What does it mean to be a Christian in Ireland today?

“…I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour” (John 4:38)

John 4:31-38 (Year C: St Patrick’s Day / The Second Sunday in Lent 17^th March, 2019)

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A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S READINGS

I have chosen to work, here, with the suggested readings for the Festival of St Patrick from the Church of Ireland. These are: John 4:31-38, Tobit 13:1-7, Psalm 145 and 2 Corinthians 4:1-12

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SERMON NOTES (1,580 words)

Go raibh briathra uile mo bhéil agus smaointe mo chroí taithneamhach leatsa a Thiarna, a charraig liom, is a shlánaitheoir (Sailm 19:14) 

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer (Psalm 19:14)

These opening words sometimes said by one about to preach are taken from Psalm 19. However, in the verses just read and taken from the same Book of Common Prayer there is a small but significant difference as between the Irish and English language versions. The Irish version refers to the Lord God as a ‘carraig’ or ‘rock’. As it turns out this is closer to the original Hebrew ṣūrî which also means rock. In the English translation, the term ‘strength’ is used instead. For sure, the Lord God is both our rock and our strength; but I suggest that rock is more graphic and meaningful in this context. In the ‘Confessions’ attributed to Saint Patrick whose feast day we mark on this second Sunday of Lent the author writes:

So I am first of all a simple country person, a refugee, and unlearned. I do not know how to provide for the future. But this I know for certain, that before I was brought low, I was like a stone lying deep in the mud. Then he who is powerful came and in his mercy pulled me out, and lifted me up and placed me on the very top of the wall

Patrick, an exile and a foreigner, was raised up like a stone and placed on a rock foundation and that foundation was Christ. But where and how did he find his rock?

When Patrick, a Briton of possible Roman extraction, was roughly brought ashore by an Irish raiding party of thugs and slave dealers (rather like what happens in some parts of the world today), he was walking into a damp, strange land with pagan rituals, human sacrifice and constant driving rain (well some things never change!). This placed called Hibernia or ‘Winter land’ by the Romans was not a welcoming place for someone like Patrick. Indeed so inhospitable, cold and remote was this island that the Romans did not even bother to investigate it.

It is clear by Patrick’s own account that his stay, here, as a slave was a brutalising and cruel one. However, it did not break him. The seeds of faith had already been sown through his family upbringing. And when Patrick escaped back to his homeland some years later he became haunted by Glór na nGael – the voice of the Irish calling on him to come back and to walk among them and this time to tell the good news. Patrick answered that call – the call of the Irish – to come back and to undertake a most difficult and dangerous mission. We know that he met with stiff opposition and danger from the very start as his message and way of life directly challenged the existing order of things including the power of the Druids and the kings and chiefs in their various bailiwicks. It emerges that Patrick was betrayed and hounded by some of his own people and clergy in Britain

Patrick planted the seeds of Christianity on this island over 1,500 years ago. Others would reap what he had sown as it says in today’s gospel (John 4:37). In the course of the following millennium and a half invasion after invasion would ensue as various ‘visitors’ to this island like the Celts before them set up camp, put manners on the incumbents, sometimes inter-married and other times moved on. 

For sure Ireland has had a troubled history. To an outsider, it might look like a case of two main warring tribes that cannot agree about religion, or politics or history or identity or something else. The reality is more complex. There are many shifting strands to Irish society and history.

The Ireland that I knew growing up in the 1960s and 1970s bears very limited resemblance to the Ireland of today. Social norms, religious traditions, laws, customs, ways of living and economic prosperity have changed almost beyond recognition. Add to this an Ireland that has become incredibly multi-cultural with over a hundred nationalities living in a large commuter town near me.

Irish identity is indeed complex. So is Christian identity. We should not mix up the two even if Irish language, culture and is fite fuaite or inter-woven with Christian faith.  As we know, there are many ways of following Christ but there is always the one Christ. There are many ways of approaching the throne of God’s mercy but it is for us who profess Christ always through Word made flesh.

We find ourselves together in a land that has been hallowed by a line of witnesses not afraid to take a stand for Christ. The tragedy of our history is that the different expressions of being Irish and being Christian have been distorted and defaced. At the same time, it is true to say that Irish Christianity has made a precious and proud contribution to the spread of the good news across the globe. Its contribution has been very significant at various times including what some historians called the ‘dark ages’ (and it might be suggested that they still abide in our time).

Today, in Ireland, we celebrate a huge and very welcome level of diversity in the population.  Moreover, there is a much greater acceptance and welcome as people ‘cross boundaries’ to worship in traditions and communities that were not part of their childhood experience. A striking feature of church engagement in modern Ireland is the extent to which the new Irish or those living here but coming from other continents have reinvigorated Irish church life. Specifically, I am thinking of the great contribution of Nigerian Anglicans to the Church of Ireland or Polish Roman Catholics or Irish-Africans who have embraced Pentecostal forms of worship and community on our own doorsteps.

All of this is positive and welcome. But, we need to take an honest look at ourselves. Let me illustrate the point by way of example and metaphor. One hundred and fifty years ago the Irish language went from being the main spoken language of 4 million people to being the language of a mainly elderly population of a quarter of a million people in the early 20^th century in the space of two or three generations. Is religious practice and faith a bit like this? What I mean is this: look around yourself at mass or holy communion or morning prayer this Sunday. How many families are there? How many children are there in the congregation? How many persons between the ages of 15 and 45 are there?  I know from my own experience and memory that this was not so 40 years ago in the faith community with which I have been most familiar.  Today congregations tend to be a lot smaller and certainly older. Yes, it is true that there are many exceptions to this and some excellent work is being carried out by and among young people. However, in the main, we are a bit like native Irish speakers in the early 20th century.

