Judith Russenberger

Fourth Sunday of Advent

22nd December 2024

Reflection with readings below

In today’s readings it is the small and the marginalised that are brought centre stage – Ephrathah the smallest of the clans, sheep (that ubiquitous farm animal), women (even today in many societies women are still marginalised) and unborn children. The texts offer peace and security, restoration and salvation, and a rebalancing of wealth and power.

Micah’s words promise peace and security. We only have to glance at the newspapers to see how important those two still are. Micah lived in a time of great turmoil when powerful empires sought to grab control of the known world – and largely disregarding small nations in the process: their purpose was to be a source of taxation – and rich men tried to grab as much profit as they could, and would willingly bow to any god or passing fad, if that helped them up the greasy pole. In other words Micah’s world was not dissimilar to our’s today. If you read more of Micah’s words you will find the vocabulary highly critical and harsh.

Yet Micah did seem confident that the God he worshipped and for whom he spoke, did still love Israel, was still merciful and still offered hope for a better future. In an earlier part of the Book of Micah, we hear of swords being beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. Peace – and justice – will only come into being through radical change. The ‘same old, same old’ will not do. Mary’s Magnificat comes with the same message. Existing power structures need to be upended. Existing patterns of wealth distribution cannot continue. Radical change is needed.

Jesus’s birth heralds in God’s era of radical change. The writer of Hebrews articulates that in the issues of his day. God’s desire is not going to be met through burnt offerings and sacrifices, God’s will is not going to be achieved through a set of laws that have passed their sell-by date. God’s salvation comes through the incarnation, through the indwelling of Christ in a human body – through the lived experience of Jesus as a human encompassing birth and death and resurrection.

And God’s salvation is still be found in those bodies wherein Christ dwells today. Like Mary before us, we are called to say yes to God, to allow God’s word to be implanted in us, to allow that living word to shape our thoughts and words and actions. We may find ourselves echoing the prophet Micah or echoing Mary the mother of Jesus, in challenging the ongoing sinful practices of the rich and powerful. We may find ourselves enacting countercultural actions that will turn swords into plough shares or redistribute wealth to the poor. We may find ourselves embracing the mind of Christ that understands that everyone is to be loved.

Micah 5:2-5a

You, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,

from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,

whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.

Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labour has brought forth;

then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.

And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.

And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth;

and he shall be the one of peace.

Psalm 80:1-7

1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *
stir up your strength and come to help us.

3 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

4 O Lord God of hosts, *
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; *
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

6 You have made us the derision of our neighbours, *
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Hebrews 10:5-10

When Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,
but a body you have prepared for me;

in burnt offerings and sin offerings
you have taken no pleasure.

Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’
(in the scroll of the book it is written of me).”

When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Luke 1:39-55

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.

His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;

he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,

according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Advent 22: unofficial signs

Not all street signs are official – in the sense of being installed by the local or highway authority. Often these unofficial signs advertised local events. Sometimes they concern lost cats and dogs, or keys that have been found (and not usually the other way round). This one here is providing a counter message to the prevailing media message that the ULEZ expansion was an intolerable inconvenience for the average motorist. Instead this sign is celebrating the positive, life enhancing benefits of the traffic scheme.

Prophets often have to shout out about the benefits of God’s ways to counter the ‘me, me, me’ message of society. That too must be our calling.

Wail, you who live in the market district; all your merchants will be wiped out, all who trade with silver will be destroyed.
Zephaniah 1:11

If you oppress poor people, you insult the God who made them; but kindness shown to the poor is an act of worship.
Proverbs 14:31

At the Solstice

21st December 2024

And God said, ‘Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, and let them be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon the earth.’ And it was so. Genesis 1:14-15

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading from Isaiah 45: 7-8

I form light and create darkness,
I make weal and create woe;
I the Lord do all these things.

Shower, O heavens, from above,
    and let the skies rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation may spring up,
    and let it cause righteousness to sprout up also;
    I the Lord have created it.

A response:

A turning point in the year is reached,

and as the longest night reaches its peak

and the shortest day

recedes to its briefest span –

so the sun’s year turns again.

