Are You a Follower of Jesus? (Mark 1:14-20)

At verse 14 of Mark chapter 1 Jesus himself comes out into the public arena. It’s interesting that this occurs at the very time when the ‘preparer of the way’ John the Baptizer has been arrested and silenced. The same word translated “arrested” (or ‘handed over’) used here was also used of Jesus in three years time – Jesus will also be arrested and executed (yet of course he will not be ultimately silenced)! This is an early indicator that the call to “repentance” i.e. challenging people to change their ways, is a confronting and therefore risky pursuit.

The first words that come out of Jesus’ mouth, sums up what he is about, what God is seeking to achieve, and also what any true disciple of Jesus will be on about … "The time is fulfilled … the kingdom of God has come near … repent … believe in the good news". The “kingdom of God” has come near” because God has come to the world to deliver people out of their modern day exile. Yet the “kingdom of God” has not fully arrived because the “good news” still needs to be spread and heard.

The “Kingdom of God” is seen where the will of God is done. It is evident here and there, but essentially it is still in the process of coming. Thus we are taught to pray (by Jesus in the “Lord’s Prayer” - Matt 6:10) for God’s Kingdom to come … “Your Kingdom come … Your will be done … on earth as it is in heaven”. Jesus needs modern days disciples to bring forward the Kingdom, and shows this by recruiting disciples in his own time to set the pattern for committed following.

The “repentance” required of those who would truly follow Jesus is not just some level of regret for misdeeds and a mild commitment towards doing better. This “repentance” is about a total surrender to God’s way of living! It will mean that the true follower of Jesus will not just think that the gospel is a good idea, but that they will ‘stake their life’ on the “good news” – Jesus will be their major focus in life, and that everything else will fall into line behind Jesus; that’s what it means to "believe in the good news" – it is to live from the vision of the “kingdom”, participating in its life.

Whereas there would be an open call to all to repent and believe in the good news, Jesus would target certain ones for leadership that he knew would positively respond in a determined fashion. There was Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. There was also James and his brother John. These guys had obviously been prepared by God for such an occasion as this. They had a real sense of their own need, yet they understood that they had a contribution to make to humanity above and beyond their fishery vocation. When this man Jesus came along with such impacting words as … follow me and I will make you fish for people, this addressed these fishermen’s personal spiritual desires and expectations, as well as their readiness for service.

Both sets of brothers immediately left their workplaces and businesses and followed Jesus. This was a vital re-orientation for the first and founding disciples of Jesus – for they could walk and talk with Jesus full-time for three years. Instead of living by the fishing business, they will now live to reach other people for the Kingdom of God.

We are not necessarily called to leave our workplaces and careers today (in fact our workplaces can actually become our mission field), but the idea of not letting anything else get in the way of our following relationship with Jesus remains crystal clear. Follow me, or ‘come after me’ in the sense of walking behind, describes a pupil’s role and relationship to their teacher and master. The former fishermen join themselves to Jesus, to accompany him, to participate in his life, to share in his ministry, with a view to later continuing this ministry (after the end of Jesus’ earthly life). Jesus was already on the move and beckoning followers to keep up with the pace.

While Simon Peter and Andrew may have simply left basic jobs, James and John seem to have left a lucrative family business behind. And the reference to “hired hands” in the ‘Zebedee fishing company’ might even suggest that James and John were more management than labourers. So, we can’t let even the prospect of earthly success obscure our view of following Jesus. [But what of the mention of James and John “mending the nets”? What would better qualify them as potential disciples than workplace leaders who were willing to carry out even the more menial tasks?!!]

We could now refer to the conclusion of Mark's Gospel at 16:1-8. We would reflect there on the reassurance that Jesus was alive and waiting for his disciples in Galilee. Yet in referring to verse 8 and the response of the women (also remarking on the earlier scattering of the disciples), we could be first surprised and then feel significantly challenged. We should then link 1:1 with the prospect of 16:7, and the reality of 16:8. We would note the relevance of 16:8 to Mark’s Christian community in Rome, and then the call to be a disciple in 1:16-20. The call to discipleship will naturally involve suffering even today. We will have to journey through that suffering remaining joined to Jesus.

Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John were being asked to step out of their comfort zones, change their focus, and take on a largely unknown but certainly risky enterprise. Yet they did so without hesitation. Hesitation (or prayerfulness) to determine whether something is God’s will or God’s best for us is a good thing. However, hesitation while weighing up the cost or looking for excuses, while being human, is likely to mean we’ll miss our moment in time.

The immediate responses of Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John to follow Jesus might also imply unconditional responses. This is a theme that Mark will take up later. It did not matter where Jesus was going, or the danger they might be heading for, or what their personal circumstances, desires or ambitions were – they were going anyway! This seems to be the indication of the text. Yet, as the narrative unfolds, the humanness and fallibility of these disciples emerges. But nonetheless Jesus will regather his disciples in Galilee, and in Rome, and in Point Cook, and invest the Holy Spirit in them, and give them his ministry to continue on with.

Christmas Day Thoughts 2007

It is a great blessing to us that the coming Jesus was identified as the “Prince of Peace”. Not the “Prince” of conflict or violence, not the “Prince” of anxiety or busyness, but the “Prince of Peace”.

This means that Jesus would firstly be the ‘conveyor’ of inner peace: where through him we find grace to touch our guilt, mercy to touch our sin, and salvation to touch our lostness.

Then this also means that Jesus would be the ‘promoter’ of peaceful relationships: so we seek to live our lives in harmony with all those we are in contact with (wife, husband, daughter, son, parents, other family members, neighbours, friends, work colleagues, school-mates etc), as well as living in harmony with creation itself.

And further, Jesus being the “Prince of Peace” means that he is the ‘example’ of what it is to be a peacemaker; so when we take on board Jesus’ ‘beattitude’ (Matt 5:9) – "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God" – we will actually look to Jesus to learn how to bring that off!

As an aside … some people when looking at the whole breadth of the Bible might wonder how to get a handle on all this complexity and work out how to live – I think the answer is this … we study the life of Jesus first, and then work both back and forward from there. A true Christian way of thinking can only be focussed on what Jesus would say or do!

Now, sometimes other people make it impossible for us to live at peace with them. However, this does not mean we stop being peacemakers, it just means we live with integrity within disharmony. Just because we are offended against doesn’t mean that we have the right to get back at another or establish our own position by force. We don’t want to be like those people who call themselves Christians and adhere themselves to the church, but seem to ignore some of the most important things the founder of the movement (and the head of the church) teaches.

Jesus the “Prince of Peace” calls us to be peacemakers and then shows us in the Gospel narratives how to go about it! I’ve had some difficult issues to deal with this year in my community work, but I’ve had to remember that my calling as a peacemaker supersedes any other task that has to be undertaken or problem that has to be solved. I am first and foremost a Jesus follower!

This is the Jesus who we celebrate today – a baby born in humble circumstances destined by origin to be the Saviour of the World and the “Prince of Peace”. God had hinted at all this some 700 years earlier through the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah knew that no matter how bad the world got, and no matter how much God way’s were ignored, that God would not give up on seeking to redeem His people; not only that – but God would go to extraordinary lengths to achieve such a reconciliation!

True prophets like Isaiah could not abide injustice, the debasing of human dignity, or the exploitation of God’s generosity, and preached strongly against such behaviour – longing for the day when God would decisively act. In the birth of the Christ Child at Bethlehem God certainly acted! And Jesus showed us that part of peacemaking is taking a stand against injustice, and actively seeking to right society’s wrongs.

