HE COMES A Sermon for Carol Service at Bideford December 18th 2005
And so he comes;
To world of conflict, to a town with the soldiers of the world’s one Super Power, Rome, fiercely guarding the streets, a world with Zealot firebrands looking for the opportunity to strike against Rome’s soldiers.
Still he comes to a world beset by conflict, a world of terror, a world in which the resources spent on armaments dwarf the expenditure on health and education leaving many deprived of basic education and the treatment their diseases require.
To this world he comes, the Prince of Peace, accompanied by the song of peace that the angels sing.
And so he comes;
To a world of rigid rules, a world in which to transgress carries real consequences, a world in which male priests carry great power to shame those they deem to have transgressed.
Still he comes to our world, a world in which private shame is tabloid delight, a world in which people are frozen so often in their worst moment and denied the possibility of moving on and growing.
To this world he comes with a birth tainted in scandal, a scandal which had the capacity to lead to his mother’s ostracism or even stoning. He comes to face the painful reality that is shame.
And so he comes;
To a world in which Herod can build a luxury palace and a magnificent temple yet many are left with little space of their own for these are not the people who matter.
Still he comes to a world, our world in which over 100,000 households live in temporary accommodation in Britain with nearly a million children living in overcrowded conditions.
To this world he comes to be born not in a royal place but in a stable, the home of animals for as the crowds converge on Bethlehem, there is no room at the inn for a pregnant woman.
And so he comes;
To a world of strict social orders where classes are aware of their place, a world in which the people who are other, gentiles, are kept at a distance.
Still he comes to a world in which we are easily wary of those who are other than we are, a world in which we have our preconceptions of who is and who is not respectable.
To this world he comes, a King to be greeted by lowly and often despised shepherds, a child of Israel to be welcomed by people from a distant land who faith is very much other than the faith of Israel.
And so he comes;
To a world of cruelty where human rights do not exist, a world where a King’s arbitrary power is law, a world where those fall foul of the throne must flee if they are to live.
Still he comes to a world in which even the nations that wrote the rules of human rights now begin to talk the language of when torture , ’even if they do not dare use that odious word, might be permitted, a world in which those who flee tyranny face vilification in their hoped for places of safety and even the threat of their children being taken from them into care.
To this world he comes as one hunted by that King remembered as Herod the Great, forced into exile as an infant into a strange land, the only place of safety.
The coming of Christ is a coming that in all its details is other than might be deemed appropriate. It is a coming that is far from our Christmas card’s idyllic impressions. It is a coming that gives value to unexpected people and challenges us and the society to which we belong as to our values. And if we see in Christmas, a Divine NO to much of how we live and our world operates, we might be close to the real Christmas message. But in all of this, Christmas does not merely challenge and transform our visions. For Advent reminds us, the Jesus who came as a baby in Bethlehem will one day come in glory as our judge. He is the one who comes in judgement over all things. He is the one to whom all our malevolent values and powers will have to answer.
But there is also a message of YES. Years ago, for a time I attended an independent church. I still recall the Christmas where it seemed as ‘though the most important message was whether we should sign our cards ‘Christmas’ or ‘Xmas.’ Xmas, you may imagine was out of favour. A load of stuff and nonsense if you ask me!
For with a little imagination, you can see the X of Xmas as a kiss. And what better way of picturing Christmas than being a kiss to us from God. Think back to the angel who tells an anxious Joseph, “ You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
The birth of Jesus, tells us that God is committed to humanity in fall awareness of our shortcomings. God gives himself in Christ, the incarnate one, God made flesh. In Christ, we find that God is no distant entity but One who is with us, our Emmanuel, God with us.
In Christmas, we dance for joy at the unstoppable love of God. We find we are valued. We rejoice. But then Christmas calls us to enter into the story and aided by the Spirit whom Jesus gives to us, to be about the real work of Christmas, that is creating the signs of God’s Kingdom where all find a value and a fellowship, and in which the pernicious wrongs of this world that masquerade as wisdom, are brought to their very knees.
This Sermon was preached at the Annual Carol Service at Bideford Methodist Church on December 18th 2005.
