in contrast to the joy of the season, they feel an acute sense that someone is missing in their lives, and an acute sense that life is not the way it should be.  It is somewhat ironic… hmm not quite the correct word,… that we have this separate service, which acknowledges that darkness of life, the pain and the grief, when actually, this is an authentic part of what the season of Advent is about ….   Grief and loss and an acknowledgement that things are not the way that they should be… something is missing…. This is the reality, it is truth – but keep remembering the promises of God; Jesus is coming!  And in this there is Joy.

 

Perhaps it is because we have lost this declaration of grief and solidarity with those who’ve experienced loss -those who grieve that the world is not the way it ought to be, that we have so many who leave the church after experiencing their own grief.  They feel they don’t fit in with the “Joyful faithful” who celebrate the goodness of God, and who, at least on the surface, don’t seem to be grieved over anything.  Advent truly is like a green shoot of hope that grows – but it grows in the reality of the darkness. 

 

There are many psalms that lament and cry out to God ,“WHY?”, they – and we -don’t stop and stay in that place of darkness.  They always end in faith in God and his love and goodness.  We too, need to acknowledge the reality of the dark – then we too move into faith, as we are reminded of God’s goodness and love, and we hope in his promises – the promises passed on to us all from the prophets.  Today the prophetic voice bids us to rejoice… Jesus is coming.  Do we believe it?

 

The prophecy of Isaiah gives us images of stark contrast – The barren desert, will blossom.  An existence of dry death becomes drenched with life.  Isaiah causes us to focus on the life and the blossoming, but we might superficially read this and fail to notice that the life comes from a place of the opposite.  The original readers or hearers of the prophecy were a people of grief and loss.   They were the people living in exile, deeply grieving.

 

Each Advent, while we recall and retell the coming of Jesus as the baby in Bethlehem, we also are reminded that Jesus WILL come again.  In the midst of what we see and experience day to day, this can be hard to even imagine, let alone trust in and hope for.  When we look at what we are experiencing here and now, the darkness – the grief and loss, doubt might come easier than faith.  Somewhat like Peter when he was walking on water and he took his eyes off Jesus and sank. 

 

Does it appear that John the Baptist was doubting in our readings today?  John had a time where his ministry was thriving.  People came from near and far to hear him speak and they responded by being baptised, repenting of their sin and turning their hearts back to God.  John knew that God had called him, and he was walking in that calling – and then he was thrown in jail.  Now, from the dark of that prison, John seems to have some doubts and so he sends messengers to Jesus to check on things. 

 

We are warned through scripture to test the spirits and to be discerning, and we note that Jesus didn’t scold John for checking if Jesus was the Messiah, but he quotes Old Testament scriptures that proclaim what the Messiah would do;  “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them”.  This was prophesied in Isaiah and also in Psalm 146 – the alternative Psalm for today.

 

Where are we at today?  Are we feeling the darkness but turning to the God of our salvation, knowing his love for us, or are we feeling discouraged and tending to doubt?  This is where we need acknowledge our darkness to our friends who can intercede for us, and, or to God.  In this way we can be brought back to the message of hope.  Then when we have been encouraged, we need to be heralds of the message for those around us, encouraging them.  We need each other.

 

We are living in a time of “now! and not yet”.  The saviour has come.  It has been an incredible first coming, that impacted the whole world, so just imagine the impact when Jesus comes again!  The next time will be a time of completeness.  A time of the reign of Christ, and Heaven on Earth.  A magnificent time.  And the fact is; Jesus will come again. 

 

Today is called Gaudete Sunday – the day of Joy.   Gaudete means to rejoice.  The message, in a nut-shell, is this; “Rejoice!  Though we may acutely sense loss, or even if we are in our darkest hour, REJOICE!  God is coming!” 

 

Advent is not about a time that is as rosey as our rose coloured candle, but it is a reminder that our world is ALWAYS deeply in need of a saviour.  We can look into our world with our physical eyes – or even with spiritual eyes, and see a great darkness, but we have the Holy Spirit calling us to prophetically declare in that darkness - “JOY” !  God is coming.  Just like we wait for seeds to sprout in the dark soil, and it seems to delay, we wait expectantly for Jesus to come.  In the meantime, we know that Jesus is also with us by His Holy Spirit and with our cooperation he impacts our world.  Jesus is born in our world though us - our prayer being like the prayer of Mary, who submitted to the will of God.   It is not that we necessarily see JOY here and now, but we will rejoice and prophetically proclaim into being that time of EMMANUEL - God with us.  He truly is! And our dark world will be transformed just as a desert that blossoms and produces streams of water.  Jesus is Coming!