You are the light of the world. Epiphany 5A Feb 5 2023

EPIPHANY  5  Year A    February 5, 2023

Isaiah 58:1-9a (9b-12)  •  Psalm 112:1-9 (10)  •  1 Corinthians 2:1-12 (13-16)  •  Matthew 5:13-20

 

Ever heard anyone say, “do you want the good news or the bad news first”?  Generally, they have in mind which one they want to tell you first for maximum impact.  Sometimes, you need to know the bad news before you can understand the Good News.  But sometimes we just can’t see the forest for the trees.

 

I feel that our readings this week are a little like this.  There is the amazing Good News, but there are many warnings which can tend to mask the Good News… much like not being able to see the forest for the trees.

 

Firstly, there is a warning in our first reading from Isaiah.  It’s a bit of a sad story… so here comes the bad news.  The people had been going about doing their religious duty.  They had been praying and fasting and imploring of God, but it seemed as if he was not answering.  It is a frighteningly familiar and relatable story.  We’ve all been there, imploring for God’s intervention and wanting to hear God’s voice, but all we hear are crickets and silence.

 

However, Isaiah, the prophet hears from God and has a message. God acknowledges that the people seek him, day in and day out and they delight to know his ways, as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness.  These people did indeed fast and humble themselves, even bowing their head and lying in sackcloth and ashes.

 

What could God possibly have against them?

 

God says, “Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day and oppress all your workers.”

 

It’s as simple as that.  And as difficult.  It is much easier to fast and pray, than to actually go out and care for others unselfishly.

 

I love it when God cuts through the traditions of man… and throughout the Bible he does this over and over and still the people went back to getting it wrong.

God asks, “Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?”

 

In the day of Isaiah there were important traditions.  These traditions helped to tell the story of God’s grace and goodness to his chosen people.  Most of it was God ordered through Moses…. Yet somehow the people misunderstood the purpose of those traditions.  Those traditions became a comfort, assuring them that they were God’s chosen people, and they became arrogant in their comfort and forgot that God called them over and over to attend to love.  To actively be instruments of God’s love in their society.  In fact, all the commandments could be summed up in two; love God and love others.

 

We too have traditions that help us tell the story of God’s grace and goodness to us, his chosen people.  We too can feel safe and secure in the love of God… we are constantly reminded of God’s love through our traditional actions.  But, if this message from Isaiah doesn’t cause us to reflect on all we do – and perhaps more importantly, on all we don’t do, then we are also not seeing the forest for the trees…  we also, are missing the point…

 

Our Gospel reading reports Jesus as saying that, unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, we will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

 

Wow! This sounds daunting to say the least.  Add to that, that Jesus said he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfil them!  I don’t know about you but I’m pretty sure my righteousness isn’t that shiny and whole.  But Jesus also says, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.”

 

The law of God needs to be accomplished.  It is actually a law of love.  One thing that we always think is different between Old Testament preaching and New Testament preaching is the emphasis on God’s Grace and love as opposed to the law, but this is not the reality.  The difference between the Old Testament and the New is the Revelation of God’s plan.  God was always about grace and love. 

 

I suspect that our eyes can be just as veiled now as anyone’s ever was… we don’t see the forest for the trees.  That little sentence of Jesus, “Not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished” reminds me of another very short sentence of Jesus on the cross.  “It is finished”. 

 

In the Gospels Jesus often explains God’s standard, and that standard is high.  None of us can be as righteous as we need to be.  That is the bad news.  We want to be, we try to be, we strive to be… but we fail.   Righteousness is about having God’s love and lavishing that love on those around us, caring for the poor, the sad, the misunderstood and the unlovely.

 

Now that we understand what God requires, let me tell you the incredibly good news; it is about how we get this love of God, full inside of us to be able to share it with others. 

 

We actually all have it.  We might not be letting it flow however.

 

When Jesus said, “It is finished” Jesus accomplished a righteousness for all of us.  Jesus accomplished the law.  Jesus did this for us, knowing that none of us were perfect – none of us could accomplish it.