And so he comes;
To world of conflict, to a town with the soldiers of the world’s one Super Power, Rome, fiercely guarding the streets, a world with Zealot firebrands looking for the opportunity to strike against Rome’s soldiers.
Still he comes to a world beset by conflict, a world of terror, a world in which the resources spent on armaments dwarf the expenditure on health and education leaving many deprived of basic education and the treatment their diseases require.
To this world he comes, the Prince of Peace, accompanied by the song of peace that the angels sing.
And so he comes;
To a world of rigid rules, a world in which to transgress carries real consequences, a world in which male priests carry great power to shame those they deem to have transgressed.
Still he comes to our world, a world in which private shame is tabloid delight, a world in which people are frozen so often in their worst moment and denied the possibility of moving on and growing.
To this world he comes with a birth tainted in scandal, a scandal which had the capacity to lead to his mother’s ostracism or even stoning. He comes to face the painful reality that is shame.
And so he comes;
To a world in which Herod can build a luxury palace and a magnificent temple yet many are left with little space of their own for these are not the people who matter.
Still he comes to a world, our world in which over 100,000 households live in temporary accommodation in Britain with nearly a million children living in overcrowded conditions.
To this world he comes to be born not in a royal place but in a stable, the home of animals for as the crowds converge on Bethlehem, there is no room at the inn for a pregnant woman.
And so he comes;
To a world of strict social orders where classes are aware of their place, a world in which the people who are other, gentiles, are kept at a distance.
Still he comes to a world in which we are easily wary of those who are other than we are, a world in which we have our preconceptions of who is and who is not respectable.
To this world he comes, a King to be greeted by lowly and often despised shepherds, a child of Israel to be welcomed by people from a distant land who faith is very much other than the faith of Israel.
And so he comes;
To a world of cruelty where human rights do not exist, a world where a King’s arbitrary power is law, a world where those fall foul of the throne must flee if they are to live.
Still he comes to a world in which even the nations that wrote the rules of human rights now begin to talk the language of when torture , ’even if they do not dare use that odious word, might be permitted, a world in which those who flee tyranny face vilification in their hoped for places of safety and even the threat of their children being taken from them into care.
To this world he comes as one hunted by that King remembered as Herod the Great, forced into exile as an infant into a strange land, the only place of safety.
The coming of Christ is a coming that in all its details is other than might be deemed appropriate. It is a coming that is far from our Christmas card’s idyllic impressions. It is a coming that gives value to unexpected people and challenges us and the society to which we belong as to our values. And if we see in Christmas, a Divine NO to much of how we live and our world operates, we might be close to the real Christmas message. But in all of this, Christmas does not merely challenge and transform our visions. For Advent reminds us, the Jesus who came as a baby in Bethlehem will one day come in glory as our judge. He is the one who comes in judgement over all things. He is the one to whom all our malevolent values and powers will have to answer.
But there is also a message of YES. Years ago, for a time I attended an independent church. I still recall the Christmas where it seemed as ‘though the most important message was whether we should sign our cards ‘Christmas’ or ‘Xmas.’ Xmas, you may imagine was out of favour. A load of stuff and nonsense if you ask me!
For with a little imagination, you can see the X of Xmas as a kiss. And what better way of picturing Christmas than being a kiss to us from God. Think back to the angel who tells an anxious Joseph, “ You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
The birth of Jesus, tells us that God is committed to humanity in fall awareness of our shortcomings. God gives himself in Christ, the incarnate one, God made flesh. In Christ, we find that God is no distant entity but One who is with us, our Emmanuel, God with us.
In Christmas, we dance for joy at the unstoppable love of God. We find we are valued. We rejoice. But then Christmas calls us to enter into the story and aided by the Spirit whom Jesus gives to us, to be about the real work of Christmas, that is creating the signs of God’s Kingdom where all find a value and a fellowship, and in which the pernicious wrongs of this world that masquerade as wisdom, are brought to their very knees.
This Sermon was preached at the Annual Carol Service at Bideford Methodist Church on December 18th 2005.
posted by Rev Paul Martin | 12:22 PM
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