Will there be a revival of some sort? Nobody knows. We need to name things and talk about these matters. Ireland has fast become rather like most other European countries – nominally Christian according to the census and occasionally ‘churched’ for occasions like baptism, Holy Communion, confirmation, marriage and death – typically in that order! And even that pattern is beginning to change as various alternatives to organised religion become respectable and commonplace. Just as the Irish language died a death as a living community language in all but the most remote areas of the Western seaboard, Christian faith and practice is, I suggest, in full-scale retreat. Let’s be honest about this and let’s avoid blaming this or that trend (for example I have heard people cite the rise of Sunday sports as a factor – seriously now!).

And, yes, I do accept that Christian faith and living is much, much more than turning up at church and saying prayers. However, a life of prayer and engagement with Word and Sacrament is a vital part of being Christian.

But is our time up? Are we the last generation and children of Patrick to turn the lights off? Where do we go from here?

I suggest three points for reflection and action:

1. We need to rediscover the power of personal and community prayer just as Patrick did on the side of a mountain in county Antrim.
2. We need to return to the beauty, richness and simplicity of the Word of God in which Patrick and many who followed him were steeped.
3. We need to throw open our doors to the stranger. Who knows but it will be the Glór na nGall (the voice of the foreigner) who calls us back to Christ more than Glór na nGael.

That rock foundation of Patrick which was Christ is ours for the offering. And the following words may be on our lips as we go forth in this world and in the time that remains to us here:

…Christ with me, Christ before me,
…..Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me….

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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS

 Blessed be God who lives for ever, because his kingdom lasts throughout all ages (Tobit 13:1).  Together with all the whole church catholic throughout the world we pray for:

• Peace, prosperity and human rights for all people on all the island of Ireland…..
• Peace, reconciliation and understanding among all peoples throughout the world as we remember in a special way this Sunday the people of New Zealand as well as the Muslim community throughout the world.
• Peace and protection for the various Christian communities suffering violence and oppression in many parts of the world.
• The European Union and all of its 28 Member States at this time …
• The communities in which we live and work…may we extend a genuine and warm welcome to those who are strangers….May we hear the voice of the foreigner as well as the familiar
• One another….
• Other named persons ….
• Remembering and rejoicing together with thanks those who have gone before us and thanking you for the labours of those who brought and maintained the Christian faith in our land….
• … praying in silence….

Almighty and merciful God, who in days of old gave to this land the blessing of your holy Church; do not withdraw your grace from us but correct what is missing and supply what is lacking that we may more and more bring forth fruit to your glory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen*

  

*this final paragraph is adapted from the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of Ireland, page 145.

Quoting scriptures

“…he departed from him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13)

Luke 4:1-13 (Year C: The First Sunday in Lent, 10^th March, 2019)

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A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S READINGS

In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading in the Church of Ireland (Luke 4:1-13) the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) of the Church of Ireland for this Sunday are: Deuteronomy 26:1-11,  Psalm 91, and  Romans 10:8-13.  Directly parallel Gospel readings to this particular Gospel reading from Luke may be found in Matthew 4:1-11 and in Mark 1:12-13.  In the liturgical cycle of the Roman Catholic Church, the readings are the same in all cases.

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SERMON NOTES (839 words)

Even the devil can quote scripture is an old saying from somewhere. Today’s reading from the gospel of Luke suggests that the Devil has a good command of the scriptures; he is well able to quote it to suit his malign purposes. And, he is most convincing and plausible. After all, who could resist a big win or an easy way out of a tough corner. The Devil offers easy answers and convincing proposals. However, the scriptures do not belong to the Devil. They belong to God who gives them to us through the writings, experiences and memories of prophets, poets, martyrs and women and men of God spanning many hundreds of years up to and including the first century when Jesus Christ walked among us in a faraway land and time.

If the Devil is so clever at quoting scripture what does scripture have to say about him and is any of this relevant to us today? Let’s start from more modern times.  Ever since the age of enlightenment, men have doubted the claims of religion. In particular, the notion of a supreme actual evil personified spirit roaming the world for the ruin of souls and stirring up rebellion and strife everywhere has been dismissed as a hangover from childhood tales or medieval mythology. The ultimate fruit of this way of looking at the world is that evil is relative to time and culture and there is no ultimate and absolute wrong. The direct implication of this is that there is no ultimate good or absolute right. You can’t have one without the other – I suggest.

All of this makes for uncomfortable reading on this first Sunday of the Western churches period of Lent. The readings emphasise struggle, temptation and divine help. However, we take it (if we take scripture seriously at all), we ought to have our heads screwed on and our feet firmly planted on the ground. What I mean is this: we do not have a complete and final answer to the problem of human evil and suffering. What we do know is that there is much evil and suffering in this world. We also know – through faith and our hearing of the Word of God – that God is the source of our hope and our longing.

It is not easy.

The problem with evil is that we tend to compartmentalise it. It belongs to another place (say Yemen) or time (say the holocaust in the mid-20^th century). We might even study and watch evil from afar by means of literature or film documentaries of what happens somewhere else or what happened a long time ago. The problem with this way of thinking about evil is that we relativise it and put it away as if we do not have a responsibility to name evil.

Take the holocaust of the Jewish people in the last century. When the civilian population of Germany was compelled to walk through the concentration camps after they were liberated by the Allies many people were shocked beyond belief and distressed beyond endurance. ‘We did not know about this’, ‘we were helpless’ or ‘I had nothing to do with this’ was often uttered. The same could be said about those infamous mother and baby homes and similar type institutions not only here in Ireland about across the globe. Not very long ago women were effectively incarcerated in institutions and blamed and shamed while society turned a blind eye. And in many cases, this was done in the name of Christ. Blasphemy. How do we classify suffering on a scale of 0 to 10? It is impossible.

Might it be just possible that just as other generations turned the other way or disclaimed knowledge or responsibility of evil we are in any way complicit and silent in the practice of evil today? Even close by?

