Nativity Characters

This morning, I want us to spend some time thinking about the people in the story of the birth of Jesus. We have a nativity set, and I have given some of the pieces to people as they arrived: [speak about each part of the nativity scene as it is put into place]

·    First we hear of Mary – what do we know about Mary? Young, not yet married. Heard an Angel and said yes to God’s messenger.

·    Joseph – what do we know about Joseph? Probably older than Mary; not sure what is happening; a carpenter.

·    Shepherds – lived outside, looked down upon;

·    Angels – messengers from God – to Mary: “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favour with God.”
to Shepherds: “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;”
to Joseph:  “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife” [Mt] also:
lots of angels singing to shepherds: “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

·    Wise men, Magi, kings: Watched the night sky for changes – scientists. They must have had some money, or wealthy friends, to be able to travel for an unknown amount of time.

·    Star – pointed the way for to where the baby was born.

·    Who is missing – baby Jesus.

Mary said yes to God; Joseph supported her; the shepherds came to see; the Magi searched. The angels brought messages from God and praised God, and the star showed something important was happening.

The story as it is traditionally told is a mixture of the birth stories from the gospels of Matthew and Luke, each includes different information, so generally they are patched together.

Which character best describes where you are at this year? Are you like Mary full of faith, prepared to take a risk and say ‘yes’ to god?

Are you like Joseph, uncertain about the next step?

Are you like the Shepherds, amazed at the fact that angels are speaking to you?

Are you like the Magi, seeking for something more, searching for knowledge?

Are you an angel, speaking God’s message of peace and praising God with your life?

Are you like the star, encouraging and guiding those who are searching?

Or are you like the government officials, scared and wanting everything to happen under your control?

Or are you like the innkeeper, trying to keep your head above water, and no time for anything extra?

What do these stories tell us for today? What can we learn from these stories of the birth of Jesus, whether we believe in the miracles and angels or not.

We can think of this story as something sweet that happened 2,000 years ago. We can think of Jesus as the baby in the manger and forget about the rest of his life. We can see the cuteness and ignore the loneliness, the courage, the wonder, the threat that is within this story.

This is a story for everyone. This is story for young and old, for rich and poor, for travellers, outsiders, a story for seekers and a story for people of deep faith and no faith. This is a story about God’s love for all people.

In the letter to the Hebrews we read of a God who was speaking through the prophets for centuries, and John’s Gospel begins: 

 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. … What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.”

This is the story not only of a baby being born, but of life and light and love being offered to us by God. Because the birth of Jesus is one more way of God saying: I love you. I know you, you are important to me, and I love you. I have come myself to live amidst the pain, the fear, the unknown-ness of human life. I have come to show you I love you, by being with you, in all aspects of life.

In the birth, the life, the death and resurrection of Jesus, God speaks to us. What message do we hear? How do we respond?

Anna and Simeon

this week, two short reflections.

Gospel Luke 2:22-40

# 1 Anna and Simeon

How many of you have seen the movie, the Bucket List. Two men mark off the things they want to do before they die. Do you have a list of what you want to do, or see or achieve, before you die?

Simeon didn’t have a bucket list, but [verse 26] he has been told by the Holy Spirit that he will not die before he has seen the Messiah.

Mary and Joseph are following standard Jewish protocol in going to the Temple for Mary’s purification 40 days after the birth. They take Jesus with them, though it is not necessary for the child to be present.

The Spirit leads Simeon into the temple, at the time Mary and Joseph and Jesus are there. Simeon takes the child in his arms and praises God; this is known as the Nunc Dimittis. We will sing it shortly. Here Simeon announces that he has seen the salvation God has sent of all people, a light to the Gentiles and glory for the people of Israel.

Last night I found out many people here had not heard of Anna. These few verses are all we hear of Anna; a prophet, daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher, and a widow. She spends her time in the Temple, praying and fasting. And she praises God. Anna tells those around here of the child who will redeem Israel.

Simeon and Anna both recognise Jesus as the Messiah. They don’t only see a little baby; they see the fulfilment of God’s promise to send a Messiah, one who will bring salvation, one who will change the world. They both praised God for his coming.

What can we learn from Anna and Simeon?

In the culture of first century Israel, older people were revered, they were considered wise. Anan and Simeon were devout, Anna spending her time in the temple, or the women’s area of the Temple; and Simeon responding to the Spirit’s prompting to enter the Temple at the time that Jesus was there. There is another pattern common to both Simeon and Anna – they recognise something special in Jesus; they praise God; they speak about what God is doing. There is no gooey cute baby stuff here. Recognise/praise/tell.

What do you want to see or do before you die?

When have you recognised God in action; and responded with praise? Did you tell anyone?

Hymn/song: TIS 733 Lord God, you now have set your servant free

Drama: Now a drama [Hay and stardust pp. 231-3]

#2 Jesus’ birthday

I am told it is hard when your birthday occurs on December 25. Some families celebrate the birthday a few weeks early, especially with a child; others have different ways of working through multiple celebrations. 

Christmas is thought of as Jesus Birthday; and it is the celebration of him being born. But, when we have birthday parties, we don’t just celebrate being born, and the events surrounding our actual birth. We celebrate life, friendships, joys, sorrows, family etc. etc.

Let’s pretend Jesus is having an actual party, with invitations, presents, food and speeches. Are you on the guest list; and who else is there?  What gift do you take for Jesus?