 

We are called to accept Jesus.  To accept his sacrifice – his body, and to accept his life – his blood.  We are baptised into Jesus and his life is united to ours.  Our righteousness is not our own, but it is the righteousness of Jesus living in us by his Holy Spirit.  And how we allow that love of God to flow through us, is by understanding that Jesus is there, desiring to work through us.  We are the body of Christ --We say this every service.  The life and love of God is in us, we simply need to be aware of it and allow it to flow, by saying, “Jesus, let your love flow through me this day.”

 

In just a couple of weeks we will be in the season of Lent.  It is a season of fasting.  There are many I know who have already begun a fast for the start of the year…. They figure that it is a way to start their year off on the right foot, and get their lives lined up with God.  While there are different kinds of fasting, from mild to extreme, those that I knew to be fasting, gave up meat, sweets and then each time they felt like having these things, they turned to prayer.  They found it beneficial.  They were able to focus more of their time on their relationship with God.

 

However, I do feel that many times when we fast, we only understand half of what God is calling us to do.  Listen to what the prophet Isaiah says as he reports God’s words to him; “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?”

 

We can not go forward until we examine this challenge.  Is there injustice anywhere?  Unfortunately, burdens and injustice are plentiful.

 

An injustice that concerns me; is that we have many young people who are confused, hurting and experiencing serious depression. 

 

Two major aspects of modern life that are causing problems for our young people is sexual orientation and depression over climate change.  There are a number of youth who don’t see any point in studying, working or being, what was traditionally thought of, as a productive part of society because they believe they will die young due to climate change. 

 

I’m no expert.  I don’t know the scientific facts, but these young people are experiencing an injustice.  It is an unfair burden that has been cast upon them, such that they feel that their future is hopeless.  We, however, are a people of hope.  Our lives are safe in Christ and we have a promise about this in the end of our Isaiah reading, if we get involved in justice and walk according to God’s ways, then he says that we shall raise up the foundations of many generations; we shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in.  I don’t know what the answer to all our problems are, but I do believe in God and He promises us a hope and a future… In him there is an answer, but we have a part to play, and it is in actively loosing the chains of injustice.

 

I passionately believe it is an injustice that our young people are encouraged to question and even reject their own gender identity.  there is currently a Bill that allows children over 16 to apply to alter their record of sex without the consent of a parent and children as young as 12 to “apply to alter the record of sex of the child if the child has obtained an order from the children’s court.”   Parents are told to be financially responsible for their children, but are not allowed any say…. Sometimes are not even told what is going on.  This is an injustice.  Our children and their parents are suffering.  This is not causing freedom and equality; it is causing confusion, grief, loss and a world of pain.  We, as God’s people – the body of Christ, do have a solution – It is found in Psalm 139.  God knew us before we were born and formed us while we were in our mother’s womb.  We are created who we are, purposely, and with great love, by God himself.

 

We need to pray and ask God where he wants us to be involved, because this is the fast that he desires…. to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke

 

There is a story I read on Facebook that illustrates our usual response to many of today’s issues.  It is about a mouse who saw the farmer come home from Market with a mouse trap.  Alarmed he went to warn the others.  The chicken said it was not her concern.  The lamb said he would remember the mouse in his prayers.  The cow refused to get involved.   In the middle of the night there was a ruckus… a snake was caught in the trap by the tail.  In the dark, the woman, expecting a mouse and not a snake, was bitten by the poisonous creature.  She was rushed to hospital and when she returned, still ill, the farmer made her some chicken soup.  Unfortunately the woman did not recover… she died, and at the wake the farmer put on a roast …. Roast lamb.  The expense was such that the cow needed to be sold to the slaughter house to cover costs.  Moral to the story; Just because an issue isn’t affecting you now, be warned it may devastatingly affect you later.

 

Jesus says we are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, it is good for nothing. 