As we consider the options for what sort of foods and drinks we might do without this Lent we might consider, also, the bigger problem of suffering and evil perpetrated by people against people very close and very widespread. We have a role to play in countering evil by prayer, self-denial and acts of compassion. This is the relevance of what Jesus did for 40 days and 40 nights before he entered into his public ministry. He had to struggle with evil in the desert and against clever, cunning and malicious lines of thinking and interrogation. He had no props. He might have even uttered the words, ‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me?’

Lent is an opportunity for a personal journey to a deeper faith and love. However, it has a social and community dimension and we need to engage with great injustices in the world about us as well as within us. Our spiritual enemy is always looking for an opportunity and he is well able to quote the scriptures for his own ends.

Let us put our trust in the true God of love. But, let us be careful as we proceed.

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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS

Loving God we thank you for this time of preparation for Easter. Mindful of our weakness and sinfulness we place before you are needs and the needs of others. Together we pray for:

A reversal of those trends that exclude millions from a decent standard of living…..

The peoples of India and Pakistan at this time …

The communities in which we live and work…may we encourage one another in our spiritual journey….

The Christian churches … that we may repent of unnecessary division and exclusion…

Those all among us who have undertaken to deepen our prayer in a spirit of loving sacrifice and renewed service. Keep us firm in our resolutions for this time of Lent

Remembering with thanks those who have gone before us….

… praying in silence….

Loving God, show us the way of life that leads to You. Direct our plans and choices day by day that we may find the true path. Correct anything that needs to be altered. Help us to see what needs to be changed and what needs to be embraced. Thank You.

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A PRAYERFUL WALK THROUGH LUKE 4:1-13

Preliminaries

Luke and Matthew’s account of this episode in the life of Jesus is similar. There is no direct mention of it in John while Mark’s account is very brief. The period in the desert where Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit follows the baptism of Jesus and precedes the public ministry of Jesus. We do well to reflect on the example of Jesus who devoted himself to prayer, self-denial and struggle with evil in advance of a major decision or turn in our lives.

v.1-4   The first temptation: the lust for more

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone.”

Never content with what we have we seek for more and different. Life is a merry go-round of sought after pleasures, projects and things and more things and different things.

v.5-8   The second temptation: the lust for group think

Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. And the devil said to him, ‘To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Worship the Lord your God,     and serve only him.”’

The spirit of evil is abroad and is in control of much political authority for ‘it has been given over to me’ says Satan.

Worship of God is outside the realm of thinking and acting that rules this world. One of the hardest choices a follower of Jesus will make is to stand aside from the crowd (and that may include one’s own church or faith community). To think for oneself and to take responsibility for the Word that has been planted in us is a most difficult task and we cannot do it alone.

v.9-13   The third temptation: the presumption of truth and power

Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’  Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

We must acknowledge that the Devil does not give up!  ‘he departed from him until an opportune time’. That time would come in the a garden on the outskirts of Jerusalem one Thursday night in spring.

God's little helpers

“…Do to others as you would have them do to you.” (Luke 6:31)

Luke 6:27-38 (Year C: Second Sunday before Lent / Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 24^th February, 2019)

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A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S READINGS

In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading in the Church of Ireland (Luke 8:22-35) the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) are as follows: Genesis 2:4-25,  Psalm 65, and  Revelation 4.  Directly parallel Gospel readings may be found in Matthew 8:28-34 and in Mark 5:1-20. 

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman Catholic Church, for this coming Sunday, the choice of readings is as follows:  1 Samuel 26:2-23, Psalm 103(102), 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, Luke 6:27-38.

For the purposes of this Blog I am going with Luke 6:27-38 (and directly parallel to Matthew 5:38-48). I can’t resist this particular reading from Luke about loving our enemies!

For readers focussed on Luke 8:22-35 see a previous blog “sent back home”

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SERMON NOTES (774 words)

Everyone needs a bit of help from one’s friends. That’s life. We are not on our own. And even if we think we are at times, there is a cloud of witnesses urging us on and watching over us as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews (12.1) says:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.

But what is the nature of this company we experience in the journey of life? Many people accompany us from birth onwards and even before. We quickly learn the rhythms of life, the tones and accents, the tunes and verses. We never stop growing and learning. It is also true that we never stop dying: dying to old habits or ways. Every day our bodies undergo change as we journey from one phase of life to the next.

In his Great, Infinite and Inscrutable Love for us (capitalisation intended!), God sends us ‘Little Helpers’. These are very special people who accompany us for some or even much of the way of life. Let’s say that they provide a service to us to help us grow in that wholeness of human be-ing (some say ‘holiness’).

You see, the Little Helpers are allowed by God to play an indispensable role in helping us to become more the sort of people God wants us to be: kind, gentle, patient, wise and long-suffering. These Little Helpers test our patience, our love and our stamina. Their role is to challenge us to love more precisely because it seems (and it is truly the case for whatever reasons best known to God) that they treat us with less than the respect, affection and loyalty that they ought to give.

This is difficult territory to be in or to describe. All too often, pious Christians and persons of good will confuse charity for compliance and submissiveness. Tragically, there were and there are persons who cooperate with others in allowing themselves to be emotionally abused or worse.

Therefore, we need to be clear and we need to be careful. The strong teaching of Jesus in today’s Gospel reading from Luke is, indeed, about loving our enemies and ‘turning the cheek’. The choice of the word ‘enemies’ is not done likely. If Jesus the Son of God and the greatest lover of all time had enemies then we might expect a few in our lives? I don’t know: I can only speak from a limited experience of life to date. That others mistreat us may be the result of bad choices or, in some cases, what might be termed ‘facilitating behaviour’ on the part of the one despised.

The point is that whatever stage or circumstances of life we find ourselves in we are there for a reason and the only thing that matters is that we love in the here and now even those who are nasty, manipulative or downright bad.

