Incarnation – The Green Tau

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.”

4th Sunday of Advent

24th December 2023

Sunday reflection (readings are below)

In the reading from 2 Samuel, both Nathan and David learn that the ‘house of God’ as a legacy is not to be found in a temple or any other physical building – which might gives us pause for thought when we think of of the sums of money and the emotional value we invests in cathedrals and church buildings. Rather the enduring legacy that will attest to God’s greatness – and reflect their faithful love of God – will be that of kinship and kingship. It will be in the lineage of those who are faithful to God, following the ways of God, that will be an everlasting kingdom – the kingdom of God.

The passage from Paul’s letter to the new Christian communities in Rome, reminds them – and us – of the mystery of what was there all along yet hidden, and which was revealed in Jesus, the gift of faith. Faith that builds communities, that transforms injustices, that brings healing and new life – faith being about the upside down world described in the Magnificat.

Just as Mary found favour with God, so we too can with faith, find ourselves favoured by God. Recently I was reading a poem, ‘Virgin Birth’ by Joy Cowley, in which she speaks of ‘the Emmanuel space’ within us where we conceive and give birth to Christ. It is a holy space she says which cannot be filled by friends or family (as important as they are) nor by power or status, but only by God. If only God can fill this space, it must be also a vulnerable space. Somewhere we might shy away from as to fill it – to allow God in – is to acknowledge a need for God. So it can be a space we block from sight, hiding it behind other things. Hiding it behind things like power and status, wealth and desire, or behind things that are not unimportant – like family and friends, like the climate crisis and social justice – and so we may struggle on, failing to receive that most valuable gift of God incarnate.

If like David and Nathan we wish to honour God with a temple, we will best do so by adding to the lineage that is the House of God, by being participants in the faithful participants in God’s kingdom, both receiving and sharing the gift of God within our lives on an ongoing basis.

When we think of lineage as a family, we have the image of a trunk from which many branches reach out, dividing and crisscrossing as they stretch ever further out. God’s family tree is more truly a network. It grows as members (and here we should not be purely human focused but recognise all creation as part of God’s kingdom) are open to God’s spirit moving within them. And it is disrupted and damaged when God’s spirit is impeded by our own vanities, self importance, desire for power etc – those activities that unchecked lead to prejudice, oppression, conflict, injustice and war.

As we wait in the eve of Christmas ready to celebrate the mystery of Christ entering our lives, let us acknowledge what is not right in the world and hold onto the hope that it does not have to be this way and that we as part of God’s favoured ones, we can too can give birth to change.

Samuel 7:1-11, 16

When the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”

But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.

The Response

Canticle 15

The Song of Mary Magnificat

Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; *
for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.

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

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Romans 16:25-27

Now to God who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but is now disclosed, and through the prophetic writings is made known to all the Gentiles, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith– to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever! Amen.

Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

The Word – God in creation

23rd December 2023

Let’s seek God with all our heart
Amen. Christ be our still-point.
Let’s seek God with all our soul
Amen. Christ be our vision.
Let’s seek God with all our mind
Amen. Christ be our wisdom.
Let’s seek God with all our strength
Amen. Christ be our souls’ companion.

Adapted from Our Common Prayer

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

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. John 1:1-5, 14

response:

God is nowhere

if not in creation.

God’s breath over the void

drew forth light and dark, land and sea.

God’s will caused water to flow

and plants to sprout.

God’s breath inspired life a human form

and God’s imagining inspired creatures,

companions all in an ecological union.

God’s vision of a perfect world

displayed in a garden.

God is nowhere

if not with creation.

But human tenacity is short lived,

promises forgotten and undertakings overlooked.

Never quite getting a grip

on the need for teamwork,

side-lining others in the interests of self.

Wilfully ignorant

of the inter connected relationships

of plant and animal life,

failing to see the human role is in –

not over- creation.

God is nowhere

if not in human form –

conceived in flesh and blood,

born in time and space,

occupying our human limitations,

sharing our divine inspiration.

