Luke 2.1-20
Exact date of our Lord’s birth is unknown. The Celtic festival of Yule is thought to be one of the motivators for the celebration of Christmas around the winter solstice. In fact Yule celebration takes place on December 21 or 22 and is associated with the lighting of candles and bonfires, decorating homes and feasting. So, not dissimilar to our celebrations today.
Interestingly the Celtic teachings are also not far removed from those of our own Ten Commandments. These are the basis of first Jewish Covenant delivered by Moses in the desert.
Celtic ethics the include:
Hospitality, Truth, Generosity, taking care of each other, Wisdom, Knowledge, Eloquence, Mercy, Justice, and the strong supporting the weak and worshiping God through the natural world
Similarly,
the Ten Commandments had also created a basic civilised code of conduct for
Israelites.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul
and mind
You shall honour your father and mother,
You shall not kill,
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal,
You shall not bear false witness,
You must worship the one God "Yahweh" which is the Hebrew word for the self-revealed name of the God of the Old Testament.
What was
missing? Both these traditions were missing the light of Christ.
Beatitudes
Blessed (or fortunate) are the humble and those who share
with others.
Blessed are those who provide comfort in sorrow.
Blessed are the gentle, kind, patient, and tolerant.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness:
Blessed are the pure in heart - devoted to seeking God.
Blessed are the peacemakers. They are the children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
The progress of St Patrick’s conversion of Ireland in 5th Century demonstrates the evangelist spark that set the tinder dry Celtic fuel alight. In twelve years quietly established over 300 churches, built a cathedral in Armagh in northeast Ireland, baptized over 120,000 people, and crucially “Christianized” the Celtic Pagan festivals
Similarly, Judea had been waiting for the Christ child for centuries. There had been no prophets for 400 years - until John the Baptist. Few people were living in faith – only in ritual
Perhaps our times are similar with only 5% of the population being regular churchgoers. Because so few people live in their faith perhaps just in the habit.
Perhaps we are also waiting for the monumental impact of an incarnation proved by the miraculous events or signs that we saw in Our Lord’s life and ministry.
What would happen if these monumental events happen today.
When John
the Baptist was in prison, he sent a disciple to ask Jesus for evidence of that
he was the Messiah. Jesus replied
‘Tell John what you see and hear. 5 The blind see. Those the lame walk. Lepers are healed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised and the Good News is preached to all people. Matthew 11:1-6
The life, ministry, death and resurrection of our Lord were all miraculous and crucial evidence of Our Lord’s divinity
In global terms the first and second covenants were delivered to relatively small numbers of people in one country at a time with relatively slow communications. Crucially everything was second or third hand.
However, Our Lord prophesied the third coming John 14:1-3. The next time whoever comes will have full access to social and global media.
Crucially the next Messiah will speak directly to us in our own homes – not by word of mouth – or through a multitude of translations.
The light of Christ will be in everybody’s living room – daily. The effect will be monumental. At no time in history had this ever been possible before
Are we sitting on a tinder box of expectation?
We don’t know the next coming will be but we can predict that the impact of this incarnation It will be momentous – just as the last one was 2000 years ago.
Amen
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Luke 2:1-20
2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
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