It is offered as advice that were persons working in dangerous regions of the world to be kidnapped or taken as hostages they ought to discretely and sincerely focus on their own humanity and personal stories as people with families, histories and character. It may not work but it is worth a try.

But, isn’t loving really bad people excessive and imprudent? We need to distinguish carefully between loving our enemies which means wanting and doing what is really good for them, on the one hand, and on the other, resisting and exposing bad behaviour and not allowing it to infect or damage.

We need the Holy Spirit and the support of good friends to know the difference and the nature of each situation we find ourselves in.

‘Pray for those who abuse you’ (v. 28). That’s a strong expression. Now, in case there might be any misunderstanding or misapplication of this phrase, those who abuse – whether emotionally, physically or otherwise – must be confronted and corrected publicly if necessary. But, we should still pray for them and love them because to love is to be free of that hatred that we might experience but which we do not allow to conquer or control us. Love the transgressor but not the transgression. And where some transgressions have wrecked untold misery and suffering on people the transgressor should face the full consequences of the law. The churches have a much less than glorious record in aspects of abusive human behaviour for which they now pay a high price in loss of trust and association.


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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS


Father of mercy we pray for:


The coming of your kingdom among us. May we know and live by the values of your justice, forgiveness and compassion…..

The nations of the world especially those torn apart by war, famine and oppression. We remember in a special way the people of Yemen at this time…

The families and friendships in which we share….

Those who cross us in life and cause suffering or rejection…. Lord of all relationships heal us

The Christian churches … that we may witness to our unity in purpose and faith…

One another….

Other named persons ….

Remembering with thanks those who have gone before us and those mourn their passing….

… praying in silence….

Loving God we entrust our prayers – spoken and unspoken – to the intercession of our redeemer, Jesus Christ who lives and moves with you in the Holy Spirit.

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A PRAYERFUL WALK THROUGH LUKE 6:27-36

Preliminaries

The teaching of Jesus runs on from the beatitudes as recounted by Luke in last Sunday’s reading. What we hear and read this Sunday is an elaboration of last Sunday’s declaration of the blessings or beatitudes. It is a very necessary elaboration because it is all too easy to ‘spiritualise’ the holy scriptures and blunt the full implications of what they say to us today. Both then and now, the idea of loving one’s enemies is not an easy one. Let’s say that is is ‘counter-cultural’ in the extreme.

v.27-30   Dealing with enemies

27 ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. 

‘I say to you that listen’. But, do we listen? Do we want to listen? The demands of love go beyond the common rules of justice. It surely does not sit with the mentality of the court room or parliamentary debating chamber where the aim is to knock out your opponent and score points to their detriment and one’s own advantage.

Are we take the counsel to ‘turn the other cheek’ literally? In the account of Jesus’ passion (John 18:22-23), we are not provided with any evidence that Jesus followed this literally. Rather, according to John, he verbally challenged those who struck him.

v.31 The Golden Rule

Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Here we have the ‘Golden Rule’ in Luke. This Rule is a common ground in all religious and ethical systems that acknowledge the inherent dignity of every living human creature. Do to others as you want them to do to you.

v.32-36   The practice of mercy

32 ‘If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Here, Jesus is presenting a new insight into the very nature of God as a person of love and therefore mercy. This God of mercy is certainly present in the ancient Hebrew scriptures (the Old Testament). However, people had lost sight of this reality to some degree trapped as they were in hundreds of regulations and ritual practices.

How often we judge others? How often we claim to know why others act and speak in a certain way? How often we group together people of a particular colour, creed or community and make claims that ‘they think this’ or ‘they are like that’ or ‘what would you expect from them?’. This is the not the way of love that Jesus has shown us. The measure of mercy that we might expect and ask is the measure of mercy that we give to others. Therein lies the deal with the Father of mercies!

V.37-38   the measure of love

37 ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.’

And he walked away

“…But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” (Luke 4:30)

Luke 4:21-30 (Year C: Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany / Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, 3^rd February, 2019)

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A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S READINGS

In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading which is common to most Western Christian churches, the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) of the Church of Ireland for this Sunday are: Jeremiah 1:1-19,  Psalm 48, and  1 Corinthians 13:1-13.  Directly parallel Gospel readings to this particular Gospel reading from Luke may be found in Matthew 13:54-58, Mark 6:1-5 and John 4:44.

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman Catholic Church, for this coming Sunday, the choice of readings is the same as above except for the Psalm where Psalm 71(70) is used instead of 48.

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SERMON NOTES (911 words)

Last Sunday we heard how Jesus stood up in his local Synagogue and surprised everyone with an impromptu reading from the prophet Isaiah. The initial very positive reception of Jesus followed by a complete rejection by the local community reminds us, perhaps, of those regular opinion polls and election swingometers: public opinion can shift very rapidly especially in ‘marginal’ constituencies.  The history of the 20^th century continues to demonstrate this. One moment Jesus is a popular sensation; the next moment people are trying to literally kill him.  What was it that triggered such anger and so quickly?

Jesus seems to have touched a very raw nerve. It looks as if what he said and how he said cut deeply into those listening. Somehow, Jesus response to the question ‘Is not this Joseph’s son’ got in under a deep insecurity in those listening.  They had built their lives, their families, their hopes, their little statuses, their self-identity and their righteousness on particular beliefs, assumptions, codes and perceptions. Jesus seems to threaten and undermine this in his provocative series of statements imitating his audience (at least some of them): “Doctor, cure yourself!” and “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”

Popular acclaim turns to rage…

Jesus goes on to cite two stories from the Hebrew scriptures where two prophets, Elijah and Elisha, were sent to foreigners (respectively to a foreign widow in Sidon which lies in modern day Lebanon and, ironically for us in 2019, a foreigner from Syria who had a disease). This was much too far for super confident leading persons in the village of Nazareth.  Enough was enough for them. This would be akin, in some modern day circles, to allowing lower breeds of Christian disciples to share in our table of the eucharist because they do not share our theological system or have not signed up to a list of very selective ethical behaviours we have set for outsiders and insiders.