Part of Isaiah’s great vision (in 9:1-7), was that through God’s decisive activity, and because the people “have seen a great light” (v.2), violence will cease, the implements of war will be superfluous, peace & security will be established, and life will be celebrated! Yet we know that this great potential lying in the depths of God’s heart, remains dependent on people being lifted out of darkness, being spiritually enlightened, and becoming peacemaking followers of Jesus. For me, the highlight of John Howard’s 11 years of being Prime Minister, was in the wake of the Port Arthur massacre, legislating for that “gun buy back scheme”, and seeing all those tools of terror being pulverised into impotence. This (although costly to the taxpayer) was a significant act of peacemaking!

In the biblical text, when one acquires a certain name like “Prince of Peace”, this indicates a lot about this person’s character – who & what they are. To be a “Prince of Peace” means that Jesus was an ‘administrator’ of peace in people’s lives … he administers the benefits of peace and wholeness. Jesus brings the potential of peace –
· between myself and God (and yourself and God)
· within the achings of my (and your) own heart
· between me & you
· between me and my community
· between me and my environment
· within my family and community, and
· between my nation and other nations.

Jesus was truly interested in people, he discerned and understood them, and addressed their most pressing needs. He taught them passionately about the Kingdom of God and what was most important in life. Jesus continually rejected power and fame in favour of being a suffering servant. When we sing “Glory to God in the Highest” – we could just as much sing “Glory to God in the Lowest”! Jesus set the standard for loving, and for offering hope, and for giving … to those who needed this the most.

The world that was in need of a “Prince of Peace” in the time of Isaiah, and the world that was in need of a Saviour when Jesus came; is the same world that is in need of a Saviour and “Prince of Peace” now! We can carry Jesus into a hurting society, where there is much spiritual poverty, relational dislocation, violence and injustice. Our availability to be a peacemaker depends upon our willingness to allow Jesus to be the “Prince of Peace” of each of our hearts. In the face of all complexity and adversity, Jesus can settle us down, calm us, de-complicate us, re-focus us; and then surely we will feel his abiding, reassuring peaceful presence.

Happy Birthday, Prince of Peace!

Identifying with Humanity - Mark 1:9-13

How can God understand how I feel?
How can God know how hard it is for me in this life?
God is up there in the perfection of heaven, while I have to deal with all the distress on earth!
God is so far removed from my everyday experience!

I’m not sure if you’ve had those thoughts or asked these sort of questions! In any case, these verses in Mark (1:9-13) address some of the issues lurking behind such feelings.

God did not decide to work out his plan of salvation from a distance, from far-off, but rather brought all the love, grace and mercy that existed in God’s own heart directly into the human environment. God was willing to get his hands dirty in bringing about the redemption and liberation of humanity. We have read previously how the Gospel of John expressed this happening: "And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth" (1:14).

In Mark, we read of two specific incidences, at the beginning of Jesus’ three years of ministry, that illustrate how closely he identified with the human situation. In fact, as Jesus was fully human, born of Mary, raised in human community, he would inevitably be touched by the sorts of tragedies, frustrations, disappointments, isolation, betrayal, rejection and mortality that we experience (and even more so than most of us – he suffered hideous violence). Jesus didn’t come into the world to deny the power of these struggles, but rather to enter into them, and to show us a way through them!

Jesus identified with all humanity in two very specific ways: in “Baptism” and in a “Wilderness” experience.

(1) In Baptism

John the Baptiser’s baptism of repentant sinners in the Jordan River was a sort of transition from the rites of purification often performed in various religious traditions towards the baptism of Jesus, who will baptise with the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist stands as the point between the past promise and the future fulfilment of redemption history, with his own role representing both the accomplishment and anticipation of that history. John the Baptist prepared the way by challenging people concerning their sinful ways and offer baptism as a symbol for those seeking to turn their lives around. This was in preparation for Jesus who would fully offer the means by which lives could truly be resurrected, and lived to the full in harmonious relationship with God. Jesus Christ, Son of God, was, and is, God’s agent of salvation.