The dark draws back

its day time occupation,

and gradually reframes itself once more

as night.

But before we rush on,

let’s take time to embrace the dark

that gives us rest – and time to pause –

with long evenings when books and loved ones

can calm our souls.

And before we rush on,

let’s take time to ponder how

the Advent days of expectant waiting

have kept pace with the darker nights –

and how even now

the mornings’s dawn still holds off

as if waiting for that greater light.

And those of us who have walked in darkness

will see that light, the dawning

of the day that ushers in new beginnings,

new life, the sun reborn,

the birth of the Christ child.

As the sun-shaped days take hold,

it is the evenings that first draw back

releasing the season’s extra light,

the assurance of the Son’s salvation.

From now on the days will lengthen,

extending once more the working day.

As we look up to the skies and down to the earth,

let righteousness sprout forth.

As seasons turn and new years begin,

together we shall journey on into God’s kingdom.

May God bless us in the darkness.

May God bless us in the light.

May God bless us in each season.

May God bless us with salvation in the birth of the Son.

Amen.

Advent 21: banner headlines

Banners can be a call out for action. They shout out their message in letters written large. Such too has been the role of prophets and evangelists. I wonder whether you have, or have had, the opportunity to speak out for God?

I am sending you to them, and you are to say to them, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says.’ And whether they listen or refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet has been among them.
Ezekiel 2:4-5

What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear!
Matthew 10:27

“Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.” Acts 5:20

Advent 20: What is the message?

Not all signs are easy to interpret or understand. Sometimes they may invite us to ponder. Sometimes they may invite us to think about who the creator might have been, and what inspired – or angered – them?

Often graffiti is found in inaccessible places, or at places on the margins. Does our society push some messages aside, keeping their authors at a distance? Many of the prophets of the Old Testament found that their messages were unwanted.

Hear this, you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear. Jeremiah 5:21

That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand. Matthew 13:13

Advent 19: mixed media

Some messages are more noticeable when displayed using unusual mediums. This one is knitted!

The prophets of the Old Testament used this technique of unusual media to convey God’s messages. Jeremiah bought a brand new loincloth which he deliberately buried so that it was irreparably ruined: a sign of what would happen to the people if they refused to listen to God. Hosea married a prostitute as a sign that even if God’s people followed other gods, God would still love them and forgive them.

Then the LORD said to me, “Go show love to your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and offer raisin cakes to idols.” Hosea 3:1

Advent 18: a sign of intent

Some signs signify where we stand on an issue. This one shows my commitment to protect the environment by pledging not to fly.

The CND sign has been widely displayed by those who wish to declare their stand against the use of nuclear weapons, and the dove by those campaigning for peace. Whilst new to the block is the Extinction Rebellion sign used by those highlighting concerns about the climate crisis.

In Genesis we read of a rainbow that was set in the sky as a sign of God’s intention to protect the earth by promising not to let it be destroyed by floods. Later , both in Isaiah and the Gospel of Luke, we hear of God’s intention to stand by and save his people.

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Genesis 9:13

Today in the city of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger. Luke 2:11-12

Advent 17: under repair

At some point in our lives we are bound to find times when our health – whether physical, mental or spiritual – is in need of repair. Times when we are in need of love and healing; time to recuperate so that we can once more continue our journey revitalised. Sometimes our need for healing may be obvious to us. At other times we may need others to point out the warning signs.

God renews our hopes and heals our bodies. Psalm 147:3

You broaden the path beneath me so that my ankles do not give way. Psalm 18:36

Advent 16: child’s play

Children, when playing, may be so absorbed in their play that they don’t always think about oncoming traffic. Hence this warning sign. But perhaps it is also a warning to us who feel over whelmed by life’s stresses. When did you last allow yourself the chance to play? When were you last so absorbed in a game as to be oblivious to the pressures of life? Play is good for you!

I promise you that you cannot get into God’s kingdom, unless you accept it the way a child does.” Mark 10:15

The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there. Zechariah 8:5