And to really rub it in, Jesus says: ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town.’ This hurt and suddenly the rabbinic prophet pop idol becomes public enemy number one. There follows a dramatic scene in which Luke pictures Jesus being forcibly taken to the top of the hill for the purposes of the administration of justice (no need here for Roman guards, trials and hearings – the Nazareth kangaroo court knows what it is doing). That his captors meant serious business is clear because, according to some translations of the Bible, the crowd’s plan was to ‘cast him down headlong’. In other words the plan was not for a soft landing with heads up.

And then like an episode from a James Bond film the hero – our hero – just ‘passed through the midst of them and went on his way’. Cool.

Why didn’t Jesus stay and fight? Why didn’t he argue it out with his captors? Where was Mary and all of Jesus’ brethren when all of this was happening? Couldn’t someone have done something?

The point is that Jesus was in Nazareth for a reason: to announce his mission and purpose and move on.  Clearly, he was breaking with his local community.  Apart from the call to travel further afield he had no business staying with a community that simply could not or would not accept Jesus as he really was and as he was becoming in terms of his public ministry which was starting. The die was cast and the hand had been laid to the plough (Luke 9:62) and there was no going back now. But, there is a particular point to the story of what happened in Nazareth. Jesus was indicating very clearly that he was not going to remain stuck in a relationship with his local community where there was no acceptance of the message he was relaying.  Rejection of a person is one thing; rejection of his/her message is another.

Time for Jesus to break free…

And, so, there are times when we have to move on from a particular relationship or situation. This in no way takes from the call to honour our commitments including our solemn ones. Neither is it being suggested that we flee from conflict or trouble or adversity. Rather, it means that there will be times, places, occasions and persons where for the sake of a greater good for all concerned that we walk away with our peace, our integrity and our dignity intact. This takes courage and trust. Luke does not tell us who went with Jesus when he ‘passed through the midst of them and went on his way’.  It is possible that he was not accompanied on this occasion in which case he walked alone as he walked away.  It is possible that he went away to the hills to be on his own and to pray (a very Lucan type of scenario). We don’t know. What we do know is that Jesus was not going to engage further with those folk. In any case, there was little choice because it was wholly destructive to the point of involving death.

There are times – hopefully very rare – when we have to walk away for God’s sake and everyone else’s sake. As it is written in the opening chapter of the prophet Jeremiah (1:19):

they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you.

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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS

Lord of Love we thank you for calling us and enabling us. You have sent us into a troubled world where you call on us to be courageous witnesses to your compassion and justice. May we be missionaries of your Life within us and among us as we pray, together, for:

• Communities riven apart by strife and war…
• A generous welcome of the victims of human trafficking, of enforced prostitution, and of violence in all of its forms..
• The people of Venezuela at this time …
• The communities in which we live and work…may we welcome and listen to each one who arrives here….
• The Christian churches … that we may move forward according to your plans and not ours…
• One another….
• Other named persons ….
• Remembering with thanks those who have gone before us….
• … praying in silence….

Lord of love may we know you more and more day by day and may your grace continue to guide us and protect us today and in the coming week. We make this prayer in Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

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A PRAYERFUL WALK THROUGH LUKE 4:14-21

Preliminaries

We are back in Jesus’ home town.  This passage picks up on a story from last Sunday. Jesus stirs things up in the local synagogue by announcing from the prophet Isaiah that freedom is on its way.  In this Sunday’s reading the situation rapidly deteriorates to a point where Jesus is faced with a premature near-death encounter as the local mob (his very own village neighbours and possibly his extended family too) try to throw him ‘headlong’ from the top of the local hill top which was by a cliff.

It would be easy to dismiss the highly aggressive and hostile response of the local community where Jesus grew up as indicative of a completely different culture, times and circumstances.  But, is the story of the violent reaction to Jesus’ teaching and behaviour that out of line with the lived reality in ordinary communities, workplaces and families today? (and even churches?). Violence and exclusion can take many forms.

v. 21-22   Rejection at the very outset

Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’ All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?’

At verse 21 we pick up from where we finished off last Sunday. Having declared a gospel of liberation to the poor and those outside the circles of respectability Jesus walks into big trouble in, of all places, his home village.  The fulfilling of scripture is happening before our eyes in the story recounted but, also, in our hearing of this story again today. Like the fickle townspeople of Nazareth we may marvel at the ‘gracious words that came from his mouth’ but we must be warned that even now as Jesus begins his public ministry in his home village some of the inhabitants attempt to kill him. Rejection beginning in one’s own home village is the mark of Jesus’s ministry. Should it be any different for those of us who follow in his steps? Heavenly Father, be with us as we walk the way of your Son.

v.23-27   Jesus brings it on

He said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.”’ And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’

It is as if Jesus seeks to provoke a confrontation with the people of his village. Having, according to Luke, won considerable acclaim and admiration, he launches into a sharp rebuke of those hearing him. There is no soft introduction. Rather, Jesus switches tone from his abrupt proclamation in the Synagogue to what seems like an abrupt and without-warning salvo to those around him. This was not according to the rules of ‘how to win friends and influence people’. Jesus knew what was in the hearts of those around him. After all, he grew up with them and knew them only too well. Perhaps, he was giving vent to a lifetime’s experience of distrust, suspicion and hypocrisy around him? Some scripture scholars speculate that the seeming abruptness in Jesus’ discourse reflects a passage of time and occurrence of two separate visits to Nazareth. It is hard to tell. We will have to take his word for it regardless of the details and timing.