Clearly, Jesus’ origin lies with God. The Christ, the Son of God, was an eternally existent member of the Community (Trinity) of God! Why then would he need, consent to or ask for baptism by the very human John??
· As a mark that his ministry had begun, then confirmed with the descending Spirit? But perhaps more than this …
· We are not given any hint of any sin to be repented for, and we would consider this to be in contradiction to Jesus’ divinity anyway. It could only have been as an identification with (the state of) human beings. Jesus’ incarnation was into human form, and the human side of Jesus was here acknowledging the human need to spiritually connect with God. If human beings truly needed an experience of rehabilitation (and they did!) then Jesus would be the first to show the way forward.
· It will just as much be the human environment (as any personal sin) that will tend to separate us from God’s best intentions for our lives. We need to make deliberate and definite decisions to take God’s path, or we will become thoroughly and terribly lost! So it was that Jesus identified with this potential lostness and symbolised the pathway to salvation. In this moment Jesus brought together the fullness of the love of heaven with the vast need of humanity. Despite being God himself, Jesus came to humanity as a servant king to rescue us from destructiveness and despair!
· It makes total sense that the One who would carry all the sinfulness of humanity on his own shoulders on the cross would seek to participate in a baptism of repentance. Jesus’ life, while not personally compromised by sin himself, showed that he was able to completely identify with the sinful human condition.

And so when Jesus came up out of the water, things happened that had never happened after John’s baptism before! We readers are being let in on what was probably a very private encounter. There was a sense that the heavens had been torn apart and that the Holy Spirit had descended from there and touched, blessed and endowed Jesus. This was followed by the unmistakable voice of God, pleased that Jesus would usher in the new age of salvation history.

That this was completely according to God’s will is seen in the descent of the third member of the Community (Trinity) of God – the Holy Spirit – onto the human Jesus, to empower and equip him in a special sense for the task ahead. In a human sense, it would be a very difficult task, carrying the needs, expectations, problems, diseases and opposition that he would encounter. But rest assured Jesus had the total availability of the ‘Great Enabler’ to keep him perfectly in step with God. There was certainly a laying aside of divinity here, that needed to be compensated for by the presence of the Holy Spirit.

Here begins the pattern of our absolute reliance on the Holy Spirit as Jesus followers to survive the test of time.

The picture given here (v.10) of the heavens being torn apart shows that God is touching earth as never before since God’s original works of creation. Here was the moment when God was reclaiming his created order for its original purpose – to foster eternal intimate relationships between the created and the Creator. Such relationships will be exampled by Jesus in the way in which he will fulfil the Father’s intentions.

(2) In the Wilderness

A lot of our lives are lived in the wilderness of uncertainty, doubt, difficult circumstances, pain, fear and loneliness. This was never the case for Jesus when he resided in heaven, but he certainly was going to experience these human emotions on earth. People were going to be able to identify with Jesus more so in the integrity of his humanity than in the majesty of his divinity. And so, Jesus, perfectly now under the influence of Holy Spirit, was propelled into an experience of wilderness living.

Our text emphasises the depth of this wilderness experience – as it lasted for forty days, involved being tempted by Satan and the ongoing threat of wild animals, and required the support of an angelic presence to see him through in this inhospitable environment. Whereas Matthew emphasises the temptation, Mark emphasises the general wilderness experience of Jesus that would tend to give one a sense of abandonment. We are left thinking that Jesus would be subject to all the temptations humans would suffer in the face of such solitude and dire circumstances.

Yet we read that Jesus was not really alone, even when he might have felt that way, for angels waited on him (v.13). This meant that all his real needs were being met despite the gravity of the situations he may have encountered. Whereas Matthew gives us a picture of Jesus defeating the devil and temptation and then being waited upon by angels – like the dawn following the night, Mark gives us the impression of more ongoing danger being continually mediated by an assured Godly presence. Both of these images are helpful to an understanding of human wilderness experiences. Sometimes we just can’t seem to find God for a period until circumstances change. Other times, even though things are grave, we know that God is still travelling with us.

