First Sunday of ChristmasColossians 3:12-17 Luke 2: 41-endThe build up to Christmas has reached its climax with the great day arriving, and now moving into history. Following the events leading on from Christmas we now learn of the child Jesus and what happened in Jerusalem. But we do not have the full story. The Bible reading tells us that Jesus was twelve years of age. At his time in history and in his culture a boy of twelve was deemed to be an adult. The reading explains to us that his parents had been looking for him amongst friends and family.Hence, we have a young man in the Temple learning about his heavenly Father in surroundings, and using rituals, which must have fascinated him for this would have been his first visit. The fact that he was missing for a day was not that remarkable. Because the women travelled slower than the men, they would start off on their return earlier. It would not be until the evening that the men and women would come together. In the meantime, each would think that Jesus was with the other.Jesus was found in the Temple Court listening to the Sanhedrin discussing religious and theological questions. Jesus was behaving like any other student, asking questions and learning from replies. It was at some time, up to this point, that Jesus must have realised his special relationship with God. He must have had thoughts as time passed. Then, with manhood coming upon him, there must have been a sudden thought in his consciousness of his special relationship with God.In this passage of scripture, we have the point when Jesus realises who he was. It did not make a big change in his character. He did not become all haughty. He did not look down on others. The real Son of God does not despise human lives.As we grow in years we progress in our learning. We gain knowledge, we learn social skills, we learn about society in general and find our own place within it. Much of this we learn from our parents. By their example and by their interaction with others necessary skills are passed down to us. In these formative years we, like Jesus, increase in wisdom. Coming to church is where we learn about God, about his Son, and about the spread of the gospel message throughout the world. This First Sunday of Christmas we learn about Jesus beginning to understand his relationship with God. We too have a relationship with God. We too have the opportunity to allow this relationship to develop deeper. Acknowledging God as a name on a sheet of paper as we sing praise to him is just scratching the surface. These first few weeks are an opportunity to delve deeper into the pages of the Bible, or the hymn book, or psalter. In all of these pages the love of God leaps out at us. Calling us and beckoning to us to come closer to him, to accept him into our life.In Jesus’ case his mother Mary treasured all of these things of his early years. She kept them in her heart. We too have the opportunity to treasure the early years of Jesus. We may not have been there to witness them for ourselves. But we have the word of scripture. We also have a degree of understanding of those words.Collect for the First Sunday of ChristmasAlmighty God,who wonderfully created us in your own imageand yet more wonderfully restored usthrough your Son Jesus Christ:grant that, as he came to share in our humanity,so we may share the life of his divinity;who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Christmas DayHebrews 1: 1-4 John 1: 1-14Christmas is observed in many different ways up and down the land. Much depends upon circumstances almost as much as tradition. The great day arrives with an atmosphere of expectation. Presents, may be scattered beneath a traditional tree or just neatly stacked up in piles, one for each person. The excitement is enhanced by just looking at what is in each pile. Guesses are made as to what may be in each parcel.In some houses a token present may have been opened already whilst the remainder are opened after church and maybe even after lunch. That feeling of excitement accompanies you to church. There you hear again the Christmas story about the birth of the baby Jesus in the manger. An event which shaped the world.Now, two thousand years later we still rejoice in this birth. What is it that grips us so firmly? Is it the carols we sing. Carols that we soon learnt as we trod the streets singing carols from door to door. Until, that is, the advent of double glazing. Now the first an occupant knows of your singing is when you knock the door hoping for some gratuity for your efforts. Or is it the coming together of the family from all parts to share in a Christmas feast? Whatever the reason we still observe Christmas.Christmas is so special because it is the time that the Saviour of the word was born. To a lowly family the Christ child entered the world. He grew to adulthood learning the aches and pains that we all learn as we develop. From falling over and grazing his knee to learning social skills these were all lessons that he would learn, or so we can only guess.Together with the shepherds we kneel before him in thanksgiving and prayer just as the shepherds. They witnessed his birth which we remember this day. From the hills they came to the stable to see this special event. People who earned their living through hard physical work left all that behind to gather at the foot of the manger.Next in the Christmas story we learn of the visit of the Magi. They came with their riches and status also to visit the Christ child. Right at the start of his life he mixed with people of all social class. He was to be the Saviour of the world, not just to the hard working people striving to earn a living through their own hard work, but to all people right up to the ruling leaders. His influence reached out to all people regardless. And so, today, we gather in celebration. From the youngest among us to the eldest. From those who are at the start of their life to those who are here with a life time of experience behind them, we are here in celebration.The Christ child is born. He is the Son of God. He came that we should believe in him, learn his love, and turn to God through him. In accepting him into our lives our sins are forgiven. O come, all ye faithful, Christ is born. Hark, the herald angels sing. Peace on earth. Today that has to be our prayer. Peace on earth to all mankind.A very Merry Christmas to you from Gill and myself.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.
