December 19, 2021 – 4th Sunday of Advent

Time-lines and story converge upon a critical path, the moment of NOW for the timeless Son of God. We must wrestle with the story of Christ’s birth and his presentation at the temple again in 2021; we do so because it is NOW! I think we require a critical path to see the story of the timeless birth of God spill-out into all creation, and we humans are in this process. Lets think of it as an horizontal family tree that branches-out, but then returns to a solitary path, one family, one creation.

A greater, invasive and perhaps volatile story emerges as God’s presence is revealed in the world. Many time-lines and stories slowly weave themselves along one critical path, from first gardens to Abram and Sari, Elkanah, Hannah and Samuel to old Eli (and his unfortunately evil offspring), and from the speechless Zechariah to the gentle Simeon and Anna. You and I have story that weaves into this timelessness . . . these are the stories that invite and prepare us to full partnership in the nativity NOW.

While we visualize the Baby, wrapped in bands of cloth, lying in a manger, and Child’s presentation in the temple shortly after, lets us be mindful of the necessary and wider context, that which Simeon rehearses in the quieting prayer of night. We just simply cannot look at one or two parts of the Lukan narrative to grasp the depth of the Incarnation, rather many poignant events converge as risking parents endure and provide for the birth of Jesus.

***Joseph went with Mary to Bethlehem, he did not take her, they went together, Luke tells us that both must go to be registered in Bethlehem because of their lineage. While Joseph does the honourable thing by accompanying Mary, he also did a religiously dangerous thing by travelling with an unwed woman who has come to full term pregnancy. She and he both of the line of David to come very close to fulfilling commonly understood Hebrew prophecies concerning the messiah. . .

And all of this during a socio-political crisis where many people of God were forced into political ghettos, and religious poverty. The coming of messiah was no secret, and it was something that threatened they who abuse power for selfish gain, whilst it raised the hopes and expectations of those who were oppressed.

Jesus’ cousin John announces the arrival of God’s messiah, a king, and that sets off Herod into extremely violent behaviour that ultimately results in John’s death; whilst many folk risked their livelihood and religious status to be baptized by John. John’s father Zechariah, an active priest of the temple, was-struck with silence, he was no longer capable of interceding prayers on behalf of the privileged, and therefore signifying in a way the end of a corrupt priesthood.

The context of dis-ease and real world socio-political tensions enables us to see the birth of Jesus in the terms in which I believe God intended, and that is to be the natural birthing of God in creation, beautiful, attracting they who would have been strangers. The baby does not do very much at the nativity scene, but lay in a manger protected by parents and shepherd from corrupt powers of the temporal and religious entities, yet remaining in the fullness of the human condition, and it is here that we too must live and die. Loving babies as the gold standard of human behaviour does not bode well for they who abuse power, so to do all in our power to support others in their life in Christ is our radical rallying cry against injustice, oppression, greed, violence, individualism and consumerism.

Humans are interdependent creatures, not just amidst our species, but within the entire context of creation. From first gardens to Abram and Sari, Elkanah, Hannah and Samuel to old Eli, and from Zechariah to the gentle Simeon and Anna, God has spoken, birthed new life, and all of this amidst the folly of our race in every generation. 

Simeon and Anna waited until the end of their days to witness and proclaim the fulfilling of God’s promised messiah. They waited for their leaders to lead, and refrain from obstructing the justice of God but to no avail – the two of them had to lead. For them, they found it in a baby, at the most dangerous time, and with a very real sense of Holy awe. They found the promised messiah in life itself, understanding God’s presence alive in all creation.

 ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,
   according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation,
   which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
   and for glory to your people Israel.’

New born babies need protecting, and we know God is there.

God chooses little babies to protect all of creation from ourselves, and the little babies know God is there.  If we know this, we shall proclaim this boldly.