The point here is that Jesus understands our deepest longings, real needs and worst failings. He also thoroughly knows and lives the spiritual heights. Jesus came to bring the two of these (the human lows & the spiritual heights) together.

As Hebrews 2:18 puts it: "Because [Jesus] himself was tested by what he suffered, he is able to help those who are being tested". And then in 4:15-16 – "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need".

Jesus survived his wilderness experience to emerge back into community life assured of the Holy Spirit’s presence and God’s calling. Some have argued that his ability to live in oneness with the desert environment in all its harshness and danger offers a great picture of hope for us on the long journey today. Jesus was able to live in harmony with the wild beasts as had never been possible since creation and the fall.

So, we have read about John the Baptiser coming out of the wilderness to prepare the way for God’s Anointed One who would begin his ministry by submitting to baptism and enduring the wilderness. God was indeed physically and emotionally entering the complexity and danger of the human environment.

"Really Good News" - Notes on Mark 1:1-8

Introductory Comments on Mark’s Gospel:

The Gospel of Mark was written around the year 70 CE (some 40 years after Jesus death & resurrection). It was most probably addressed to Christians living in and around Rome. Many of these Christians and early Jesus-following communities were suffering for their faith in the face of opposition.

“Mark” was the first Gospel to be written. We know that because both Matthew and Luke relied on information and traditions supplied by Mark in the construction of these later gospel texts. “Mark” is not a ball-by-ball description of the life of Jesus, not a traditional biography; but rather a gathering of traditions, incidents and teachings that instruct us about the great significance of Jesus’ coming into the world. More than any other gospel it focuses on the crucifixion of Jesus and the significance and impact of this for Jesus’ followers.

So the first readers in Rome, and then all later readers, could look back and gain an overview of the most important elements of following Jesus in the contemporary modern world. We are continually being asked in the text of this Gospel as to how we would respond to Jesus at this … and that … point of the story. We are being asked to enter the story and learn what it means for you and for me to be a disciple of Jesus.

Where we Begin:

You will of course notice there is no Christmas text in Mark. There seemed to be more interest in Jesus’ birth a little later when Matthew and Luke wrote. It could also be that Mark hadn’t gained any information about what happened at the beginning of Jesus’ life on earth. In any case, through the dramatic introduction in Mark, we can see that this writer wanted to quickly launch into the significance of who Jesus was, how he lived, and what he taught.

The heading (if you like) reads: "The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ the Son of God". This doesn’t mean that the first few verses are the “beginning”, then comes the middle, followed by the ending. That’s not it at all! This means that the whole book of Mark is the “beginning” of the good news!! What do you think should follow??? If the whole gospel text is the “beginning”, what is really chapter two???

The answer would be: the followers of Jesus knowing and living the “good news”! This is the “beginning of the good news” says Mark; ultimately the “good news” will be in the hands of those who become the followers of Jesus – those who take the name of Jesus to themselves!

Also in the first verse, Mark was going to unambiguously point to the hero of this story of salvation. “Jesus”, the Greek form of Joshua, itself means ‘the Lord saves, or ‘God is Salvation’. The title “Christ” (the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered Messiah) indicates the ‘anointed one’ of God – the ‘one’ designated to liberate God’s people. The title “Son of God” indicates a ‘divine man’ or a person with a specific role and special divine power.

Preparing the Way:

We have talked recently about our own roles in preparing the way for an understanding of the message of Christmas in our neighbourhood – a call to people to open their hearts to a radical spiritual reality, the living Jesus Christ. There was such a one preparing the way in the historical circumstances of Jesus’ coming – “John the Baptiser”. Mark saw this preparation as part of God’s own long-term planning, expressed by Isaiah and other prophets many centuries before.

