Sunday next before LentExodus 24.12-end 2 Peter 1.16-end Matthew 17.1-9It is the middle of the night. You are in a tent braving the elements. The wind is blowing a hooley outside. It is a dark, moonless sky with no stars visible. You need to pay a visit and are unfamiliar with your immediate surroundings. Not to be caught out you came prepared with a torch. Reaching out you make a grab for the torch and switch it on. All is now bathed in light.In Biblical times things would have been very much different. There was no such thing as a convenient torch to pick up and switch on. If it was dark, then dark it remained. Today the concept of day and night is so different from those times. Light was something treasured. It held a special place. The story of the Transfiguration is a story of light. Something special was happening and is being related to light.We begin with Peter, one of the first of the disciples called by Jesus to follow him. In his epistle he describes the Transfiguration where Jesus received honour and glory from God his Father. This glory is an enlightening. Peter goes on to compare this prophetic message to a lamp shining in a dark place. The lamp dispels the darkness and reveals all that is thereabout. The glory that was received by Jesus from God enlightens us as to who he is.We are told to take note of this message as it is given to us, and to hold it dear to us. Again, Peter likens it to the rising of the morning star. The day dawns dispelling the darkness of the night. Many of us have experienced the delight, the joy, of the rising sun marking the end of a night. It may be the end of a troubled night where sleep has been difficult, or it may be the end of a night shift where, ironically, you seek the solace of a bed to rest and recuperate.Regardless of how we see light, this light is the message being given to us by the Majestic Glory. It was through this Majestic Glory that we read of how Jesus was Transfigured. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. The whole scene was one of great light. Then a bright cloud overshadowed the proceedings with a voice proclaiming Jesus as ‘My Son’, the beloved.This pronouncement filled the disciples with fear, and they fell to the ground overcome with fear by what they were seeing. When Jesus came to them and touched them the fear changed to awe. We can only imagine what it must have been like to be there as this was happening. A heavenly voice making the proclamation and the dazzling whiteness of light must have been a powerful scene.It is a scene that we can take with us in our heart. The disciples looked at Jesus and saw how his face shone with the glory. They could rejoice at the sight and feel the warmth of his presence. To them it would have brought great comfort.Today, we can look at a picture or a painting depicting Jesus at various points in his ministry. Just looking at him can stir up a sense of warmth. Especially so if we are in a church. It is as if we can feel his very presence there. There is a warmth that surrounds us. If we are not in the best of spirits we can be sensitive to the air that is about us. Then, just looking up at some of the stained glass we can gaze upon the face of Jesus as depicted by the artist. It is then that we can bathe in the greater glory, that glory, that light that shines from the face of Jesus.Jesus is the light of the world. We are given a candle at our baptism, a lit candle probably given to a Godparent if we are too young. The candle is given with the words, “Receive this light”. The light of the candle represents the light of Christ. If we look at that light the glow from the flame lightens up our face. We bathe in the glow of Christ.On Easter Day, at the first Mass or Communion, frequently celebrated as the sun is about to rise, candles are lit, one by one, from the Paschal Candle. Slowly the church is transformed from being in darkness to a soft glow from the candles as each one is representing the light of Christ. Then, after a few moments, and providing there is a clear sky, the first rays from the sun stream into the church and the whole is filled with the new light of day and the church resplendent in the new colours dispelling the drab Lenten observance. Again, we rejoice in the light. Christ is all around us.Collect for the Sunday next before LentAlmighty Father,whose Son was revealed in majestybefore he suffered death upon the cross:give us grace to perceive his glory,that we may be strengthened to suffer with himand be changed into his likeness, from glory to glory;who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Jeremiah 31: 7-14 Ephesians 1: 3-14 John 1 [1-9] 10-18The reading in today’s gospel is one of the most important and most thought-provoking passages in the whole of the Bible. We are being given the most in depth description of God. If we go back to the first verse of the Bible in Genesis we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". The Word was not in the list of things created at the very start. The Word was there right at the beginning. The Word is eternal.This is a difficult concept to grasp at times. Essentially what it means