True to his calling,

working in union,

disciplined to God’s will,

humbling self to love the other,

following God’s vision of a world

displayed in perfect humanity.

Let us pray:

Rejoicing in the miracle of God’s Word present in creation from the beginning,

may we honour all that has life,

cherishing trees and plants, birds and animals, insect life and sea life so that their life is not extinguished by our thoughtless actions.

Rejoicing in the miracle of the Word that brings light to the world,

may we learn from the light.

Help us overcome our pride, to acknowledge our ignorance, and to live in harmony with all creation.

Rejoicing in the miracle of God born in human flesh, may we be inspired to follow Christ’s example,

humbling ourselves to better love one another,

humbling ourselves to better love the world around us,

humbling ourselves to know our place in and not above creation.

Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Advent

19th December 2021

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 labor 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.

Canticle: The Magnificat, Luke 1:46-55

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.

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

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

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).”

Luke 1:39-45

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.

Reflection

The prophet Micah describes the Bethlehem as one of the smallest of the clans of Judah – as if each town in the lands belonging to Judah was a subset – or in terms of the Scottish clan system, a ‘sept’ – of the tribe of Judah. This would for example make Joseph, who was a of the tribe of Judah, a member of the sept of Bethlehem being his home town.

God’s chosen one, says Micah, will come from this little clan – we might thus describe him as one of the little people. But despite this, he will establish his rule and will bring together all his fellows – all the other little people – and, shepherd-like, feed them. And for feed, we might understand this to be not just with food but with the all that will sustain them. And who are these little people? Those whose work is often overlooked, who do not wield power or influence, those who are not valued, who are seen as dispensable – labourers and factory workers, carers and shop staff, those with mental or physical disabilities, those who are homeless, jobless, stateless , and children especially those from poor backgrounds. And there are others who are also ‘little people’. Those who are humble, self deprecating, those who are child-like and transparent, those who do not boss others around, who do not think they have an inherent superiority or importance, those who willingly relinquish power and wealth. These are the little people that Christ comes for, these are the ones he calls to be his people, his sheep.

And it seems to me, that anyone can become a little person. For we can all become child-like, become humble and open, we can all let go of power and wealth, of our sense of status and self importance.

And when everyone becomes a little person, then will we have peace!

The Magnificat reminds us that Mary was one of the little people. A woman – not even with the status of being a wife, a young person with no special status, a resident of Nazareth (a not very important place).. Someone who could describe themselves as a lowly servant, but equally sufficiently honest to see that in God eyes they were important. In this paean, Mary understands that God plans for the ‘big’ people – those who are self important, proud, privileged, powerful, the rich, those indifferent to others – to be transformed – reformed – as little people. And this is how the hungry will be fed. This is how God’s will from the beginning of time is to be fulfilled.

We have only to look around the world and see that if all the ‘big’ people became little people, then there would be food and resources for everyone. Will this happen this Christmas?

The writer of Hebrews tells us that Christ was not to be the recipient of sacrifices and burnt offerings, but to be the recipient of a body. The human body is a gift we have all been given, from Adam onwards. It is a gift to be treasured and to be used aright: ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’ says Christ. This response echoes that of Mary – ‘let it be to me according to your word.’- and contrary to Adam’s ignoring of God’s will. We too are invited to respond like Mary, like Christ, and to offer ourselves – in our bodies – to be incarnate doers of God’s will. The writer of Hebrews further reminds us, that as Christ has shared our humanity, so our bodies too have been made holy.

And in the passage from Luke’s gospel, we hear how Christ in the process of becoming full incarnate – a growing embryo in Mary’s womb. – is already transforming the world. The unborn John leaps in Elizabeth’s womb – just as I am sure, Elizabeth too leapt, if not physically, then metaphorically, recognising intuitively the astounding fact of God’s presence with them in human form. Will we leap with joy this Christmas as once again we re-member that God is present with us in our human body?