Author: alibates (Page 6 of 8)

Luke 2:8-14

The birth of the baby is first announced to shepherds in a field: a strange choice. Even stranger in an age when shepherds were considered of very low standing, not religious, not moral and not to be trusted.

Luke’s care for the poor, that was evident in chapter one, is here again. It is to ordinary work-a-day poor people that the angel comes. Whatever their lifestyle and irreligiosity they would still perhaps have longed for the Messiah to turn up and change their lives for the better, and here comes an angel with the news that he has arrived. Not just that but the heavenly messenger has come to them.

Heaven’s joy at what is happening breaks into this world with the arrival of a heavenly choir praising God and declaring his favour over those of good will. Nowhere else in scripture does this happen. God is announcing his Son’s arrival.

The sign they are given to find this baby is that he is wrapped in cloths, as would be expected, and lying in a manger, definitely not to be expected. No shiny new cradle for this baby, just what will suffice for the moment.

We can only guess at how overwhelmed the shepherds must have been – the terror, the glory, the joyful message of a Saviour born. The Lord has come – and is in a feeding trough! God has bypassed the religious and pious to reveal his Son to the poor and lowly. This is God’s plan for salvation in action. We used to sing an old chorus, some decades ago, with the line ‘whosoever wills to the Lord may come’. The whosoevers are coming.

Reflection

Have there been times when you were astonished at God’s working in your life, such as he answered a prayer or chose you for a task? The shepherds discover God is not a respecter of persons as we so often are, a willing and open heart is all that is required.

Luke 2:1-7

From Luke we learn how it was that Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem, the city of David (his place of birth), and not Nazareth, and that he was born in less-than-ideal circumstances. Although the exact history of census at the time is difficult to verify Luke sets the historical context as being a census of a Jewish tradition which would require people to return to their ancestral home, and it seems this is what is happening to Joseph, and he has taken Mary with him.

The emperor Augustus, under which this census takes place, had been referred to in his time as the political ‘saviour of the world’, but we know they were false hopes. Human agency is not going to save the world, the true saviour is being born in Bethlehem.

Travelling 85 miles either on foot or by donkey over difficult terrain; their journey was not easy. A lot of traditions have built up around the nativity story, and it may be disappointing to find there is no ox or ass in the stall, no stable and no inn keeper! Bethlehem was a small town and may not have had an inn. The word for ‘lodging’ that Luke uses could also mean a house or guest room. Often poor families lived in the same space or the floor above their animals, as happened in Europe in the past. In that case the manger would have been in the dwelling. Some have suggested Jesus was born in a cave or a courtyard.

What we do know is that Jesus did not arrive in easy circumstances. I’m sure this is not what Mary would have chosen for her first-born child, especially when there is so much promise attached to his arrival. Kings are meant to be born in palaces, but this Son of God is going to identify with the poor and needy from the beginning. In this plan, salvation is coming to all people.

Reflection

Having a baby can be a risky business today, it was even more so in Mary’s day. There was so much that could go wrong. The Son of God has become as vulnerable as it might be possible to be in order to identify with our humanity. What does it mean to you that Jesus was fully human as well as fully God? What difference do you think that makes to your personal faith?

Matthew 1:18-25

So, while momentous things are happening to Mary and Elizabeth, what is happening to poor Joseph. He has a lot to deal with!

Our secular culture has a very different attitude to marriage compared to the biblical view. Many choose to forego the formal public declarations of a marriage covenant. As we have already discussed betrothal was very different for Mary and Joseph. They were considered ‘married’ but not living together; so, for Mary to be pregnant means she has been unfaithful. Rather than bring her to public shame Joseph decides to deal with this quietly and divorce her.

So, God intervenes and answers his distress in a dream, the angel re-iterating what Luke has told us, that Mary’s baby is the Son of God, conceived (created) by the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth is a difficult concept for the modern world to accept, it is seen as foolish to believe it. God, however, works in the supernatural realm as we have seen already several times in this story. Creation is a miracle, resurrection is a miracle and so is the conception of God’s Son.

‘Perhaps the strongest theological argument for the necessity of the virginal conception is that in this way we see that it is God alone who has done all that is necessary for salvation. ……we have contributed nothing to the coming of Jesus among us. Jesus is God’s gift to us. Our salvation is entirely of the grace of God.’[1]

Joseph is often in the background of the Christmas story, but he pays a vital role. He is just, kind and obedient to God. He stands with Mary through a very difficult time. He is the earthly father to Jesus and would have taught him about the Jewish faith and God his Father. The baby will be called Jesus meaning ‘God saves’. Every part of this plan for salvation comes from God alone.

Reflection

Are there people in your world now or in the past who have played a significant role in your journey of faith but are perhaps unseen? Why not take a moment to thank God for them, pray for them and if possible send them a message (letter, card, email) and thank them for what they have done.

[1] Paul Beasley Murray, Joy to the World, (Intervarsity Press, Leicester , 2005) p.27

December 14^th

Luke 1:67-80

This song of praise by Zechariah is known as the Benedictus. Like Mary, Zechariah draws together his knowledge of the Old Testament scripture. In this he anticipates the deliverance that God is bringing to his people. Prophetically Zechariah is declaring that salvation is coming, God is going to do what he had promised long ago; he has not forgotten. There has always been a plan.