 

We belong to Christ and he lives his life through us if we allow him.  Our will is like the electrical wiring conducting the light, and if we are willing, his light will shine through us.  We have the righteousness of God dwelling in us…  Don’t quench the spirit, but let it flow and then know this about your identity – Jesus says that you ARE the light of the world.  You were born to be a blessing to our society – you are salt and you are light, born for such a time as this.  Rise up church and shine.

A light to the Nations.... Behold the Lamb of God...... Epiphany 2A 15th Jan 2023

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY  Year A   January 15, 2023

• Isaiah 49:1-7  •    Psalm 40:1-11  • 1 Corinthians 1:1-9  •John 1:29-42

 

Our readings today start like a spruiker selling a newspaper… “extra, extra read all about it…”  Isaiah says, “Listen to me, O coastlands, pay attention, you peoples from far away!”

 

He goes on to talk about himself and his calling from God, but there is a very strong sense that this is bigger than just Isaiah… and Isaiah confirms this by saying, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." 

If you had the sense that Isaiah’s proclamation is some profound prophecy, you are right.  It is bigger than Isaiah, and even bigger than Israel… Although, in typical prophetic style, this IS about Isaiah and IS about Israel, but this is also and especially about the Messiah.  What’s more, we learn right back here in this ancient prophecy that the Messiah is the light of the nations… for all.   This anointed one, the saviour, is for all – both near and far.

 

Last week we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany-  the fact that it was revealed that Jesus was born as saviour for all.  This week we continue to see the evidence of that revelation.

 

Extra, extra, read all about it; God gives his servant as a light to the nations, that His salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

 

In our Gospel reading we see this revelation about the Messiah continue, and we get a sense of how it must have felt for those people who were following John the Baptist.  I imagine that, to begin with, they may have been a little bewildered. 

 

John had been baptizing and preaching a message of repentance and then this mysterious thing happened where Jesus was baptized.  John the Baptist makes a declaration, “Behold the Lamb of God”. 

 

The Gospel of John is the only Gospel that actually doesn’t talk about the baptism of Jesus, but instead quotes John the Baptist as referring to Jesus as the “lamb of God” on two separate times.  On the second occasion these particular followers of John, then begin to follow Jesus.

 

In those days, if you wanted to be a disciple – which is basically a learner, or student, you would decide on a teacher to follow.  When you did this, you would not just listen to the teachings of your Rabbi, but you would stay with them so that you could learn to be like them in every way.  It seems that John was encouraging these disciples to follow Jesus, but it wasn’t until the second declaration that this was the “Lamb of God” that the two disciples then followed Jesus.

 

“Lamb of God”.   What was John saying?

 

The lamb of God was a term known to the Jewish people as that sacrificial lamb which was offered at the feast of Passover.  It was a memorial feast from the time when the Israelites were in Egypt and God sent many plagues to convince Pharoah that he needed to let the Israelites go free.  The final plague was death, where every first born was taken.  The Israelites were told that they needed to sacrifice a perfect lamb with no blemish and paint its blood on the door way.  The blood of the lamb, would cause the Angel of death to pass over that house hold and they would be saved from this plague of death.  They were saved by the blood of the Lamb.

 

Every Jewish person was familiar with this story because they celebrated the feast each year.  They also knew that God had promised to send a Messiah…  With this understanding of the minds of the people who listened to John the Baptist, what do you imagine was happening in the minds of those people as they heard John declare, “Behold the Lamb of God.”?

 

The Lamb of God was destined to be sacrificed.  Those early followers of Jesus needed to do some calculations about becoming a follower of Jesus.  The “Lamb of God” terminology was not… “Ah lets follow this gentle lamb”…  It was a promise of God’s deliverance, a sign of the fulfillment of prophecy, but it was also a warning. 

 

Following the Messiah would mean following the “Lamb of God”… someone who would save us all, but his journey would be a tough one, ultimately ending in the ultimate sacrifice.

 

Now do you remember what I said about being a disciple?  It meant being a student of the person you were following and you did this by staying where they stayed, listening to every word… and imitating all their ways.

