Well, 2016 was an eventful year. What
with Brexit, Trump and what have you. After those shocks to the geopolitical
system isn’t it nice to be able to anticipate the warm, familiar glow of
Christmas? It comes but once a year, bringing with it fond memories of
Christmases past. Family gatherings, turkey and trimmings, pressies, the Queen
on telly and so on. A chance to stop the world and get off for the festive
season.
The first Christmas was rather more disruptive. Wise men from
the East arrived at Herod’s palace seeking the new born King of the Jews.
Herod’s reaction wasn’t, ‘Aw, baby Jesus, how sweet.’ The power grabbing ruler
could brook no rivals. He wanted the infant King killed. Shocking isn’t it?
The message of Christmas is disruptive. It disrupts what we
may think about God. We might expect him to make a universe to display his
glory. But do we imagine for one minute that almighty God would enter the world
as one of us, a flesh and blood human being? That’s exactly what happened when
Jesus was born. He is the Son of God born as man. His name is ‘Immanuel’,
meaning ‘God with us’ as one of us.
Why did Jesus come? The Bible explains it was ‘to save his
people from their sins’ (Matthew 1:21). That too is a disruptive thought. It
suggests that all is not well between us and God and that we need to be forgiven
to put things right. Well, yes. In the Gospel accounts there is a direct road
from Bethlehem where Jesus was born to Calvary where he died for the sins of the
world.
The wise men got it. They believed in Jesus, sought him out
and worshipped him. They were prepared to embrace the disruptive power of God’s
grace in Jesus. How about you?
Scroll down to the bottom of this page for the low down on Providence & Ebenezer Christmas services.
* For December News & Views, West Lavington parish mag
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