Whereas we might see our cries of testimony to Jesus (in our day and age) as being expressed in the “wilderness”, John himself came from nowhere, out of the desert, with an inspired message of “repentance”. It would be a willingness to ‘turn around’, people taking a ‘change of direction’, that would allow Jesus to liberate the world. A person willing to “repent” would show that they were ready to receive God’s forgiveness.

This forgiveness was not something that God was offering begrudgingly – God desperately wanted to give people this gift out of God’s own abounding grace; God just wanted to know that people were serious about doing something positive with this forgiveness. Making a physical sacrifice for sin, and then going on living unchanged, was not going to save anyone! We all need to take a reality check and confess our misdeeds and warped attitudes. Then we will truly experience God’s heart of forgiveness. Confession, and sometimes public confession, is the path to healing.

What a Response!

There obviously was a significant response to John the Baptist’s call to “repent” (v.5). What does this indicate???
· A sense of a spiritual void that desperately needed to be filled (there had been a lack of prophets and spiritually gifted people in this society for a long time – here was clearly a God-centred spiritual person who the people could put some trust in)
· Strong feelings of guilt and shame that needed to be addressed.

People were coming from everywhere to be ministered to by John. How can we get a response like that! There is no doubt a lot of spiritual poverty around us – can we present an alternative with enough integrity for this spiritual poverty to be recognised, understood and responded to? Are we ready to facilitate a ministry of grace and forgiveness toward those with a heavy and guilty heart??

These people were baptised by John. This was not a new phenomenon, as ritual bathing was practiced in several Hellenistic religions of the period as a rite of purification. Here though, baptism certainly became a symbol of the cleansing that comes through:
· Confession – that opens the heart afresh to God
· Repentance – the determination to change
· Forgiveness – the restoration into harmonious relationship with God.

John the Baptist was not dressed in the finest suit – he made do with whatever was available. He didn’t dine at the finest inns – he ate whatever he could find to sustain life. He probably wasn’t even the greatest with words, but the two main things he said cut right into the path of people’s needs. You could say that John the Baptist was just an ordinary person, yet completely focussed on God’s mission in the world. He was humble, he knew where he sat with God, he knew the role he was to play, and he had an acute sense of expectation that God was about to act in a remarkable way. The two strands of John the Baptiser’s message of hope were:
· Repent, and
· That this repentance is in preparation for the One who is the greater, the long-awaited Messiah, who will offer the gift of the very Holy Spirit of God. So great is Jesus, that in comparison, John is not even worthy of adopting the role of a slave removing the shoes and bathing the feet of a guest entering into his master’s home. [How ironic then that Jesus would actually later (at least in John’s gospel) wash the feet of his disciples!]

The Giver of The Spirit:

It would be the coming into and the presence of the Holy Spirit in the communities of faith in the first century CE that would identify people as Jesus followers, bind them together in unity, and give them all the gifts required for living and spreading the good news about Jesus. So when we go beyond confession and repentance towards accepting Jesus as our Saviour, as the One who provides the means of forgiveness in his own sacrifice, we receive a gift that will allow us to stick to our convictions and develop our faith through thick and thin – the gift of the Holy Spirit. The water baptism that we Baptists (and other Christian denominations) offer as a sacrament becomes a symbol that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Saviour, and that we are following him in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

John the Baptist’s station at the Jordan River is only the small beginnings of the mission of God which Jesus will take through his disciples and the Holy Spirit to the ends of the earth.

Concluding Comments on Mark’s Gospel:

Mark's Gospel is intended to be read in totality; Werner H Kelber writes: "There is only one way to understand Mark’s gospel message, and that is to read his whole story from 1:1 to 16:8".

The Opportunity of Christmas

Christmas is a great opportunity to share the love of Jesus with those around us. Each of us needs to find ways to point past the glitter to the Christ-child. For me, one of those ways is putting up Christmas lights at home, hoping these will speak of light, hope and joy, and be at least a talking point that may open conversations about Jesus.

