Making room

Luke 2:1-14

The Birth of Jesus

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

The Shepherds and the Angels

In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

Emperor's decrees

Long journeys

Lots of travellers

Busy cities

A baby ready to be born

A birth that disrupts careful plans

That astounds night workers going about their business

enough to change routines 

so that they could go and see for themselves...

Following the bidding of Angels

the Shepherds were among the first

to witness the miracle of love

born for them

Born for us.

Prayer

Incarnate God, may there be room in our busy schedules for disruption. May we hear the voices of angels and go and see. And may there be space to be changed by all that we encounter.

Nothing impossible

Luke 1:26-38

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

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, favored 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 favor 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.

Nothing impossible

Conception

Mystery

Justice

Peace

Release

Sharing

Miracles

Love

Nothing impossible

Christmas

Prayer

God in our world today, may the miracle of Christmas be that we truly believe that nothing is impossible and so, in love, may we begin to meet the needs of our world.

Making ready

Luke 1:14-17

You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

One who goes before

Not the main event

Filled with the Spirit

Making ready

With power

to turn a nation around

to make folk ready

to greet the Messiah

Not an easy task

But vital

to the Kingdom of God.

Prayer

There will always be a need for those who prepare the way, for those who faithfully sow the seeds upon which others can build. May we be content with being forerunners to the main event.

Sharing the truth

Luke 1:1-4

Dedication to Theophilus

Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.

Who could have imagined

that setting down an orderly account

W

would lead to such confusion and debate

about what is truth?

Who could have imagined

that every nuance would be weighed and measured,

every phrase scrutinised?

And, far from revealing truth,

these words,

this orderly account

would convey deep, deep mystery.

And somewhere in that mystery

God dwells.

Prayer

Turn us, O God from seeking easy answers and half baked truths. Keep us searching for the mystery that you will reveal when the time is right.

The rustle of wings

Luke 1:5-13

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.

Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

It seems that Angels were frequent visitors

in days gone past

Bringing good news and bad

Bringing terror and joy

Bringing anticipation and trepidation

Angels - messengers of God

Are they less frequent today?

Or is it that we're less inclined to notice

or pay heed?

Lost in cyberspace

there is no room for the celestial

And so we miss the gentle rustle

of angels wings

and the good news that they bring.

Prayer

God, in all the clamour, give us space to wait on angels, to hear your message conveyed by unconventional means to ordinary people in out of the way places. Come, Lord Jesus, Come.

Restored

Ezra 6:19-22

The Passover Celebrated

On the fourteenth day of the first month the returned exiles kept the passover. For both the priests and the Levites had purified themselves; all of them were clean. So they killed the passover lamb for all the returned exiles, for their fellow priests, and for themselves. It was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile, and also by all who had joined them and separated themselves from the pollutions of the nations of the land to worship the Lord, the God of Israel. With joy they celebrated the festival of unleavened bread seven days; for the Lord had made them joyful, and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria to them, so that he aided them in the work on the house of God, the God of Israel.

Work done

Worship restored

Back to ritual and promise

A return to praise and devotion

With the evidence of their longing

manifest in the completion of the temple,

Gods people fell back on tradition 

Returning to what they knew or had heard about

Worshiping the Lord with joy

With the building as testament to an ancient way of life

they picked up old threads

and began to weave

a new pattern.

Prayer

In every unraveling and in every re-making, God is with us.

In every truth discarded and in every treasure rediscovered, God is with us

Aiding discernment in the myriad options we encounter

Guiding our thoughts and deeds

Directing our choices

Leading us

in the ways that lead

to hope

and peace

and love

and joy

Purpose

Ezra 6:13-18

Completion and Dedication of the Temple

Then, according to the word sent by King Darius, Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what King Darius had ordered. So the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of the prophet Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia; and this house was finished on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.

The people of Israel, the priests and the Levites, and the rest of the returned exiles, celebrated the dedication of this house of God with joy. They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs, and as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel. Then they set the priests in their divisions and the Levites in their courses for the service of God at Jerusalem, as it is written in the book of Moses.

Job done.

At last

Offerings made

Boxes ticked

What next?

Will this fulfilment of decree

a long time in the making

Impact the life of the world?

Will the God honoured in this edifice

make any difference

to those who have hewn stone,

those whose taxes have increased to fund

a monument to the past?

Will this symbol of greatness and dedication

live long and prosper?

Prayer

God when we become embroiled in buildings and structures, in decrees and laws, remind us of the demands you make on us - to love you and to love each other, inside and out of our worship,

Grand gestures

Ezra 5:1-5

Restoration of the Temple Resumed

Now the prophets, Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem, in the name of the God of Israel who was over them. Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel and Jeshua son of Jozadak set out to rebuild the house of God in Jerusalem; and with them were the prophets of God, helping them.