If you were to make a speech at Jesus birthday party, what would you include?  [Try and get some answers]

A poem about a Christmas gift for Jesus. [poem from http://carolpenner.typepad.com/leadinginworship/2011/11/the-year-i-put-god-on-the-christmas-list.html ]

Praise

Mary’s song is probably familiar to many of you. It is a beautiful song of praise, and a song of revolution. Mary sings of the great things that God is doing in her life. She sings of how God has looked favourably on his lowly servant. Mary was young, poor, and now pregnant. Mary, an unmarried pregnant teenager from a small religiously conservative town, has the courage, the insight to sing this song of praise. Mary sings of the blessing of being a servant of God. Being a servant of God could get Mary killed, that is what happened to ‘girls like her’. Being a servant of God could have led to her being excluded from her family or her marriage to Joseph being called off.

In what ways is God calling you to be a servant? Do you feel blessed that God is calling you?

Mary’s song is also about Israel and the world, about how God was turning the world upside down, or right side up. As with Zechariah’s song, Mary sings of what is yet to happen as if it has already occurred.

I wonder how we sing Mary’s song today. I wonder if we can, because every person here is well off, I doubt anyone here is living below the poverty line, I doubt anyone here is without a place to live, I doubt anyone here is in fear of their lives.

So as the powerful, and the rich, for by world standards we are; how do we relate to this song? Does it prick our conscience? Or do we let it flow over us because we think of ourselves like Mary, rather than the people she says will be humbled.

This radical song from Mary is about the new reign of God, about a future, that has begun, where justice, hope and peace will reign; the realm of God where the powerful, the proud and the rich will be removed from their places of privilege; the realm of God where the oppressed and the hungry will be lifted and fed.

Is this a song we are comfortable with?

What song of praise do we sing?

------------------

[2 minutes silence]

Mary’s song is a song of praise, and this the third Sunday in Advent is the Sunday of joy. This week I have found a website that has a different version of the Hallelujah chorus each day. So far there has been a handbells choir, a banjo solo, people with signs, and the one you will see shortly. As you watch it, I want you to think about when and where and how you sing praise to God.

Peace

Readings: Isaiah 41: 1-11 and Luke 1: 57-79
This is the second week in Advent; the candle theme for today is peace. Yet we know what is to come: John whose birth we hear about today will be killed by Herod; and Jesus, the one whose birth we await, is also killed by the rulers of the day.

The theme of the second Sunday in Advent is peace; I wonder what makes for peace. Certainly there are places in Africa and the Middle East at the moment where people are rising up against governments and leaders. There are many places in the world where it is dangerous to live. There is no peace if people are afraid to walk outside their front door. There is no peace when girls are attacked with acid for refusing to marry. There is no peace when people seeking asylum are treated as less than human. There is no peace when people are stereotyped rather than treated as individuals. There is no peace when we are too busy to waste time with God. There is no peace when …

Sometimes it seems that peace is elusive, sometimes people look to violence as the way to peace. The peace that is spoken of in Isaiah and in the Luke reading is not just the absence of war.

Luke records words of Zechariah at the naming of his son, John; words of praise, words of remembering, words of trust and words of faith. In speaking these words, and in remembering the salvation and mercy of God, Zechariah speaks not only of salvation from our enemies, but being saved to or for acts of righteousness, justice and peace.

In the same way peace is not only peace from conflict, but peace for life; where people can live in safety, with adequate food supplies, clean water, education, and medical resources. Peace from war, peace from shame and guilt bring the opportunity of new life, and of hope.

Peace is also something we can talk about is an internal thing, a spiritual state. Sometimes we are aware of a place deep within us where the peace of God dwells, even when life is in turmoil. I can remember some difficult times as a new Christian, my father was not happy with his newly church going daughter, but deep within I knew I had made the right decision, somewhere within me, there was peace.

The story of Zechariah starts with him going to temple to fulfil his duty, Zechariah was from the priestly tribe, and was rostered for duty at certain times. He was chosen to burn incense in the holy place, and while there an angel told him his wife Elizabeth would bear a son. Zechariah and Elizabeth were old, too old to have a child, just like in the story of Abraham and Sarah. Zechariah questions the angel, and is unable to speak until after the baby is born. It is at the boy’s naming, that Zechariah can speak again.

And the neighbours wondered: “what then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.”

Then this lovely poem/song from Zechariah; Zechariah praises God for raising up the one who will save the people of Israel. The covenant is remembered, the way the prophets spoke of God’s mercy. Many translations say that Zechariah spoke this prophecy – that means truth, not a prediction. The same with the prophets, they are speaking a truth from God, often something that goes against the culture, but it is telling the truth, not predicting the future. While we think of time as linear, the Bible doesn’t present time that way, which is why sometimes prophets speak of the future in the present tense or even past tense.

The last verse of the reading: ““By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon* us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’”

Light will come to us, God will come to us. Christianity is a religion of incarnation. In Christianity we don’t have to earn love, or salvation. In Christianity, God comes to us, in the form of a little baby named Jesus, in the form of the Holy Spirit. We don’t have to climb a theological or physical mountain, to meet God; God comes to meet us. And we are transformed. Just as darkness is transformed by the coming of light, changed into something different; we are transformed by the coming of God into our lives.

After praising God and speaking of God’s salvation in the present tense, when Jesus is not yet born, then he speaks of his own child:

“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,”

We know Christmas is coming in 21 days, we know the story, we hear it each year. So what does it mean for us to wait, to prepare?

How do we proclaim God’s faithfulness, God’s blessing, and God’s salvation as we wait?

Can we confidently say with Zechariah: “‘blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favourably on his people and redeemed them.”

If we were to write a song, or poem, what would we say; About God’s activity in the world, in our past, our present, our future?