At Bethlehem

Our Christmas Holy Communion liturgy begins with the final verse of a beautiful poem by Richard Crashaw (1613-49). Here is the poem in full:

Come, we shepherds, whose blest sight
Hath met Love's noon in nature's night;
Come, lift we up our loftier song,
And wake the sun that lies too long.

Gloomy night embraced the place
Where the noble infant lay:
The Babe looked up and showed his face;
In spite of darkness, it was day:-
It was the Day, Sweet! and did rise
Not from the east but from thine eyes.

We saw thee in thy balmy nest,
Young dawn of our eternal day;
We saw thine eyes break from their east,
And chase the trembling shades away;
We saw thee, (and we bless the sight),
We saw thee by thine own sweet light.

Welcome, all wonders in one sight!
Eternity shut in a span!
Summer in winter! Day in night!
Heaven in earth! and God in man!
Great Little One, whose all-embracing birth,
Lifts earth to heaven, stoops heaven to earth.

Christmas Sermon Isaiah 9.2-7

CHRISTMAS 2011  –  Isaiah 9.2-7, Luke 2.1-14

Who knows what plant this is and why we have one in Church today?

= A ponsettia. But in its native country, Mexico, it is called the flor de Noche Buena (Christmas Eve). Anybody know why?

It goes back over 400 years, to a Mexican legend about a little girl called Maria who was sad because she was too poor to provide a gift for the celebration of the birth of Jesus. The story tells how an angel inspired the girl to gather some weeds from the roadside and put them in front of the church altar. Her brother Pablo supported her, saying “it doesn’t matter what you give, as long as it is given in love”. The other children teased her, until they saw the plants turn from green to red on top, right before their eyes as the Maria knelt before the altar.

Everybody in the village then realized that a miracle had taken place and from that day on the plant was known as the flor de Noche Buena – a reminder of that wonderful night when Jesus the Son of God was born to save the world. Which leads us to that reading from Isaiah.

Isaiah’s extraordinary vision

A vision of the transformation of the world from what human beings have made it into what God intended it to be

At the centre of the vision is the birth of a new king, a new son of David who would bring to the world

·         LIGHT (v2) instead of darkness and ignorance and fear

·         JOYFUL UNITY (v3) instead of boundaries, suspicion and hatred

·         PEACE (v5) instead of war and plotting

·         FREEDOM (v4) instead of oppression and exploitation

·         JUSTICE and RIGHTEOUSNESS (v7) because these qualities truly reflects the character of God.

This is the kind of world human beings long for.

Let this Noche Buena plant represent this ideal world.

This is perfection, this is the way we’re wired to live, although looking around us we don’t seem to be very good at it.

NOW for most of us the biggest question is

How ON EARTH (not just in heaven) do we get from this (crib figure of Jesus) to this (poinsettia)?

How can the transformation of the world into a just, healthy, free, safe, flourishing and caring society become a reality instead of just a dream?

PART of the answer is on the wall behind me (‘†’)

The rest of the answer is sitting around you in the pews of this church

Not just today but Sunday by Sunday

Not just here but in thousands of churches around the world who are taking seriously God’s mission to save his creation.

As you look at your co-conspiritors in this great revolution you may start to doubt that it will happen - these are ordinary people, not miracle workers!

But listen again to the final verse of our reading:

The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (Is 9.7)

God is going to fill everyone who answers his call with his ZEAL, with his LIFE, with his SPIRIT. God is going to train our hearts and minds and show us how to make his dream, his vision happen.

If you think this world is just fine the way it is, then this will be an uncomfortable church to be part of.

But for some of you, I know you can feel God stirring your hearts to come and join us in this amazing mission. Or if you don’t live here, find a church near your home which is serious about God’s mission.

Come and join us and see how this (baby Jesus figure) becomes this (poinsettia), to the glory of God!

Was Jesus the first "Indignado"?

Isaiah 61.1-11

JESUS = THE FIRST “INDIGNADO”?

·         Someone at StG said this last week. I agree with some reservations

·         Indignados’ motives not all completely pure (“You’ve got yours, I want mine” … )

·         Indignation at oppression, injustice etc is as old as humanity (J was not the first)

·         Cycles of history – oppressed become the oppressors etc, etc…

ISAIAH INSPIRED

·         Writes 550BC, at low point of one historical cycle

·         Claims to be inspired by God

·         Casts hope and prophesies good news for those least likely …

·         Insists history not just pointless cycles – heading somehere good, perfect, where God’s values prevail.

JESUS FULFILLED

·         550 years later

·         Lk 4 quotes Is 61 (his first “sermon”)

·         Perfectly lived out Is 61 (give some examples …)

·         Holy and pure indignation, like v 8-10 (espec in Mark’s gospel e.g. 1.41, 2.5-10, 3.1-6, 11.15-17). Completely unselfish, pure, power-full

·         Completely & decisively won salvation for all, in the most unexpected way

A ROLE FOR THE INDIGNANT/SAVED

·         In Is 61, the saved become the indignant – indignant for what God is indignant about: see verse 8 and the reversals of verse 1-3ª. (Illustrations from “Advent Conspiracy”)

·         V3b Mighty oaks ; a planting for the Lord for the display of his splendour!

·         V4 Rebuild, Restore, Renew …

·         V6 Priests and Ministers. Meaning? – not wearing dog collars etc  BUT being  go-betweens for God (How might that look here, for us … )

CONCLUSION

·         Jesus was not the first but the perfect “indignado” …

·         The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on us too, and for a purpose …

·         History is clearly on the path Isaiah predicted and Jesus fulfilled it to save the world

·         We are all called to play our part; know that we are saved from ourselves, see the world with “different eyes” and  “live beautifully” (Chalke/Mann).

·         Whether we are “haves” or “have nots” we need to get beyond self-centred indignation to an active, Christ-centred discipleship.