Jesus, the light of the world, is about to be born and the ‘morning light from heaven’ is coming for those who sit in darkness. Jesus’ death and resurrection will bring hope and peace to those in the shadow of death, that is, all of us. Zechariah maybe sees this salvation as being one of freedom from their political enemies, so that they can serve God without fear. However we know that Jesus is not the political or military leader the people were expecting at this time.

He does accurately predict the role his son is to play in this unfolding drama, he will be the first prophet in Israel for four centuries. John cannot save people, but he can point people to Jesus and declare the necessity of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Again, prophetically, Zechariah speaks as those these events have already happen.

Reflection

Jesus’ coming is about God’s plan for the salvation of all humanity and John will not be shy in telling people what they must do to be saved. We can take something from his example and his love and zeal for God. Is there someone you can invite to hear the gospel this Christmas?

December 13^th

Luke 1:57-66

A happy family event! Elizabeth gives birth to a son, and everybody comes to share in the joy of this longed for child. On the eighth day the assumption of everyone around is that he will be named Zechariah after his father and according to their tradition. Elizabeth says no ‘his name is John’. In their concern the visitors gesture to Zechariah as to what he thinks about this. It seems a little odd that they gesture when he is dumb not deaf, but the word Luke uses ‘kophos’ can mean deaf and dumb. So perhaps their behaviour is not so odd, and Zechariah’s situation worse than we may have first thought. Either way, he confirms the name of the child is John, in accordance with the angel’s instructions, and immediately he can speak again!  This miracle causes more awe, astonishment and pause for thought. Clearly John is a special baby, and maybe their hopes for God’s intervention in their nation are not in vain

John, Yohannan, means ‘God is gracious’ and indeed he is. He has been gracious to Elizabeth and is going to manifest his grace through Mary’s son, the Messiah, and make that grace available to everyone who will receive him as Saviour.

Zechariah’s obedience in naming his son John brings about his immediate restoration and he can speak. He is going to make up for his nine months of silence, as we will see tomorrow.

For God to do something new sometimes we have to break with tradition, with what is familiar. There is going to be a lot of that when Jesus arrives and ushers in the Kingdom of God. Salvation will require ‘new birth’, a letting go of the old to embrace the new.

Reflection

Sometimes a change of routine or tradition can help us grow in our relationship to God in new ways. Is there an area of your life that you think might benefit from a change of routine? If so then why not journal that and record what you intend to do instead.

December 12^th

Luke 1:46-56

Today’s reading is called the Magnificat and we can divide it into three sections.

Firstly in verses 46-49 Mary declares what it is that God has done for her; he has saved her (‘God my Saviour’), noticed her and chosen her. She is in awe and worships God for his grace towards her. If you are reading in a cross referenced Bible you will see how much Mary is drawing on what she knows of the Old Testament – the story of Hannah (1 Sam. 2), the Psalms, Isaiah and Genesis. All these familiar passages are now coming together for her in this event.

Secondly in verses 50-53 she speaks of what God will do for others, but she speaks prophetically as though it has all already happened, as if the future is here. It is sometimes referred to as the prophetic past. She talks of the social revolution that is to come where there is mercy for those who fear God, the lifting up of the humble and the satisfying of the hungry. Those who are proud, mighty or rich will not find what they are looking for. The poor, probably most of the population, are the ones to whom Jesus will go; the ordinary citizens who have no rights. In choosing Mary and Joseph God has bypassed the well-to -do to fulfil his purposes. Jesus first revolution was to deal with sin not the injustices created by wealth, but changed hearts change their attitudes and priorities.

Finally, in verses 54-55, she speaks of what God will do for Israel and that he has remembered his promise to their forbears. In spite of Israel’s spiritual state God has not forgotten.

Reflection

God chooses nobodies to fulfil his purposes. Have there been or are there times when you have considered yourself unworthy, not good enough or not talented enough for God to choose you? Mary’s example teaches us that God chooses according to the heart. We are not nobodies when Christ has died for us!

December 11^th

Luke 1:39-45

Today’s reading is much shorter, but it gives us an insight into the relationship between Mary and her cousin Elizabeth. Mary visits Elizabeth a few days after the angel Gabriel’s visit, when Elizabeth is 6 months pregnant. Mary’s presence causes Elizabeth’s unborn child to respond, ‘to leap’. Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit and perhaps it is at this moment that the angel’s prophecy that John will be filled with the Spirit from before birth comes true. She is speaking prophetically when she says that the mother of my Lord has visited me! She knows Mary’s baby will be the more important of the two, and she tells Mary ‘you are blessed because you believed’. Elizabeth’s response confirms what the angel has said about her own child, that he will prepare the way for the Lord, and she is the first to call Jesus ‘Lord’.

Mary needs the friendship of her cousin, someone who has experienced her own extraordinary miracle. She needs community, strength and the care of those who will understand her and not judge her. Elizabeth is older, wiser and has walked with God a long time. Both women demonstrate a humility and yieldedness to the Lord that is expressed in their care of each other. Verse 56 tells us that Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months until just before John is born.