is that Jesus was always like God. The Word was with God before all of creation and a part of everything.Here in the beginning of John’s gospel we are being treated to a lesson, a learning experience. In the days of the Old Testament our knowledge of God was based on life as it was then. We read of whole cities being wiped out, of the anger and jealousy of God. This is what life was like then, very tribal, a fight for existence and possessions. People knew no better. Jesus had not yet appeared to open our eyes. Reading the Old Testament we are reading of the growth of people through time. In the beginning God’s nature was understood in terms of the development reached. It was when Jesus came among us that people began to see fully and completely what God has always been like.Here in John we are being told how Jesus has always been with God. He has been so much at one with God. God has hidden nothing from him. Therefore, Jesus is the only person who can reveal to us what God is like. How God feels towards us.When John said the Word was God he was not saying that Jesus was identical with God; he was saying that Jesus was so perfectly the same as God in mind, in heart, in being that in him we perfectly see what God is like.John now takes us through creation. We believe that this is God’s world. Going back in time to the Creation, the Big Bang, or whatever you think may have happened, it was not created from matter. It is our belief that behind everything there is God, nothing else. All that exists is from God, and in it God is intimately involved.In the Word there is life John claims. In Jesus we have security in life, and in the life to come. It is by accepting Jesus as our saviour, as by placing him as our king we learn how to live. If we do not accept Jesus then it can be argued that we do not live at all. Jesus is the one person who can make life fulfilling. Jesus is like a light shining in the world. He is a light which is enlightening us that we can see truly.Having Jesus as a light in our life is a guide. If we do not have that light within us we are walking in darkness and we all know what happens if you walk along a country lane in the darkness. Each side of us a ditch waiting for us to fall in. Before us is a wall or hedge waiting for us to walk into. A light is needed to guide our steps along the true path. Jesus is that light. We invite him into our heart to be our guide, to keep us free from sin, free from straying off the safe path. A sinful person loves the darkness because light shows up too many things.We have just witnessed to the birth of Jesus. Here we can see in him God. In him the world is lit up before us. We can see our way around. In the weeks and months to come we will learn for ourselves about God. Jesus will be our teacher. He will be our guide. He will direct our footsteps.Collect for the Second Sunday of ChristmasAlmighty God,in the birth of your Sonyou have poured on us the new light of your incarnate Word,and shown us the fullness of your love:help us to walk in his light and dwell in his lovethat we may know the fullness of his joy;who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Jeremiah 31: 7-14 Ephesians 1: 3-14 John 1 [1-9] 10-18The reading in today’s gospel is one of the most important and most thought-provoking passages in the whole of the Bible. We are being given the most in depth description of God. If we go back to the first verse of the Bible in Genesis we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth". The Word was not in the list of things created at the very start. The Word was there right at the beginning. The Word is eternal.This is a difficult concept to grasp at times. Essentially what it means is that Jesus was always like God. The Word was with God before all of creation and a part of everything.Here in the beginning of John’s gospel we are being treated to a lesson, a learning experience. In the days of the Old Testament our knowledge of God was based on life as it was then. We read of whole cities being wiped out, of the anger and jealousy of God. This is what life was like then, very tribal, a fight for existence and possessions. People knew no better. Jesus had not yet appeared to open our eyes. Reading the Old Testament we are reading of the growth of people through time. In the beginning God’s nature was understood in terms of the development reached. It was when Jesus came among us that people began to see fully and completely what God has always been like.Here in John we are being told how Jesus has always been with God. He has been so much at one with God. God has hidden nothing from him. Therefore, Jesus is the only person who can reveal to us what God is like. How God feels towards us.When John said the Word was God he was not saying that Jesus was identical with God; he was saying that Jesus was so perfectly the same as God in mind, in heart, in being that in him we perfectly see what God is like.John now takes us through creation. We believe that this is God’s world. Going back in time to the Creation, the Big Bang, or whatever you think may have happened, it was not created from matter. It is our belief