 

To follow the lamb of God means to be a disciple of the one who gave his life for us all.  There is an implication in this, that all disciples live a life, like Jesus.  A life of complete submission to God and a life of giving their lives for others.

 To be a disciple of Jesus is what every Christian is.  We are all called to follow in the ways of Jesus. 

 

It is very important to know that not every part of Jesus life was hard.  There were many parties and dinners and joyful gatherings, so much so that the Pharisees accused him of being a glutton and friend of sinners.  They expected Jesus, as a holy Rabbi, to live a life of prayer, abstinence and poverty.  Jesus lived a life that was full…full of all those things and also full of going to fancy dinners with sinners.  He called those sinners to follow God.  Others he healed from disease… and everyone celebrated.  They travelled from town to town and had such adventures and witnessed so many miracles, and they never went hungry!

 

There was much joy from the disciples of Jesus… Following this Rabbi, was good and must have been so different from following John the Baptist, who lived in the desert and ate wild locusts and honey.  Remember, as a disciple, you did exactly what your Rabbi did.

 

The fact the John the Baptist had to tell the disciples twice, that this was the Lamb of God, makes me feel that John was encouraging them to go and follow Jesus, but he was not wanting them to get the wrong idea about this Messiah… that term the “Lamb of God”, being spoken of twice, also gives me the sense that these disciples hesitated.   They weighed up the cost of following one who would become the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

 

We are disciples of Christ, but have we weighed up the cost?  Have we understood that this is the way to abundant life and yet to walk in the way of Christ is to also take on ALL of his values.  We are called to love God and love our neighbour.  It is easy to be kind and loving when we are only surrounded by those we love, but Jesus went out of the temple and he went to dinner with those rejected by the “Nice” people of his time.  He loved and accepted those his people had rejected.  He even died for those people… and those people, by the way, are you and me. 

 

I don’t know about you, but I know that I’m much better at talking the talk then I am at walking the walk.  But those times when we step out of our comfort zone to do the work of God are the most invigoratingly exciting.

It is common to us all, that we might be scared to reach out, or we mean to do well, but often get it wrong.  We not only need to read scriptures and learn about the priorities and ways of Jesus, but we need the divine power of the Holy Spirit to actually walk in this way as a disciple.

 

In fact Saint Paul talks bout this in his letter to the Corinthians, “the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  We need the testimony of Christ… to know the ways of Christ.

 

Before Andrew went to follow Jesus, we read that he went and found his brother, Simon.  When Jesus saw Simon, Jesus gave him a new name.  Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas" (which is translated Peter).

 

In the Bible are a number of name changes and each time God changes their name there is an implication that it signifies a change in mission and destiny.  If we were Jewish and understood the culture, however, we might understand that there is a little bit more to this.

 

Apparently there are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and each letter refers to the 22 different forms of God’s life-giving energy.  When God changed someone’s name it was also God giving his life-giving energy into that person, empowering them for this new mission.

 

The Holy Spirit is God IN us – Therefore God’s life that he freely bestows on us, so that we are empowered to be his disciple.  We can not do this in our own strength – we need God with us… Emmanuel.  And with the Holy Spirit we trust that while following God, walking in his ways, he will empower us for the journey.

 

Extra, extra, read all about it; God gives his servant (YOU and Me) as a light to the nations, that His salvation may reach to the end of the earth.

 

We are called to follow and also be a light to the nations so that God’s salvation may reach to the end of the earth.   And so, we hear the words of John the Baptist, with all that it implies – the victorious and the challenge, and we hear; “Behold the Lamb of God….”  Will you follow him?

Christmas sermon with response

CHRISTMAS SERMON 2022

How exciting!  The day we’ve been waiting for is finally upon us.  No doubt there are plenty of happy children and many happy adults too.  But this day also contains heart ache, suffering and pain – even the very first Christmas was not without its own share of the dark.  However…

“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.”

