Click here for Astrid's video messageMatthew 2:1-12 Isaiah 60:1-6EpiphanyAuthority. Power. What picture comes to your mind when you hear or read those words? Are they favourable images of people or institutions that rule with clear guidance to make others feel safe? Or do they conjure up fear; fear of the unknown, and insecurity? Is it a bright picture or a dark one? Are the decisions made and that affect your life easy to accept if at all? All kinds of questions that may enter your mind; or not, as the case may be. Why the question anyway, as we’ve just entered the year 2021. Well, for some reason, the phrase ‘truth speaking to power’ came into my head when I read today’s Bible passages, and I think the message may be a helpful one.As so often with the stories we’ve heard over and over again, the Bible passage from Matthew chapter 2 may be so familiar that we’ve stopped hearing what it says. We also tend to romanticise; hence the three kings or magi in the nativity, reflecting the three gifts mentioned. But there could have been half a dozen! In any case, they were men of some substance; scholars of the day, who studied eagerly, to try and make sense of the universe and how it would influence human life. They had read the ancient texts about a Saviour, a king who would be the promised Messiah, the Anointed One. They were looking for the truth, and, understandably, knocked on king Herod’s door, in their quest to find the new-born king. Not that Herod had been looking for him! The problem with power is that once you’ve got it, it’s hard to let go! It takes humility to accept someone greater than you, and humility was something that Herod was rather short of… so Herod’s response is fear. What! Someone new to take my place? Not if I can help it! Even the fact that they were talking about a child didn’t allay his fear of being pushed off the throne. The crown was sitting too easily on his head… And then there is this thing called ‘truth’. It may well have been this truth, the truth of the greatness of God as proclaimed in the Scriptures and fulfilled in the course of time, that upset Herod the most. The visit of the magi highlighted the conflict between God and human power. Between the king of Israel chosen by God, Jesus, and the king of Israel chosen by the Romans, Herod. Whenever corrupted power is made to look righteous power in the face, the immediate response is to refuse, to look away, to make excuses; in short, to deny the greatness of the higher power that is challenging you. Can we think of present day examples, perhaps, I wonder?When truth speaks to power, the challenge is clear: those in positions of authority are not usually in favour of being put ‘on the spot’ as it were. The central question posed throughout the season of Epiphany – or Manifestation – is ‘who is Jesus?’ The visit of the ‘wise men from the east’ is understood as the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, the non-Jewish peoples worldwide. Their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrhh reveal him as King, High Priest and Saviour of all. The successive Sundays of Epiphany follow the stages of Jesus being recognised by different people, as the ‘light to lighten the Gentiles’, and the ‘glory of God’s people Israel’. That is the truth revealed to the magi on this first encounter since Christmas: this is he! No, he isn’t recognised by king Herod, and that’s also why the wise men are warned in a dream not to return to tell him where Jesus is. Every step of the way, God is involved in bringing his Son to birth and to the mission of righteousness to save humankind.The prophet Isaiah has foretold it: ‘Nations shall come to your light, … they shall bring gold and frankincense, … and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.’At the beginning of a new year, how shall we proclaim the truth and profess our faith? How are we to present our gifts to Jesus? Perhaps now, more than ever, the best gift we can bring is trust. Trust in God’s loving purpose for us all. This new year we may offer it one step at a time, putting our hand in his, and following as he leads. That’s when we find that the light of Christ is stronger than any darkness or power. His truth has spoken, and it will not fail. Amen. And I may still say: Happy New Year!
