O Holy Night

It is Christmas morning. And surprisingly for a London street it is quiet. Birdsong and rain is the only sound punctuating the sound of my typing. After a manic twenty four hours that included trips to three supermarkets and a mission to the market for goat, smoked fish and plantain. Followed by a late night dash to a friend’s house to pick up Mariah Carey’s Christmas album (ESSENTIAL to proceedings, what would we do without the gospel tinged carols and of course the party perennial All I Want For Christmas blasting from the speakers?!),  and a magical midnight mass service at HTB, one can finally pause and reflect, the incredible night at the centre of all the activity. A baby is born, in an obscure corner of the world with an eternal destiny like no other.

Aside from Mary and Joseph who had had angelic visitations, there was no one else on that night recorded as expecting something extraordinary to happen. For the shepherds, who arrived later,  it was just another night on the job, until of course a company of angels rocked up to tell them what was happening and they hurried to the stable to worship Jesus. Such an anonymous birth, with so few knowing what was happening would seem impossible now. It would be a case of  #messiahborn or ‘followers’ gathered in front of their ipads around the world to experience a live feed of the events.

As most of us gather to have a Christmas Day gathered amongst loved ones it would be a good time to pause and consider that God, who is love made manifest, came to us. He came to us as a baby and went on to experience living in the world, fully human, and yet still fully God. This was no celestial dare, or a curious ‘let’s see how the other half live’ social experiment. This was so that a pivotal prophecy could be fulfilled:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful  Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

It is only by coming in human form that we can truly know both the extent of his love,  and  the depth of his empathy as he knows what it is to be us.  Of course we can rely on Jesus’ advice, as he knows what it’s like to be human. When we are feeling weak or overwhelmed, we have his strength to draw on. Though we are all born with a father, he is the everlasting father of all and in a world torn apart by conflict and discord his mission is to bring unity. But perhaps the most encouraging phrase is at its opening ‘For to us’; Jesus came for no other reason than for us. So whether you are pleased with what is wrapped under the tree today know that you have everything you need in Jesus. His is the gift that keeps on giving. 

Counting the Days

 

And so Advent Begins. Have you got your presents sorted? Figured out where to seat that tricky relative who’s coming over for Christmas Lunch and seems to get on with nobody? Successfully found the item to rock that will ensure that you are the original Christmas cracker at the office party? There’s plenty to keep one occupied in December and to prepare for: if you’re anything like me you would have none of the above in hand, preferring to mass buy gifts with a wild look in the eye on Christmas Eve, go for a pot-luck approach with table placement and wear whichever dress still fits to the Christmas party.

In terms of general preamble to the main event of Jesus’ birth, the Gospel writers vary massively in their approach: From Matthew’s version of events before, which reads like a Holy Debrett’s with Jesus’ descendants listed, generation for generation, through to Mark’s description of John the Baptist preparing the way and no inclusion of the Nativity itself. For those who like a more metaphysical angle, there is John with the Logos as John 1: 1-18 is referred in theological circles, which again omits the Nativity but describes at length the notion of God manifest in the Word, a coming Messiah and how the world would not recognise him on arrival. Finally there is Luke, from which all of the details of angels, Shepherds, innkeepers, and wise men stem. What is exciting about each of these accounts is that they point to an event like no other and also give us different ways in which we can count the days.

Matthew’s lengthy genealogy of Jesus is more than a selection of tongue-twisting names. The roll-call posits Jesus’ identity and places him as the conclusion to not just a family line but an ancient prophesy. As we in modern times often spend an awful lot of time unpicking and dissecting the various aspects of our identity, we would be wise to realise we are part of a bigger picture. Whether one is from an illustrious line that raises eyebrows or not, we all have our individual part to play in God’s grander purposes and could do well to reflect on that more rather than the minutiae in our own lives.

Mark’s description of the role John played gives us a master class in Divine Warm-Up act work. At a concert, the warm up points to what’s coming next. Usually, the act is of similar genre to the main one everyone’s expectant to see. I myself often discover the next band or singer who is going to feature heavily on my iPod during this part of the gig. However, they rarely supplant the act I had come to see in the first place. It is the same with the Christian walk. We are called to prepare for the main act: Christ’s return whilst not taking the focus from that reality and thinking of ourselves as the main event and viewing our life and its concerns and our contribution to his Kingdom trumping the perfection of his return. In practical terms it means being a little less self centred and perhaps asking oneself the rhetorical question: if my life was the warm-up to Christ’s Return how would it fare in terms of setting the tone? Cheers, jeers or something in between?

Luke’s introduction tackles the very human challenges of choosing to follow Jesus. Gabriel’s visitation to what I often imagine was a terrified Mary, has an interesting verse in its midst;

“Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favour with God.” Luke 1:30

Fear is often at the root of our not moving forward to our blessings. Sometimes, we might devise an elaborate and detailed argument as to why we choose to do or not do certain things. However, in this verse, is a truth for all believers to hold on to ‘you have found favour with God’. One is not last on the list of his concerns, but a priority, and given we all know how the story ends, with death defeated in Jesus’ resurrection, it is vital to hold onto. As we move towards the close of a year and the beginning of a new one, perhaps it would be time to try and kick the fear habit for good.

John’s opening chapter takes us to the heavenly places: we are told that:

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” John 1:9

In many parts of the world, electricity remains a luxury. And yet God is ever generous and provides us all with light, regardless of our worthiness, or finances or social position. What’s more, his is a light that never extinguishes and illuminates our interior beings or souls. It is so easy to forget in the fog of preparation for a season of extended merriment exactly who is coming and for what purpose. Time for reverence praise and perhaps even a spot of advent candle lighting in between the endless to-do lists that will seem a lifetime ago come January.