A key point to be considered, here, is that the Good News is for everyone not just the select few. This is the point of Jesus’ quotation of the story of Elijah and Elisha. It underlines that salvation is as much for the foreigner as it is for the natives and the first chosen or called. This also echoes in the experience of the community (probably mostly gentile) for whom Luke wrote in the 80’s.

v.28-30   A close encounter

When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

This was a near fatal experience for Jesus. Yet, he shook himself down and walked away – almost or actually miraculously. His time was not yet. He could have reflected on the experience in Nazareth and decided to call of his mission. Could there not be better, more efficient, less confrontational ways of spreading the Good News and influencing others? If he played his cards right, Jesus could have lived another 20 years or more preaching in some quiet place and avoiding any kingdom talk or any criticism of the religious authorities. The periodic miracle and ‘gracious words’ would have worked wonders and maintained interest. Perhaps money could have flowed in and Jesus, with his disciples, could have built a special Synagogue or Temple offering a type of charismatic Judaism out in the desert?

Jesus chose another path. He could apply to himself the words to Jeremiah:

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Rediscovering our baptism

“…When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2)

Luke 3:15-22 (Year C: Baptism of the Lord/First Sunday after the Epiphany, 13^th January, 2019)

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A NOTE ABOUT TODAY’S READINGS

In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading which is common to most Western Christian churches, the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) of the Church of Ireland for this Sunday are: Isaiah 43:1-7,  Psalm 29(28), and  Acts 8:14-17.  Directly parallel Gospel readings to this particular Gospel reading from Luke may be found in Matthew 3:11-17 and in Mark 1:4-11.

In the liturgical cycle of the Roman Catholic Church, for this coming Sunday, the choice of readings is the same as above except for the following: The first reading is from Isaiah 40:1-11 and the second is from Titus 2:11-14;3:4-7.

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SERMON NOTES (732 words)

Most of us cannot remember the most important day of our lives!  The day of our baptism is the day that we are sacramentally and ritually welcomed into the wider Christian family. It is a beautiful and altogether special day. Lest it might be suggested that our lives go steadily downwards thereafter it must be point out that baptism could be compared to an entrance ceremony in which we are enrolled on a lifelong course of discipleship. And on our journey we learn the most important skill in life – love.

And here is the most important life skill a young infant can learn – love. A loving home environment and wider community is rich in life-long and life-wide and life deep learning.

We are invited to love because we have been dearly loved in the first place.

That brings us to the story of Jesus in the Jordan. A voice is heard from heaven: (Luke 3:22).

‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

That same voice would speak, again, at the Transfiguration saying (Luke 9:35):

‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’

What the God of Love said to us on the day of our baptism is what He says to each of us today and it is this:

‘This is my Son, listen to him’.

And what is that Jesus the Christ says to us today? He bids us to go out into the world and love each person one by one and moment by moment. And that starts here and in this place. No matter what our history is or how we feel right now, today is a new day; a day that will never be repeated. It is a unique opportunity to respond to the call of love.

This is the meaning of baptism – that very ancient and modern of sacraments that we need to rediscover in all its simplicity and relevance now. It is a dying to self and a meeting with the Risen Christ. The outward sign of water symbolises the cleansing power of baptism in anticipation of a life dedicated to God. We become special and gentle members of the whole Christian family.

The only way to make sense of the story of our baptism is to travel down to the Jordan with Jesus in his baptism, so to speak, and be immersed in the waters of tribulation and cleaning (the two go hand in hand if we can see it).  That takes courage. To go there in the first place is a big step. Then, to allow oneself to be immersed in the waters for a moment is an act of trust on the part of the one being submerged. 

Jesus walked into the Jordan in solidarity with all of us seeking healing, renewal and life. He didn’t need to do this. In fact, God didn’t need to send Jesus in the first place. However, this God of ours is a God-who-is-love and cannot help himself loving and making himself one with what he has created.

Going along with a sound and established religious ritual is indeed a good thing to do. But, doing so with faith, conviction and prayer in the presence of God is what makes the difference.  This is why Christian baptism – a much neglected and overlooked sacrament – should be so central to the mission of all that we do as Christians.  Think of it – what happens in baptism is the most crucial outward sign of a gift that is ours over all that comes before and all that comes after.  Anybody can be baptised once and for all where there is faith and intention. Baptism is the one sacrament that can – legitimately – be administered by anyone lay or ordained. And it is the one sacrament that is seen to be shared by all disciples of Christ whatever the petty squabbles over other sacraments which in many cases turns out to be a squabble over words and human philosophy.

We are made into living members of his Body when ‘water is poured over us’ in baptism and when ‘bread and wine is freely given to us’ in the Eucharist.  From there flows the grace and energy of discipleship day by day, year by year until we meet the Lord Jesus fully face to face at our death which is only are final rebirth to everlasting life.

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SOME IDEAS FOR INTERCESSIONS

Loving Father you sent us your Son Jesus in the Holy Spirit to transform our world.

Recalling the baptism of Your son in the river Jordan we yearn to hear, once again, your Word in the depths of our hearts. At this time of joy for the birth of your Son let us be open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit as we pray for:

The Earth and all its peoples….

Our own country…

The communities in which we live and work…

Christian churches across the world and in this locality…

Our parish/community/congregation…

For those preparing for baptism in the coming months…. (named?)

One another….

Named persons ….

Remembering with thanks those who have gone before us….

… praying in silence….

Loving Father accept these, our prayers, in the name of Jesus our saviour born that all may be truly free.

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FURTHER NOTES ON THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY

Preliminaries

In the liturgy we jump from the birth of Jesus forward to the time when he began his ministry soon after his baptism in the river Jordan. The theology behind this story is well captured in the concluding verses of that hymn sometimes used in liturgies, Down by the Jordan:

Here in the Church, we are baptized and filled with God's Spirit.

Freed and forgiven, we're welcomed with joy! Can you hear it?This is God's sign! This is how God says, "You're mine!"Let's take the good news and share it!