 

Mary, was a young woman who said “Yes” to God and then become pregnant by the Holy Spirit, but the man she was engaged to was going to divorce her.  In their culture Joseph could have had her stoned to death for seemingly to have been an adulteress.  I suspect it must have felt like a big dark cloud was looming over her at that time.  However….

“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.”

 

Joseph was compassionate, but when he had decided to quietly divorce Mary, an Angel confirmed that Mary had been telling the truth about the child in her womb, so he took Mary as his wife.  Still Joseph must have heard the whispers from others who didn’t believe and thought Joseph was taking on an adulteress wife.  They would have made jokes about him and spoken cruelly about the situation.  How clouded in darkness that time must have felt.  However…

“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.”

 

Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem and there was no room for them there…. No suitable place to stay… and Mary was in labour, about to give birth.  This was a time of darkness and anxiety.

Mary had helped her cousin, Elizabeth, when Elizabeth gave birth.  Now it was Mary’s turn and she was in a town, away from home… she was in nothing more than a stable…  who would help her?  Women were known to die in child birth….  This was a night of fear and darkness.  However…

“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.”

 

What would a tiny candle mean to you in a black out?  When you’ve spent a long time walking in a dark tunnel or cave and you see a light, what does that feel like?  Faith is like a candle in the dark.  Faith is not always easy and doesn’t mean we don’t have doubts or hard times.  Joseph and Mary had faith that kept them trusting in God’s provision, but I’m sure that there were plenty of times they felt scared, unsure and like they were walking in the dark of mystery and the unknown.   But their faith was like a candle in that dark and we know….

“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.”

 

The Shepherds in the field were not people of influence.  They were not leaders or even religious leaders.  They cared for the sheep who were mostly to be slaughtered…. Caring, protecting and even loving those whose life was limited.  And they worked in the day and they worked in the night.  While others were in the embrace of loved ones, they were in the fields, exposed to the elements and the dangers of the dark.  But..

“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.”

 

When it feels like all around you is hopeless and meaningless, how important it is to have someone give you the gift of hope and faith.  Darkness is sometimes deep darkness, where evil and lies are celebrated, justice is thwarted and truth is condemned.  At times we have all experienced this, and our land and our community are subject to this.  Unless we can see Gods light, it seems like the darkness wins and all we can feel is the pain of injustice and the grief of loss.  But Christmas means that….

“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.”

 

At Christmas we celebrate that 2022 years ago something happened in the history of the world.  A child was born.  When Herod found out, he tried to kill him and the darkness threatened and caused hurt to many.  Herod, like us all, had free will and he chose the darkness.  But…

“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.”

 

“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Jesus was born and we came to understand that this was no ordinary man, but this was the Son of God…. Christ, The visible expression of our invisible God.  This is the word made flesh… he existed with God when the world came into existence.  He is the one who was, is and will be  - the alpha and omega… Though he is the son, he is named wonderful Mighty God and Everlasting father ….Emmanuel – He is God with us.

“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.”

 

God loved the world so much that he sent his only son to die for us… to give us life.  Life eternal.  The name Jesus means, “God Saves”!.  We live in the light of Christ, but in a world where there is still darkness…. And suffering… and heartache and pain.    Into this darkness Christ wants to bring his light to our world.  The Endless peace that Christ brings is not an earthly peace, but an eternal peace between us and God.  Love broke through and now nothing separates us from the love of God.

“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.”

 

Christ is the light of the world.  Who stepped down into our world of darkness…  He sent His Holy Spirit so that he would always be with us and through us, continue to be the light of the world.  We, like Herod, have free will and can choose the dark or the light.  Will we let Christ shine his love into the dark places in our own life where there is discouragement, disillusionment and heartache?

“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.”

 

We are the body of Christ.

His Spirit is with us!

This day, let us consciously decide to shine the light of Christ to the world.  We receive the light of Christ for our own healing and then we allow him to shine through us, to light up all the dark places in this world where ever he would have us go.  We simply, like Mary, say “Yes” – let it be to me, according to your will.  God is always knocking… no longer looking for a room at the Inn, but on the door of our hearts.  He calls us to respond to His love.  Will you receive His love and light this day?   And then we will see that…

“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.”