At the same time Tattenai the governor of the province Beyond the River and Shethar-bozenai and their associates came to them and spoke to them thus, “Who gave you a decree to build this house and to finish this structure?” They also asked them this, “What are the names of the men who are building this building?” But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews, and they did not stop them until a report reached Darius and then answer was returned by letter in reply to it.

Isn't it the way

that those who seek to do right

come under scrutiny?

Their motives questioned

their authority usurped,

hurdles at every turn.

The temple will be built

but at what cost

and to what purpose.

Honouring God

needs not the ostentatious 

or grand gesture,

but the humble spirit

of reverence and awe

lived out in love.

Prayer 

God you ask not for amazing feats of architecture or vulgar displays to wealth but for humility and sincerity in our worship accompanied by generosity in our living. This Advent, help us to see the treasure you have planted deep within each of us.

Temporary victory

Ezra 4:23-24

Then when the copy of King Artaxerxes’ letter was read before Rehum and the scribe Shimshai and their associates, they hurried to the Jews in Jerusalem and by force and power made them cease. At that time the work on the house of God in Jerusalem stopped and was discontinued until the second year of the reign of King Darius of Persia.

Stopped in their tracks

from rebuilding the temple

Thwarted by evil intent

Such malice is always soul destroying

it rarely feels temporary

We're not always able to see beyond

the present reality

It's hard to trust

in God's time

Hard to await

the right time.

Faith and promises

do not pay the bills

or keep worry from consuming.

The discipline of waiting

does not come easily

to a people accustomed to doing not being.

Being forced to wait

encourages us to be.

Prayer

God, when plans are thwarted and evil seems to have the last say, give us the strength and the wisdom to discern your purpose and, in discovery, help us simply to be.

Undercurrents

Ezra 4:1-5

Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple

When the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the Lord, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of families and said to them, “Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of King Esar-haddon of Assyria who brought us here.” But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of families in Israel said to them, “You shall have no part with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus of Persia has commanded us.”

Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and made them afraid to build, and they bribed officials to frustrate their plan throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.

In every task

there will always be discouragers

Those who feel left out

Those who resent others

getting on with the work in hand - 

especially when they're making a good job of it.

Not everything can be wholly embracing,

not when the outcome will be compromised

Discernment and instinct

should not be overruled

by the desire to be inclusive.

Even when we know

there will be a price to pay.

Prayer

Lord, in our desire to embrace, help us not to sell out. 

In our desire to compromise, help us not to let what is important slide into oblivion.

Give us wisdom to discern when it is appropriate to simply say no - and then to live with the consequence.

Laughing or crying

Ezra 3:10-13

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, according to the directions of King David of Israel;

and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

“For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, old people who had seen the first house on its foundations, wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away.

Shouts of joy mingled with weeping

Celebrations tinged by mourning

Looking to the promise of the future

Pulled back into grieving the past

Such is life

Populated by those with vision

and those who live in the past

To make space for each other is a gift

The new alongside the old

Each with its place

Each worthy of honour

Held together in love

Prayer

God in all our celebrations, keep us mindful of those who mourn.

In all our joyful anticipation of the future, help us make space for those who long for the past.

May we find wholeness in you who brings all things together.

Memories

Ezra 1:1-4

End of the Babylonian Captivity

In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord stirred up the spirit of King Cyrus of Persia so that he sent a herald throughout all his kingdom, and also in a written edict declared:

“Thus says King Cyrus of Persia: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of those among you who are of his people—may their God be with them!—are now permitted to go up to Jerusalem in Judah, and rebuild the house of the Lord, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem; and let all survivors, in whatever place they reside, be assisted by the people of their place with silver and gold, with goods and with animals, besides freewill offerings for the house of God in Jerusalem.”

Ezra 3:1-4

Worship Restored at Jerusalem

When the seventh month came, and the Israelites were in the towns, the people gathered together in Jerusalem. Then Jeshua son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel with his kin set out to build the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as prescribed in the law of Moses the man of God. They set up the altar on its foundation, because they were in dread of the neighboring peoples, and they offered burnt offerings upon it to the Lord, morning and evening. And they kept the festival of booths, as prescribed, and offered the daily burnt offerings by number according to the ordinance, as required for each day,

Ezra 3:10-13

When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord, the priests in their vestments were stationed to praise the Lord with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, according to the directions of King David of Israel;

and they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord,

“For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever toward Israel.”

And all the people responded with a great shout when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid. But many of the priests and Levites and heads of families, old people who had seen the first house on its foundations, wept with a loud voice when they saw this house, though many shouted aloud for joy, so that the people could not distinguish the sound of the joyful shout from the sound of the people’s weeping, for the people shouted so loudly that the sound was heard far away.

In the midst of rejoicing

there was also weeping

And so it has always been

Tears amidst the shouts of joys.

Laments amidst the praise

Memories among the newly created moments

Longing for the past

even while welcoming the present

What might have been

alongside what is

And God in the midst of it all

whose steadfast love endures forever.