Mary and Elizabeth are true disciples, they hear, believe and give themselves to God’s purposes. They are women of faith.

Reflection 

Being a friend and needing friends are important parts of our lives. We are made to live in community, and a community of faith can be crucial to us remaining faithful worshippers of the Lord. Do you need a friend or to be a friend at this time? Is there someone you can call on, or someone to whom you could offer a listening ear? Consider how you might put this into action.

December 10^th

Luke 1:26-38

Six months later and the next stage of the plan unfolds. Gabriel is on another mission, this time to Mary. We are told she is engaged to a man who is a descendant of King David, which Luke knows is important. In Mary’s day betrothal was a serious commitment, vows have been made which could not easily be broken except by divorce or death. After a betrothal the couple would stay with their parents for a year before being married and living together. Mary would have been a very young teenager at this time. It seems strange in our culture but was the norm then. Mary has been chosen, she is highly favoured. We are not told why, but it is an act of grace i.e. it has not been earned. Given the cultural view of unmarried mothers and harsh treatment of those guilty of adultery, which is how this would be seen, it is unlikely that it will feel like an honour to her, or Joseph, or their families.

Mary’s ‘yes’ to God’s choice is going to lead to shame and disgrace, an awful lot of misunderstandings and ultimately pain for her as a mother. Yet, she quietly accepts God’ scall on her life and bows to his will.

Reflection

What can we learn from Mary’s response about our own response to God as his disciples ? Are there areas of life where you need to yield as she did?

December 9^th

Luke 1:1-25

We will come back to Matthew’s gospel in a few days’ time, but for now we go from the Jewish witness to Jesus’ birth to Luke, the Gentile physician and the writer of our other account of Jesus’ birth. Luke is a second-generation believer, not an eyewitness, and has taken on the role of an investigative reporter in order to convey a clear report to Theophilus. We do not know who he is other than that he seems to be a new believer and anxious to learn. His name means ‘lover of God’, as such we could say it is addressed to anyone who will believe.

We start with this wonderful story of two older godly people who would never have imagined what was about to happen to them. That they would have a child would be enough, but this of course is not just any child. This child will be the herald for a king.

The last verse of the Old Testament, Malachi 4:5, prophesies that Elijah will come to turn people’s hearts to God before the Messiah comes. For centuries generations have waited for this event and now the angel explains to a terrified Zechariah how this will happen. It’s hardly surprising he found it hard to believe that he is now caught up in the story of the coming Messiah. Zechariah would have known the scriptures and what was said about the Lord’s herald, to hear that it will be his son who will accomplish this is more than he can take in. The angel is clear that John is not Elijah reborn, he comes in the spirit and power of Elijah

Zechariah is struck dumb, literally.  No more words of doubt from him. Elizabeth is just simply grateful that her prayers have been heard and the longed-for child is to come.

Remember – there is a plan.

Reflection

Zechariah and Elizabeth are the right people for the job, the ones who will raise John in the faith, ready for his ministry. They have experienced great disappointment in not having a child and must have wondered why God had not answered them, and now they know. Trust involves not just believing in God’s ways but also his timings. Their disappointment had not stopped them walking in God’s ways although it clearly effected Zechariahs ability to believe the angel Gabriel. Whilst he is kept silent, he, like us, is not excluded from being part of the divine plan.

December 8^th

Matthew 1:1-17

Biblical genealogies might not be your favourite part of the Bible to read! They can be seen as boring and not very relevant to us or the story we are reading, however this one is crucial. There will be many names in this genealogy that you may recognise, like Abraham, David, Jacob, Solomon, Hezekiah, Zerubbabel. Discovering our family tree has become a bit of an obsession in modern times perhaps linked to a sense of needing to find our identity, but in past times your lineage would have been critical to your place in society.

Matthew divides Jesus’ lineage up in 3 groups of fourteen generations, or six groups of seven making Jesus the beginning of the seventh group of seven. Seven was a highly symbolic number to Matthew’s readers. This is what the nation has been waiting for through four hundred years. The promises to Abrahm and David are to be fulfilled in this baby.

Surprisingly Matthew also lists four women who played a significant role in the Old Testament story: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. This is very unusual for a Jewish genealogy, even more so since three of them are Gentiles and of questionable morality. Yet they have all been forgiven and received into this family: a lineage of grace.

This is no ordinary birth, but it is an ordinary family. Yet God has done extraordinary things in the past through ordinary people (Matthw has just listed four of them). Perhaps he is reminding his readers that the extraordinary story he is telling them has a precedent. The story of Christianity is rooted in history, it is a salvation story that can be traces back to the beginning of time.

Matthew both roots his story in Jewish tradition but also reminds us of how God can surprise us. He chooses who he wills to do his purposes, and it may not always be what we might have expected.

Reflection

Scripture tells us that God’s ways are not our ways, his ways are higher than ours. Acknowledgement of that means we must come to this story with humility and, as we give our lives to Christ, present our own story to him in humility and thankfulness for his grace.

Have you experienced a moment when God has answered your prayer but in a surprising way?