Click here for Astrid's video messageLuke 2:15-21 Galatians 4:4-7First Sunday of ChristmasWhen I did history at school, we basically had to learn the facts: the most important names and dates to begin with, and then filling in the story from the evidence that was available. I always found that the story attached to names and dates was the most interesting part! Dates don’t mean a lot without them. For my final A-level project, I had to choose three subjects, one of which, I remember, was Julius Caesar. So, I delved into the accounts and wrote my piece according to the information that I found. I don’t remember much about the details, though; it’s too long ago! But, as some more recent TV documentaries have shown, history sometimes needs to be re-interpreted. Some of the so-called ‘facts’ have turned out to be myths, so the particular story needs to be re-written. Certain quotes, real or not, have come to lead a life of their own, irrespective of their context. For example: Julius Caesar’s ‘Et tu, Brutus!’ and Queen Marie-Antoinette’s ‘Let them eat cake!’. I think history is interesting as well as necessary. It helps us to interpret our present reality. The only problem with it is, that we don’t always learn from it, and repeat the same mistakes too often…And so here we are, just after Christmas, a Christmas so different from the ones that went before that we may need some time to process it all. In that respect, there’s an awful lot to process this year! At the same time, I hope that we have added something to our collective history and memory that helps us see God. For ‘when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a child, if a child then also an heir, through God.’ These words that Paul wrote to the young churches of Galatia are to remind the Christians there that something has changed and why. Their past of living in the darkness without hope has been changed into a present and future of hope and light. Their history no longer defines them, their future does. The same goes for the shepherds in the story of Christmas: they saw the child that was lying in a manger. It changed their lives for ever. They didn’t keep the news to themselves either; they made it known to all who wanted to hear. The shepherds returned, it says in Luke 2, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.You may have found it difficult to see the good news of Christmas this year. But may I just remind you of the essence of the story of Christmas. We are not defined by what our history tells us about our past and present. Rather, we are defined by the gift of God’s Son.So I’ll finish as I wrote in the parish magazine, referring to the Christmas carols:The Christmas carols, whether we sing them this year or not, are telling that story, of Light, Love, Hope and a Future, to all. They are indeed tidings of comfort and joy, that ring out in the bleak mid-winter, that the One who was of the Father’s love begotten, the little Lord Jesus, laid down his sweet head in a manger. And while shepherds watched their flocks by night, the first Nowell the angels sang: hark! Amid the winter’s snow, joy to the world has come!So come, all ye faithful, and let every heart prepare him room. For once in royal David’s city, stood a lowly cattle-shed, where the hopes and fears of all the years, are met in thee tonight. How silently, how silently, the wondrous gift is given. As with gladness men of old did the guiding star behold, let us go to Bethlehem, to hear the herald angels sing: Glory to the new-born King, Peace on earth, and mercy mild. God rest you merry, gentlemen, let nothing you dismay, for Christ, the son of Mary, was born on Christmas Day.All is calm, all is bright. Son of God, Love’s pure light, He come from the glory, he come from the glorious kingdom. O, may we keep and ponder in our mind God’s wondrous love in saving lost mankind. Glorious now, behold Him arise, King and God, and sacrifice. Heaven sings ‘Alleluia!’ ‘Alleluia!,’ the earth replies. This silent night, holy night, He came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell: O come to us, abide with us, our Lord Emmanuel. O star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright, guide us to thy perfect light. O tidings of comfort and joy!Amen.
Click here for Astrid's video messageLuke 2:1-14 Isaiah 52:7-10Christmas DayThe Christmas candle on the Advent wreath is lit with the following prayer:God our Father, today the Saviour is born, and those who live in darkness are seeing a great light. Help us, who greet the birth of Christ with joy, to live in the light of your Son, and to share the good news of your love. We ask this through Jesus Christ, the light who has come into the world. Amen.‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion: Your God reigns.’ This verse from Isaiah 52 declares the approach of a king. His coming is announced by lookouts on mountains along the route and passed on from one sentinel to another with jubilation. They are shouting: ‘Look! There he is!’ No longer are people left in doubt, struggling in the darkness. That which had been proclaimed and prophesied ages before has now taken place, and today is the day.How beautiful indeed is the good news that we are celebrating today: the birth of our Saviour.I don’t know how you are celebrating Christmas this year; whether the pandemic restrictions are limiting your usual gathering traditions; I’d guess that they probably do. But there’s one thing we would do well to mark: that God is with us. For much of this past year we haven’t been able to do what we normally do, or to be with those we would normally share time and space with. But God is with us. That means that we are not alone: he is sharing in our time and in our space, because that’s what he has planned and been carrying out for a very long time already. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, the Light of Life, is called Emmanuel, which means ‘God with us’. The story in Luke’s Gospel of the birth of Jesus is not exactly what we remember about it. Many renditions of the nativity include things that are not literally in the biblical account: the donkey, the ox and ass in the stable, the innkeeper: they are not mentioned. But that doesn’t matter. If we’ve ‘dressed it up’ a little, we’ve simply tried to fill in the blanks in order to complete the picture. And they could actually have been there! What is in the original story, though, and also in every Christmas scene is the manger: the feeding-trough, that Mary used as a crib for her new-born son. Luke mentions it three times, even. It’s a nice human touch to the story that makes it even more truthful. But that’s not all. It is also highly important as a signpost for the shepherds. The angel’s message includes the description of the manger as an exact place of reference for the shepherds to identify Jesus. The manger is essential in the story, because it says: ‘Look! There he is!’ Jesus has entered into the story of humanity in a specific place, at a specific time, for a specific reason: to be the King of Glory, who is God with us.We may not understand much of our own story at this time; we are looking out for better days, we say. But unless those days include the very special presence of God, how does our story work?The story of God, that has come to us in a living form, in the shape of a baby boy, born to save us, is looking to include us in God’s purpose of love and peace. In Jesus, God is saying to us: ‘Enter into my story, and I will show you what it means.’ So, whenever we see the manger, and think of Christ, let us remember what it’s telling us: that we are invited to see God in the light of life that Jesus is giving us. God with us. There is no better Christmas gift than that. Let us pray:One with us, yet born to save, he will show us the way to God.Lord, bring us today into Christ’s love. Amen. Happy Christmas!