Luke relates many incidents in Jesus’ life when he prayed alone or in public. In this sketch we see a crowd pressing in on the prophet John eager to hear his answer to the questions being asked.  Jesus was beginning to make his mark in the region but John was still the leading prophet who challenged people far and wide with a message of repentance. The symbolism of going down into the water and re-emerging is a powerful one for death and re-birth.

Water carries a power and healing that is captured in many religious rituals and practices. In the Christian sacrament – not to be confused with the baptism of John found in the gospels – we go down with Christ to be raised up again.

For an adult undergoing ‘full immersion’ it can be a shock especially if the water is icy cold as it is in the baths in Lourdes in southern France by the waters of the river Gave.

How does our baptism connect with the baptism that Jesus – surprisingly – underwent in the river Jordan?  A baptism by John is a sign of something greater to come. It holds the meaning of repentance, cleansing and renewal. However, the baptism brought by Jesus will see a transformation in the Holy Spirit that will have a lasting effect on individuals and communities. It will build on John’s baptism and the prophecies of old but usher in a new life and reality for those who will taste of the Holy Spirit. Once marked there is no going back. Even if people walk away from their baptismal vows at some stage in their lives (is there anyone who doesn’t?) we have, each of us, been marked out by God’s love in this founding sacrament and this love will never leave us.

We may note that whereas Mark said Jesus was baptised by John, Matthew says that Jesus presented himself for baptism (and there was something of a tussle before John agreed to baptise his cousin) while Luke does not specifically say who baptised Jesus. Finally, John makes no mention of the baptism of the Lord in his gospel. Could it be that the entire episode probably presented challenges for the early Christian community for which the evangelists wrote and from which they came and among whom some disciples were still coming to terms with the story of how John gave way to Jesus?

v. 15-18   John proclaims the Good News of the coming of the Messiah

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 

John prepares a way for Jesus. The baptism of John is a very different type of baptism. Luke makes this clear. John declares that he baptises with water but the one who comes after him will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with ‘fire’. Fire is often associated with the Holy Spirit. Moreover, fire is a sign of the purifying impact of God who is all powerful. The Spirit burns up and sorts out what is good from what is evil.

v. 19-20    A sign of contradiction and suffering

 But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, added to them all by shutting up John in prison.

Throughout the scriptures times of great joy and expectation are followed by times of trial, persecution and suffering. As it was then so it is now and will be until we find ourselves in the final victory of God’s Kingdom. In the choice of readings, these verses are usually omitted for this Sunday. Somehow, they interrupt the flow of the story leading up to the baptism of Jesus. Yet, it is important to restate that the signal for Jesus’ very public entry into ministry was not only his baptism by John but the execution of the latter. This must have had a devastating impact on Jesus. Not only did he lose a close cousin and ally but he knew, even then, what awaited him. And we may surmise that one way or another out baptism is not complete until we have shared the cup of the Lord.

v. 21-22    The Baptism of Jesus

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

In verse 22 the role of Jesus as Messiah, King, Prophet, Suffering Servant and unique Son come together. We meet the fulfilment of the role of the suffering servant in Isaiah 42:1:

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.

In the face of our beloved – Voltus Christi we can also see our own humanity – ‘those of the adoptive son revealed in our baptism’ as Saint Augustine of Hippo once wrote.

ENDS

with an alien people clutching their gods

“…they were overwhelmed with joy” (Luke 2:10)

Matthew 2:1-12 (Year C: The Epiphany, January, 2019)

.. There was a Birth, certainly
We had evidence and no doubt. I had seen birth and death,
But had thought they were different; this Birth was
Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death.
We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,
But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,
With an alien people clutching their gods.
I should be glad of another death.

(from The Journey of the Magi by T.S. Eliot)

‘Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you’. (Isaiah 60:1)

‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it’. (John 1:5)

These two verses seem very appropriate for all of us at the start of 2019 even if it might seem that our world is sunk in darkness and this darkness has conquered the light for a time in the middle of our Northern winter. 

This coming Sunday marks the feast of the ‘epiphany’. This word comes from the Greek word, theophaneia, meaning the appearance of God to human beings. 

The story of the first ‘eiphany’ is rich in symbolism and we need to hear and read it in this light without trying to fill in all the gaps. Let’s go with the flow and the larger story which the author of the gospel of Matthew is trying to convey. This requires some imagination on our part.

The journey of the wise ones (the magi as they are called) was not without danger and toil. To make a journey in such circumstances took incredible stamina, hope and trust that something was worth travelling for to see and behold.  As in today’s world, there is much danger and threat from power brokers who play with people’s lives and practice deceit and oppression. The pilgrims from the east had to use discretion, courage and perseverance to circumvent Herodian scheming.

Astrology was a popular pastime in ancient times (and is still today among the gullible) and provides a focus for people in search of meaning, assurance and progress through life’s ways. The star that guided, pulled and filled the wise pilgrims was of another kind. It was like an inner star or magnetic force that led strangers over 100s of kilometers of barren desert to a humble place where they found something that exceeded their expectations. They were not just surprised by joy but they were ‘overwhelmed’ with joy, according to Matthew (verse 10). We may note that they travelled not alone but together. On coming to a place of rest where the star shone they joined Joseph, Mary and Jesus.  Where two or three are gathered there was the messiah of Israel among them. 

On a lighter note, some have commented that ‘three wise women’ would have asked for directions, arrived on time, helped deliver the baby, cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts!  To be fair to the magi we don’t know if they were all men, how many there were and what exactly they did during their stay! The important point is that they made the difficult journey, found what they were looking for and returned safely.  To put it this way:

1. They sought love;
2. They realised that they were loved;
3. They remained in grace-given love; and
4. They found love.

Three ‘stars’, not one, guided them….

1. The star within of love seeking love
2. The star over and beyond their immediate situation and place
3. The star at the end of their journey in Bethlehem.