that behind everything there is God, nothing else. All that exists is from God, and in it God is intimately involved.In the Word there is life John claims. In Jesus we have security in life, and in the life to come. It is by accepting Jesus as our saviour, as by placing him as our king we learn how to live. If we do not accept Jesus then it can be argued that we do not live at all. Jesus is the one person who can make life fulfilling. Jesus is like a light shining in the world. He is a light which is enlightening us that we can see truly.Having Jesus as a light in our life is a guide. If we do not have that light within us we are walking in darkness and we all know what happens if you walk along a country lane in the darkness. Each side of us a ditch waiting for us to fall in. Before us is a wall or hedge waiting for us to walk into. A light is needed to guide our steps along the true path. Jesus is that light. We invite him into our heart to be our guide, to keep us free from sin, free from straying off the safe path. A sinful person loves the darkness because light shows up too many things.We have just witnessed to the birth of Jesus. Here we can see in him God. In him the world is lit up before us. We can see our way around. In the weeks and months to come we will learn for ourselves about God. Jesus will be our teacher. He will be our guide. He will direct our footsteps.Collect for the Second Sunday of ChristmasAlmighty God,in the birth of your Sonyou have poured on us the new light of your incarnate Word,and shown us the fullness of your love:help us to walk in his light and dwell in his lovethat we may know the fullness of his joy;who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Christmas DayIsaiah 52.7–10 Hebrews 1.1–4 [5–12] John 1.1–14Welcome to your Christmas Communion. We are gathered together to welcome the Christ child into this world. All those years ago that welcome was done by just two or three people as, in the traditional story, a few shepherds came to greet the child, and later some wise men also visited bringing gifts.Today it is us doing the welcoming. We may not be bringing camels loaded with gold and frankincense and myrrh. The camels we changed for Nissan or Skoda, or whatever. But we do bring gifts.We might struggle to find myrrh in the local shop. It was a resin used throughout history in medicine, perfumery, and incenses. Myrrh mixed with wine was widely used in many ancient cultures to produce pleasurable feelings and as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic. Today we give a quick squirt from a bottle of Chanel Number Five to produce a highly expensive aroma as we walk past. Correction, as you walk past. But it is used in a similar way, to give a pleasurable aroma.Similarly, to find a quantity of Frankincense could be a problem. In days of old it could be found making its way, on the back of camels, travelling along the well-known Silk Road in the Middle East. Again, it is used for its medicinal qualities in addition to its aromatic value.Now we come to the gold. I am not aware of any local gold mines, or of any streams nearby worth spending time and effort in panning. But, as before with the Myrrh and the Frankincense being used to create an acceptable aroma in a palace, a scent which hits you as you enter and brings to mind the sense of royalty would be befitting at the place of the entry of the Son of God into the world. The gold would be showing the wealth, the kingly wealth of any ruler.Here we are in church. The Advent bleakness has been cast to one side as we fill the dark corners with flowers spreading their colour to dispel the gloom. There is brightness and light as befits any palace. Some churches will be using incense to fill the church with the aroma of frankincense. The church will be made a place ideally suitable for the Son of God to enter.That has looked after the external material side of the world. But what of the internal part of our life. We have travelled through Advent preparing ourselves to receive Jesus. Are we ready? Have we the equivalent of flowers bursting into colour in the darkest places in our soul? Have we the equivalent of the aromatic spices preparing ourselves to receive the Lord?Today, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus. Around the world bells are ringing, lights are glowing, people are celebrating. The Son of God has come to be with us, to teach us about God his Father, about his heavenly kingdom. To show, by example, how to relate to our neighbour. To love them and to love the Lord God.This Christmastide let us welcome the Lord Jesus into the world, into our hearts, and receive him with joyfulness. May he be received the world over with people listening to his message and resolving to act upon it day by day.Gill and I wish you a very Merry Christmas.Collect for Christmas DayAlmighty God,you have given us your only-begotten Sonto take our nature upon himand as at this time to be born of a pure virgin:grant that we, who have been born againand made your children by adoption and grace,may daily be renewed by your Holy Spirit;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
