Category: ‘Christmas Contemplations’

It’s That Time Again

[This Reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 15/Dec/2019]

Perhaps it has something to do with my Grandfather’s first name being ‘Ebenezer’ but I am not really a great fan of Christmas. More accurately, I am not a great fan of what Christmas has become.

The holly and the ivy have been supplanted by cheap Chinese leds and silent nights are rent by decidedly un-angelic choirs. Behind the butcher’s shop the cattle are no longer lowing and away from the manger the herald angels are glorifying the latest offering from Burger King. In the little town the glad sound is that of tills ringing, the merry gentlemen are all down at the Six Bells and, amid the winter snow (availability subject to global warming), it is not just the shepherds who are lying on a bed of straw.

As the other Ebenezer would have said – Humbug! (Actually, humbugs are one of the best parts of Christmas – they refresh the palate in a way that even Christmas-pudding flavoured ice cream cannot do.)

Why is it that Christmas-present never matches up to our recollections of Christmas-past? The gifts are no longer worth their weight in gold and are discarded quicker than a flask of myrrh.
And as for the turkey …

But wait!
Who is he in yonder stall?
What child is this?
Mary, did you know?
 
Might there still be, somewhere, a vestige of curiosity about Christ at Christmas? Two thousand years ago three kings came looking for Jesus and wise men still seek him. Are we willing, like the good king of old, to go out of our comfort zone and show them the way?

If you get bored with the sermon then try counting the carols …

  • The Holly and the Ivy
  • Silent Night
  • Away in a Manger (x2)
  • Hark the Herald Angels
  • O Little Town of Bethlehem
  • Hark the Glad Sound
  • God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
  • Carol of the Bells
  • See Amid the Winter’s Snow
  • While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
  • See Him Lying on a Bed of Straw
  • Who is He in Yonder Stall?
  • What Child is This?
  • Mary, Did You Know?
  • We Three Kings
  • Good King Wenceslas

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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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Advent

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 08/Dec/2019]

Advent: The Season of Hope and Expectation
It’s hard to believe that we are now just a few weeks away from Christmas! The usual flurry of decorations, lights, cards, present-buying and menu-planning fight for our thoughts and attention, despite that we said we would be ahead of the game this time (well, I did)! Each year I too get caught up in this whirlwind of activity, and my appreciation of the Advent season and the real meaning of Christmas can take backstage instead of centre stage.

But I set out with intentionality this year, to change pace, to grow in my relationship with God, to “listen” more for what he is saying to me, to us, to “see” more of where he is working in my church, my family, my own life, to “enquire” more of His heartbeat for our world, to be “present” more to his presence within and around me. Whether aided by this process I am not sure, but my thoughts seem to be constantly taking me to the Kingdom of God – what does it look like, am I walking in it, do I notice it around me, do I see it in others?

I think we often think of the Kingdom of God as something mainly “to come” or “in the future”. For now, we live in this fallen world but when Christ returns, he will bring the Kingdom with Him – some refer to it as “the now and not yet of the Kingdom of God”. It’s easy to feel like that when we look at our world which, at times, feels like it is imploding under the burden of sin, wars, pain, politics – not to mention our physical planet which is suffering and shrinking under the effects of plastic over-use, global warming, tree deforestation and more. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:22)

And yet we read in Mark’s gospel that “The time has come,” and “the Kingdom of God has come near”. Note the words has come, not is coming! I believe we see or bring the Kingdom each time we help one another, pray for each other, bless people, listen to our God. The Kingdom comes with the birth of a baby, knit together in the Mother’s womb, a miracle in the making. The Kingdom comes when we walk alongside another in their pain, their spiritual journey. The Kingdom comes when we use our voices to stand up for what is right, to support those who don’t have a voice – the poor, the weak, the unborn child, the sick. The Kingdom has come in the heart and spirit of every Christian, and everywhere we go, we take the Kingdom with us. Romans 14:17 says “For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit …”

As we journey through ‘Adventus’, which means ‘come’, let us pray “Maranatha” which means ‘Come, Lord Jesus’. As we do this and our prayers rise to heaven, we invite the Kingdom to come more and more. And let us not forget that, to Jesus’ disciples (us), He has not only come, but He stayed and dwells permanently in our hearts. The Kingdom of God is that near!
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Contributor: Lesley Edwards
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