4.      It was when these three ‘stars’ aligned that the pilgrims were ‘overwhelmed with joy’ (verse 10). The alignment of stars took, in all likelihood, years, trial, error, re-trial and more years.  But, they got there and it didn’t finish there.  Their discovery took them back to where they came to continue their quest. How many stories were told and lives touched by the witness of their journey when they got back home? The magi could make of their own the words of David in  Psalm 63:1-4:

O God, you are my God, I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

Or, they might have anticipated the declaration of Saint Augustine of Hippo centuries after the manifestation of God:

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you! You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you. Saint Augustine Confessions, 10.27

And we journey on through life in search of meaning, renewed life and connection.  Like the magi we need to pay attention to the stars within and without that guide us. We can find it deep within if we live a more disciplined life of attention and practice based on compassion. ‘Mindfulness’ may seem like a gimmick word or cliché but it remains a key challenge. After all, Mary ‘treasured all these things’ in her heart many times in those early years of Jesus’ time.

Following our inner spark takes discipline and practice. It does not suggest a flight from reality or duty. Rather, it beckons us to become more focussed on what we are doing and experiencing now. It might be as simple as paying attention to eating, walking, waiting for a bus, conversation, non-verbal cues, pain, joy and hope.  A new year’s resolution is born!

The story of the epiphany is a story of hope. Let this new calendar year be one of hope and a new beginning for each one of us. Even if we might feel that we are ‘with an alien people clutching their gods’ as T.S. Eliot wrote, we can take courage from the following truth that is as true today as 2,000 years ago and will still be true in years to come when 2019 will be a distant memory:

‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it’. (John 1:5)

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In addition to this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading which is common to most Western Christian churches, the other readings from scripture found in the ‘paired’ Revised Common Lectionary (RCL) of the Church of Ireland for this Sunday are: Isaiah 60:1-6;  Psalm 72:1-14; and  Ephesians 3:1-12.  These readings, including the Gospel from St Matthew, are also used in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.

Readers may find just some of the following resources and links of use:

https://www.biblegateway.com/

A good online bible in many languages and versions. For the purposes of this blog, I usually stick with the New Revised Standard Version (Anglicised). However, I often switch to the Grail Psalter for the psalms due to my fondness for, and familiarity with, it.

http://www.openbible.info/labs/cross-references/

A very convenient and quick cross reference for biblical verses.

http://sites.utoronto.ca/religion/synopsis/meta-6gv.htm

This is the best online source for direct comparison of Gospels and New Testament passages.

http://www.ocarm.org/en/calendar-date

A useful biblical commentary from the Carmelites. It follows the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar.

http://biblehub.com/commentaries

A solid and comprehensive biblical commentary from classical Reformed sources. It has good explanations of underlying Greek text.

https://cmelimerick.blogspot.com/

This is an excellent source by Rev Patrick Comerford adapted for Church of Ireland uses which contains, among other things, suggested hymns for the Sunday or feast day (always useful when panicking the night before a service!)

https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb/luke.html

It is hard to beat the great classic of William Barclay’s commentaries. This particular link is to Luke’s Gospel which provides for most Sundays of Year C.  Commentaries on Mark, Matthew and John are also available.

https://www.workingpreacher.org/

(A good online US Lutheran source with lots of concise sermon ideas for the weary preacher!)

http://www.textweek.com/

This is a week by week guide packed with useful resources.

The above are just a few sources that I draw on from time to time. The choice is yours. But, let’s remember that the best source is the Holy Spirit working through tradition, reason and lived experience! If you know of other good online sources let me know.

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Further reading: notes and questions, verse by verse

Preliminaries

There is something of a mystery about the story of the visit by the magi to Bethlehem – literally the House of Bread in Hebrew. They came from the ‘East’. Whatever its historical origins, the story has captured the imagination of generations as a type of climax for the story of Christ’s birth (and yet, Christmastide is not over until the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple on 2 February). The story of the visit is unique – among the Gospels – to Matthew. It draws attention to the appearance of God’s love in a troubled and divided world – a love that draws all peoples to God-who-is-love.  That all are called no matter who they are and where they come from is a theme in all the Gospels. It may very well be that Matthew wanted to draw particular attention to the way that the ‘gentiles’ – those outside the specially chosen Jewish people – are called to see and experience the amazing love that has been born into this world.

v. 1-2:  The quest

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ 

The passage opens up in Jerusalem. However, the journey starts in the heart. It is there that our desire to meet the Other is born.  We must go out from ourselves towards the Other in others.

In the story, we are given a time (the reign of Herod and a specific place, Bethlehem). In this case, the ones seeing the child-king came from the East where the sun rises and where wisdom flows. East meets west, however, not in Jerusalem but in a little known place in the hills.

v.3-6    Kings are shaken

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

The prophecy is taken directly from Micah 5:2. Herod is ‘frightened’ because for him power is everything. Anything or anyone who challenges his power is a threat and must be extinguished.  The priests and scribes make excellent interpreters of the scripture but know not its meaning in their day. When the one who was foretold came they missed the opportunity. Are we blind too?

v.7-12    Overwhelming joy

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.  Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’  When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.  When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.  On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

The story recounts a symbolic giving of ‘gold, frankincense and myrrh’.  There is a parallel, here, to Psalm 72:10-11 (NRSVA):

May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.  May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.

But, this Psalm goes on immediately to say (verses 12-14):

For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.  He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy. From oppression and violence he redeems their life; and precious is their blood in his sight.

Ancient interpreters of this text see, here, a symbol of Christ’s royalty, priesthood and death. The origin of the gifts of ‘gold, frankincense and myrrh’ might suggest a possible geographical source of what is today Saudi Arabia. Who knows? It doesn’t matter. The Magi came from afar and they were not members of the ‘In-group’.  Matthew is trying to tell us that those ‘far away’ from the promised and chosen people are invited in to see, to believe and to worship.  The barriers between Jew and Gentile were already crumbling in the second chapter of the first book of the Christian New Testament.