Fourth Sunday of AdventHebrews 10: 5-10 Luke 1: 39-45The race towards Christmas is nearly over. Yet it is strange to think of it as a race. We are in a Repentance is the fact of showing that you are very sorry for something bad you have done in the past, and wish that you had not done it. season of preparation and when you are preparing for something it may be usual to take things a little easy at the start. It is when you arrive at very little time remaining that the pace speeds up. You start dashing around trying to ensure all of the last minute jobs have been completed.The season of Advent does have an element of this kind of preparation. Have all of the presents been bought, the cards written and posted, the food for the Christmas dinner bought (will the turkey fit in the oven?). But Advent does have more to it that these things.Through Advent we have had the phrase, “Repent, make way for the Lord” ringing in our ears. Have we had the time for this repentance? Just what does it mean? Repentance does mean saying sorry but in what form should it take?To repent means that you are very sorry for something bad that you had done in the past and that you are showing how much you regret what you had done. But more than that. Repentance also means that you wish that you had not done whatever it was that you had done.‘Turn away from sin’, is a phrase often heard and quoted. It is a part of the action of repentance. To say ‘sorry’ alone is not quite going the whole way. A little more is required of us. We have to turn away from our sinful way. In some ways it goes back to the times of ancient Rome when a soldier who wished to show they were sorry would turn round and walk away. This is what we are doing when we are repenting. We are acknowledging our error and turning away from doing it again.When we are saying sorry to a neighbour or friend a short snappy ‘sorry’ is often not sincerely meant. It certainly is not accepted as a true expression of regret. Also, once said (with fingers crossed behind ones back trying to protect you from an insincere confrontation) the wrong has not been righted.Repentance in Advent is concerned with our position with God. God knows all about us. He knows when we are contrite, he knows if we are like the Roman soldier who just turns his back to demonstrate his sorrow. He certainly is aware if we have our fingers crossed. In Advent we come before God to cleanse our souls from all of our wrong doings. We purge ourselves before him. We also show contrition and a determination to leave behind our sinful past, to turn away.This is the real meaning of Advent. We are awaiting the coming of our Lord. We are making ready the path before him. As we would for any important guest, we make sure that everything is done in preparation for their arrival. We prepare ourselves. We make ourselves ready and acceptable to him. We do not want to leave it until it is too late.Collect for the Fourth Sunday of AdventGod our redeemer,who prepared the Blessed Virgin Maryto be the mother of your Son:grant that, as she looked for his coming as our saviour,so we may be ready to greet himwhen he comes again as our judge;who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
Third Sunday of AdventPhilippians 4.4–7 Luke 3.7–18We continue the race towards Christmas. Race because we aim to reach the goal passing the hurdles that lie between us and the finish.John the Baptist had just come out of his time spent in the wilderness. He was proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. People from around the district were coming to him to confess their sins and to be baptised by him. But, some Pharisees and Sadducees came to him. He addressed them asking why had they come to him. He called them a ‘Brood of Vipers’, and accused them of fleeing from the wrath to come. The reference to vipers goes back to the story of Creation and the tempting of Adam by Eve at the goading of the viper there. He is alluding to them as descendants of the viper in the Creation story,The call to repent was a very personal one. It was a symbolic rite that one had to undergo to become Jewish. If the Jews were not willing to repent then they could not claim to be really Jews, they could not count on the personal blessing that God had made to his chosen people. No longer could they call upon their ancestors. The change that they were being called to make must come from their heart,The time was coming when the axe would be laid at the root of the trees which were bearing bad fruit or none at all. They had had their day. The trees had to be judged. The space that they took was valuable. There were trees that bore good fruit. The wasted space could better be used to plant more good fruiting trees. Why should badness stand in the way of goodness.Our journey through Advent is a journey of repentance. The goal is the coming of God’s Son and we will reach this goal by confessing our sins and turning to Christ. No longer do we squander our possessions. We are told that if we have two coats for instance, it is good to share one with someone who has nothing. Stores of food are another example. About us we see food banks which aim to provide food for those whom have to manage their income between food to eat and money to heat the house, for instance. A balance between eating and keeping warm. It can be a fine balancing act of life to be able to keep track of all expenditure, to be able to provide for the very basics of life. Here is where the food banks give opportunity for those with plenty to help others.It is also teaching us about how we lead our life. At the moment it is a very emotional subject as many people may find themselves facing severe tax demands, or taxation on goods and services, all of which may cause a re-think of their finances and living goals.Tax collectors were mentioned in the gospel and so too were Sadducees. They were told to use no more threatening behaviour, but to be satisfied with what they justly earn. In today’s world the same could be said towards our way of life. We earn wages, but those wages do need to be kept in line with today’s developments. Modest demands are acceptable, but excessive demands risk taking us down a similar path to that which the soldiers of Christ’s day were in danger of taking.The teaching is all about repentance in the first instance, and the love of our neighbour in the next. If we see our neighbour struggling, then it is our Christian duty to step forward and offer assistance where we can. Using the Biblical example, if we are nice and warm in our coat, and if we have a wardrobe full of them, then to take one and hand it over to someone whose coat is threadbare is neighbourly, and also Christian. Our love of God guides us through life. Our eyes are opened to see God’s love all around us.Bu it also allows us to see where others have taken this law and twisted it to their own benefit at a cost to others. Here we can step in by giving to charities, to food banks, by giving time to voluntary organisations. This is where our love of God joins with our love of our neighbour. Together we are all God’s children and so it is only natural that we look after, care for, each other.Here is what John the Baptist was teaching. The call for repentance was also a call to re-awaken our life. To be aware of the world around us. John was trying to prepare the way for one ‘who would come after’. By heeding his teaching and by his baptism the Jews would become ‘really Jews’. By us following that teaching we will be obeying the Two Great Commandments and be closer to God. Our path through Advent will progress, leading us to the coming of Jesus at Christmas.Collect for Third Sunday of AdventO Lord Jesus Christ,who at your first coming sent your messengerto prepare your way before you:grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteriesmay likewise so prepare and make ready your wayby turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just,that at your second coming to judge the worldwe may be found an acceptable people in your sight;for you are alive and reign with the Fatherin the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and for ever.