 

We give you an opportunity to mark this occasion with an action.  You are invited, if you’d like, to show your response by lighting a candle.  If you’d like to receive the light of Christ for yourself or a loved one, you are invited to light a candle from the Christmas "Christ" candle.  Our God who became vulnerable to save us, wants to be the light in your life… to bring healing and life.  Most importantly we respond in our heart, but we can also respond by lighting a candle.

We will play a song and while it is playing you are invited to take the candle taper and take light from the Christ candle and light your own candle up on the table.

The light has come.... what will we do with it?

Message for the Midweek CHRISTMAS service.

 

We are in the year 2022.  What that means is that we are approximately 2022 years from the first Christmas.  This is an event that has been celebrated for such a long time.  Its significance means the world.  For God so loved the world that he sent he only son, that all who believe in him might be saved.  This is a gift of grace.  An incredible gift of God’s grace.  Without this gift, where would we be?

 

While John Lennon might ask us to imagine there is no Heaven, claiming a Nirvana without religion, but I suspect that without Heaven and without the influence of the coming of Christ the world would be in a lot more chaos.   it is a fact that many good things in the world exist because of Christianity.  From Wikipedia there is an article about the effect of Christianity on civilization.  It says; “The Bible and Christian theology have also strongly influenced Western philosophers and political activists.[6] The teachings of Jesus, such as the Parable of the Good Samaritan, are among the most important sources of modern notions of human rights and the welfare commonly provided by governments in the West. Long-held Christian teachings on sexuality, marriage, and family life have also been influential and controversial in recent times. Christianity played a role in ending practices such as human sacrifice,[7] infanticide and polygamy.[8]: 309  Christianity in general affected the status of women by condemning marital infidelity, divorce, incest, polygamy, birth control, infanticide (female infants were more likely to be killed), and abortion.[9]: 104 ”  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role_of_Christianity_in_civilization#:~:text=Christianity%20played%20a%20role%20in,be%20killed)%2C%20and%20abortion.

 

The Bible tells us that all had gone astray.  None could save themselves.  I am sure there were some pretty good folk throughout all time - Just as there are now.  Yet the Bible also tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.  All of us need a saviour.  To sin, simply means to fall short of perfection… we all fall short.  It is a condition common to all humanity, and we could all feel rather concerned about eternity, except for one thing – Christmas!  God himself came to be born as one of us. 

 

There may be many religions in the world, but there is none like this.  It is an historical fact that Jesus lived.  He is written about by non-Christian historians, as a man who performed wonders and was crucified.   Our faith is more than a belief.  There are some elements that are undeniable facts. 

 

Jesus declared himself to be God.  That is why the authorities were able to crucify him and feel justified – they believed he was blaspheming.  They didn’t understand their own sacred scriptures.  They knew that a Messiah was coming, but didn’t understand his nature… however, listen to this from Isaiah: “ For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

This child that was prophesied about is named Mighty God and Everlasting Father.   How can the Child be named this unless his nature is divine?  Jesus is the Word of God…  the visible expression of God – the word made flesh.  This birth that we celebrate is the incarnation.  It is just too amazing to fully comprehend.

 

What’s more amazing is that all this happened because of God’s great love for us.  God proved his love for us by becoming one of us and dying to save us.  He defeated death by rising from the dead, and when we belong to Christ, we are assured that this same power through which Christ rose from the dead is with us.  We are assured of eternal life because Christ still lives.

 

Isaiah also tells us; “His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom.”  This endless peace is not an earthly peace…. We misunderstand the scriptures if we think this.  The peace that is spoken of and promised as endless, is the peace between us and God.  There is assurance that God accepts us…. Endless peace between us and God because of Jesus and no matter what we do.

 

But what is our response to this absolutely incredible reality? 