We could easily just give in to the commercialism of Christmas, just letting Christmas pass us by. This rampant commercialism could depress us entirely and lead us to reject a celebration of Christmas. Yet this would be such a waste! This would certainly be ‘throwing the baby out with the bath water’ or perhaps ‘throwing the baby out with the manger hay’. Let us not miss what is of eternal worth, just because we are discouraged by the temporal distractions. In the midst of all the hoopla, lies a baby in a manger who became the Saviour of the World – the shepherds saw it, the ‘wise-men’ knew it, and they each paid homage. The destiny of our lives is tied up in our response to this scene, and how the Jesus story played out in Palestine 2000 years ago.

On the other hand, another threat would be that the commercialism angle could actually catch us in its net, such that we lose track completely of higher priorities. We could fall for creating debt for ourselves at Christmas – that will take years for us to pay off! Some people may feel warm and cuddly around Christmas as they get presents – eat, drink and spend time with family and friends, only to return to gloom during Boxing Day. How sad when thoughts of Jesus, the one who’s birthday Christmas is about, are all left behind by December 26th. We have to live outside the net of commercialism, showing that Jesus is important to us 365 days a year.

Then the busyness of Christmas might tend to overwhelm us to the extent of hating Christmas – we can’t afford the presents, we haven’t got the energy to deal with all our family, there are so many functions to attend! If this becomes our concern, then we have to re-centre ourselves on Jesus, and allow all these other things, and any stresses of the season, to be put into the perspective of our relationship with Jesus. If we are truly Jesus followers, then it will be Jesus that sets the agenda for our Christmas celebrations – and Jesus is not the bringer of anxiety, but rather the "Prince of Peace".

Some people, even some Christians, will devalue Christmas because it was adapted from a festival around the pagan worship of a sun-god. Such people will note that Christmas wasn’t celebrated in terms of Jesus’ birth till the 4th Century. But so what if it took 300 years to wake up to the need to celebrate Jesus’ birth on an annual basis. So what if the date of December 25 is unlikely to be the historical date of Jesus’ birth. So what if the festival was originally celebrating something different. The fact is that God loved the world so much that God’s Son Jesus was sent to take up human form and bring the possibility of salvation out of the dark circumstances of life on earth. God understood the lostness of humanity okay, and sent Jesus to bring light to that darkness! Why wouldn’t we take every opportunity to celebrate that!

Some might even say that Jesus’ death on the cross should be our primary focus, and thereby undervalue Christmas. Well – without Jesus’ incarnation and the challenging life he lived, there would not have been the sacrificial death. My point is: without the frame of reference of Jesus’ life, we would not know what we are being saved towards. The life of Jesus is worth celebrating in its own right. This is of course not manger worship – adoration of a cute baby; but rather a reverent and wholehearted allegiance to the Son of God, who calls us into his service!

In reading and re-reading the early chapters of Matthew and Luke we recall how:
· The baby born will be named Jesus because he will save his people from their sins
· This is good news of great joy for all the people, for this Saviour is the long-awaited Messiah – the anointed and sent one of God
· He will also be known as “Emmanuel” because he brings God to us (in the midst of our trials)
· The shepherds witnessed this event, spoke about it, and praised God for everything they had seen and heard
· The wise-men gave the very best of themselves to the Christ-child – gold, frankincense, myrrh.

Christmas gives us a marvellous opportunity – an open invitation to engage with people in the world, and show that there is hope and purpose in life beyond the peripheral. Their gift within the wrapping paper might just be reinterpreted to symbolise the gift of eternal life (that can be received with humble gratitude). I personally see modern-day Christmas, not as a frustrating perversion, but as an opportunity for the church to engage in mission with our neighbours and in our families.

Christmas is also a good opportunity to check on our own relationship with Jesus. Is this as good as it could be? Could I have lost touch with Jesus over the last year? Is there more about Jesus I could learn to appreciate? No better time to reassess these things, before another new year arrives!