Click here for Astrid's video messageLuke 1:26-38 Romans 16:25-endFourth Sunday in AdventThe fourth candle of the Advent wreath is lit with the following prayer:Lord Jesus, light of the world, blessed is Gabriel, who brought good news; blessed is Mary, your mother and ours. Bless your Church preparing for Christmas; and bless us your children, who long for your coming. Amen.The arrival of an unexpected visitor is always a bit of a surprise; I can still remember my astonishment when the doorbell rang in my parents’ house and I went to open the door, to find a whole, strange family greeting me with the words: ‘You must be Astrid. We’re your uncle and aunt and your cousins – we’ve come to see you all!’As a young teenager, I was a bit perplexed, not having seen these people before, but it was quickly explained: they were the family from New Zealand! And of course, when my parents heard their voices, they ran to greet them. What had been an initial moment of embarrassment, turned out to be a pleasant encounter, adding to the family that I knew some extended members. The rest is history.If you don’t expect a visit, from family or anybody else for that matter, it may take a little adjustment. You may even ask some questions, as to why and how. It’s funny, though, in the case of Mary being visited by the angel Gabriel, that his message was one that had been foretold a long time ago. The Messiah would be born in the line of old King David, and many a prophet had been telling the people to look out for him. Of course, when such a message as Gabriel’s is told, the messenger needs to come with some credentials and explanations. And they are indeed given, so that Mary, rather than making objections, is able to accept with simple faith, saying the words that have rung down the ages as the model response to God’s plan: ‘Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’In today’s world, such a story may be met with disbelief: how can a virgin conceive and bear a son without the regular means of procreation? Many people often think that if science doesn’t say it, it doesn’t exist. But, as the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks has said: ‘science takes things apart to see how they work; faith puts them together, to explain what they mean.’ What does it mean, then, to accept the message to Mary that she is to be the mother of God’s own Son? And what difference does it make, if at all? At this time, when we are struggling with a pandemic, and all looking forward to a vaccine to give us hope of a return to some kind of ‘normal’ life, does this story tell us anything worthwhile to help us? Even if science one day gives us protection against a life-threatening virus, does that mean that our lives will be ‘happy ever after’? The thing to remember about this account in Luke’s Gospel is that God takes the initiative; and like all things that proclaim God’s initiative, it’s all about love. It’s love that cares for us, and that takes us up into God’s saving purpose. It’s God working his grace through human co-operation. It may astonish us that God takes the trouble to involve people at all. But then, as John 3:16 says, ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him, may not perish but may have eternal life.’ God is arriving on the scene in order to change humanity from darkness to light. New Testament writers like Paul are never concerned about Jesus’ conception and birth, but rather about what Jesus means: his death and resurrection are far more important to Paul and the others. What is most important about the story in Luke chapter one, though, is what it claims in political and royal terms: this child will be the Messiah, the king of the house of David. God had promised this: that one day a descendant of David’s would reign not just over Israel but over the whole world; not for some time, but for ever. This theological and political claim was nothing less than dynamite. A sovereign other than the human powers both then and through the ages, God’s Son himself, shall reign. And he will make all things new. Jesus is the true ruler, according to God’s own plan and initiative. He is the light that comes from the gospel of peace that gives life for ever more. The unexpected visitor becoming the Good Shepherd and the Lover of our souls. Let us all invite him in, according to God’s word. Amen.