 

There were shepherds in a field.  They were watching their sheep.  An Angel suddenly stood before them and the glory of the Lord was all around.  The Angel declared to them the Good News that the Messiah was born.  It was a message of great joy for all the people and it came, not to kings and dignitaries, but to the shepherds. 

 

These were ordinary people who experienced something extraordinary.   They discussed it among themselves to begin with and then these ordinary shepherds responded to the Good News.  They went off in search for the baby and found him.

 

Once the shepherds found the baby Jesus, they didn’t stop responding to the Good News.  They continued to respond by telling all they had heard and seen to others, and all those they told were also amazed.

 

We have received the Good News also, but how do we respond? 

 

Our scripture reading from Isaiah tells us; “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.” 

 

Our lives in 2022 are not all sunshine and rainbows.  There are certainly areas of darkness that need the light of Christ.  Will we allow that light to shine through us today?  After all… we are the body of Christ and his Spirit is with us….  The word “Angel” literally means, “Messenger of God”.  Today we can be the Angel bringing tidings of Good News and bringing the light of Christ to world that is silently crying out for a saviour….  A world in darkness, longing for the light. 

 

Receive the Light of Christ, may he shine within our hearts.  May Christ himself, so fill us with His light, that we go forth into the world he loves and bring His light to others.

Waiting - Reflecting on Advent 4A 18th December 2022

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT   Year A   December 18, 2022

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

We are celebrating our fourth week in Advent… a time of waiting.  We wait for Christmas.  We remember the time the world was waiting for salvation.  We reflect on how we wait now for the second coming of Christ.  More importantly, in so many ways, there are people today waiting and crying out for Christ to come and save them from physical and emotional struggles – maybe that person is you.  No doubt, those in Ukraine are waiting also… for the world to change.

Ahaz, mentioned in our first reading, was the King of Judah and he was not a king who was inclined to believe the prophet Isaiah.  But at that time, the kingdom of Judah was waiting to be saved from two armies.  When Isaiah tells Ahaz that God wants him to ask for a sign, he replies with a rather pious sounding statement that he won’t put God to the test.

 

How is this like us? What might we say if someone, claiming to be God’s prophet came to us and asked the same thing?  And why might we answer the same way?  What would be our thoughts behind our saying, “no I don’t need a sign – I won’t put God to the test”? 

 

We are in the 4^th week in Advent and we are the people of God.  King Ahaz was leader of Judah, the chosen nation of God.  We believe in God.  That is why we are here.  But what do we believe about God?

 

You see, things were not going well for the people of Judah and there were armies coming against them.  What do we believe, and what is our faith, when we are under pressure?  King Ahaz was under pressure.  He saw the physical reality and couldn’t believe that God would save them.  Isaiah had come to tell him that God was there to save him and, as proof, was prepared to give him a sign…. Whatever it would take to encourage Ahaz to have faith. 

 

God still does this.  He wants us to have a relationship with him, such that we have faith in him.   God goes above and beyond to try and get our attention and, in the case of Ahaz, God was prepared to let Ahaz name the sign.  But in the absence of Ahaz’s cooperation, God himself choses the sign, “Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.”

 

Judah was saved, as God was true to his word, but what of the prophecy, “For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.”  ?

 

It is obvious that this was a prophecy for the near future, but also, we know because of Matthew’s Gospel, that it was prophecy about the coming Messiah.

This is yet another example of the wonderful way that prophecy works, and a little glimpse into the ways of God.  Prophecy generally has a number of fulfillments.  One for the time of the prophets, one in the time of the Messiah and one for the time of Jesus second coming.

 

According to my research it is believed that the first fulfillment happened when a young woman in the royal household conceived a son, and unknowingly named him “Immanuel.”   Immanuel meaning, “God with us”.

 

In the book of Revelation, which largely deals with Jesus’ second coming, with language that is full of allegory, it speaks of a woman giving birth.  We suspect that this is indicating the nation Israel who gives birth to the Christian church.  But a multitude of that book, being shrouded in imagery, it is pretty obviously not meant to be clear.  It is a book for the church to be encouraged, and to know that God has a plan which will be revealed when the time is right.  My thoughts are that the biggest mistake we can make with the book of Revelation, is to put a definitive interpretation on it and close our minds to what God might wish to reveal to us through waiting on him for the answers.

 

The most incredible fulfillment of this Isaiah prophecy, is that which we celebrate each Christmas, which happened at the birth of Jesus.  Matthew appears to change one word in the prophecy, “young woman” becomes “virgin”.  The difference is actually only that one is in Hebrew and the other in Greek.  But Matthew is very clear about what the prophecy says and means, and make no mistake, this is a miraculous conception and a sign that can only mean one thing; God is with us.

 

Saint Luke’s account of this same story, just prior to Christmas, focuses on what is happening in the life of Mary.  Saint Luke was a learned man, a physician writing to a Gentile audience, but Matthew is writing for, and concerned with the Jewish perspective.  Saint Matthew follows the genealogy of Joseph and traces him clearly back to King David and then to Abraham.  This is important as it also establishes Jesus as the fulfilment of the prophecies that the Messiah would be the “Lion of Judah”. 

From Joseph’s perspective, he was engaged to a woman who was found to be “with child”…. He knew he was not the father.  I’m guessing that Mary told him the nature of this pregnancy, but well…. What would you think if you were in his shoes?

 

The challenge of this week, is the challenge to believe God.

 

King Ahaz didn’t want a sign, not because he was pious, but because it might mean he would have to acknowledge God.  Ahaz wasn’t interested in a sign, or anything that God had to say.  Ahaz didn’t believe and didn’t want to believe.  On the other hand, of Joseph we read, “Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.” 

 

What a stressful time this must have been for Mary.  She knew the truth, but the fact is that in their culture she could have been stoned to death for being thought to be an adulteress.  I suspect most modern men would not have been anywhere near as gracious as Joseph.  For most of us, when we believe we have been wronged, we want to expose the guilty person and cause them as much grief as possible.  Consider Joseph….. He felt he’d been wronged, but rather than expose Mary to this shame, he decided he would divorce her quietly.

 

Joseph was a man who could forgo justice for himself for the sake of another.  He was a man who considered all the consequences before he acted and could put aside his needs or wants for the benefit of another – even if that other had hurt him.  His heart was compassionate and courageous, and this was a man that God chose to be the father and protector of His son, Jesus.

 

I suspect Joseph longed for the confirmation that what Mary was telling him was true…. and he needed a sign.  Perhaps he even prayed for one.  Certainly, he received that confirmation, as an Angel appeared to him in a dream and told him the truth…. And the rest is history.

 

Where are we in this Advent story as we journey to celebration of the Nativity?  Are we Ahaz, who belonged to the chosen people, but didn’t really believe in God’s power to save him from the physical circumstances?

 

Are we Joseph?  Genuine people of God, with hearts open to hearing God’s word?  We might find things hard to believe at times, but we want to believe. And sometimes we need to pray for a divine intervention to stop us making the wrong choices.

 

It is important that we deliberately choose to believe God and be open to hearing God’s truth.  Mary was vulnerable to be stoned to death without the intervention of Joseph.  Today, there are many in the world who are vulnerable in many ways.  Maybe their hearts have been stoned to near death by others.  We don’t know what act of spiritual protection God might call us to make for another, but unless we have the compassionate, courageous heart of Joseph and a desire and willingness to hear from God and act, there are precious ones who may be lost. 

 

The sign that we are called, chosen and loved by God is this; “The virgin will be with child…”  God is with us… the name Emmanuel means “God is with us”.  It is no fairy tale, but a reality.  God himself came to be among us, to live as one of us and to die for us and to rise from the dead, promising a life beyond.  By His Holy Spirit He is with us still.  Let us decide this day to believe and to pray for his word to direct our actions so that we can bring his love to this world.  And Christ can be born/ manifest into our community.  For this, the world is waiting……