Prayer

God may we always be mindful of those whose memories are long, whose joy in the present is tinged with the memory of former things. May our rejoicing make way for the feelings of others.

And may we know your steadfast love in our lives every day.

Precious

Isaiah 43:1-7

Restoration and Protection Promised

But now thus says the Lord,

he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name, you are mine.

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.

For I am the Lord your God,

the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.

I give Egypt as your ransom,

Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.

Because you are precious in my sight,

and honored, and I love you,

I give people in return for you,

nations in exchange for your life.

Do not fear, for I am with you;

I will bring your offspring from the east,

and from the west I will gather you;

I will say to the north, “Give them up,”

and to the south, “Do not withhold;

bring my sons from far away

and my daughters from the end of the earth—

everyone who is called by my name,

whom I created for my glory,

whom I formed and made.”

Precious

So precious

that the God of all creation

calls you by name

restores you

takes pride in you

and journeys with you

through all things.

Precious

Prayer

God of all the universe,keep reminding us of your presence right beside us in all things. And help us believe that, in your eyes, we are precious, redeemed, known by name.

Locked in

Isaiah 42:21-25

Israel’s  Disobedience

 The Lord was pleased, for the sake of his righteousness,

to magnify his teaching and make it glorious.

But this is a people robbed and plundered,

all of them are trapped in holes

and hidden in prisons;

they have become a prey with no one to rescue,

a spoil with no one to say, “Restore!”

Who among you will give heed to this,

who will attend and listen for the time to come?

Who gave up Jacob to the spoiler,

and Israel to the robbers?

Was it not the Lord, against whom we have sinned,

in whose ways they would not walk,

and whose law they would not obey?

So he poured upon him the heat of his anger

and the fury of war;

it set him on fire all around, but he did not understand;

it burned him, but he did not take it to heart.

There's something about a people oppressed

A people who have lost sight of what is good and right

A people who have lost hope

that life can be other

than the narrow enclave

in which they now reside

Those with vision of something new

are few and far between

and are despised for their ability to dream

And so the cycle of despair and hurt

becomes perpetual and endless

And signs pointing to a way out

are misunderstood, mistrusted, 

destroyed before they have a chance to take root.

And people hunker down  

and stick with what they know.

Prayer

God, when we see no way out, for ourselves or for others, keep prodding us, especially when we become resigned to the status quo. Keep igniting our hope that life can be redeemed and that the dawn will come. Be in all our awakenings, diffusing love, light and hope.

Look up!

Isaiah 42:18-20

Listen, you that are deaf;

and you that are blind, look up and see!

Who is blind but my servant,

or deaf like my messenger whom I send?

Who is blind like my dedicated one,

or blind like the servant of the Lord?

He sees many things, but does not observe them;

his ears are open, but he does not hear.

In this Advent season

when all in the world around us 

conspires and encourages us

to keep our heads down,

to close our eyes to the strife all around

and our ears to the wails of lament

we are exhorted to:

Look up and see!

Look up and see

that in the midst of all the struggle

there are those who are making a difference.

Those who are living out the promise of God.

There are glimmers of light in the darkness,

threads of hope in despair.

Our God is doing a new thing.

Look up and see!

Prayer

God of all that is new, may our eyes and ears be opened to your spirit at work in our world, in our nation, in our community and in our lives. May we look up and see your presence infusing every darkness with the light of hope.

Loving softly

Isaiah 42:1-9

The Servant, a Light to the Nations

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.

He will not cry or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

He will not grow faint or be crushed

until he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

Thus says God, the Lord,

who created the heavens and stretched them out,

who spread out the earth and what comes from it,

who gives breath to the people upon it

and spirit to those who walk in it:

I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,

I have taken you by the hand and kept you;

I have given you as a covenant to the people,

a light to the nations,

to open the eyes that are blind,

to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,

from the prison those who sit in darkness.

I am the Lord, that is my name;

my glory I give to no other,

nor my praise to idols.

See, the former things have come to pass,

and new things I now declare;

before they spring forth,

I tell you of them.

A servant who will not raise his voice

who will be gentle and effective.

In stark contrast to the false prophets of today

who deafen with their clamour

proclaiming evil

denouncing justice

Oppressing the unfortunate

while lining the pockets of the rich.

Inciting fear of the other 

encouraging isolation and insularity

Where are those gentle activists

with their random acts of grace?

Where are those who distil peace

with their calm assurance

that love is stronger than any force

more persistent than any invective

more tenacious than any deeply embedded opinion

More resilient than any tissue of lies.

We long for that new kingdom

to be born in our midst today.

We look for signs 

of its springing up

out of the darkness.

And, to hasten its arrival

we keep on practising love

with heart and soul and mind.

The colours of distraction

Isaiah 41:21-29

The Futility of Idols

Set forth your case, says the Lord;

bring your proofs, says the King of Jacob.

Let them bring them, and tell us what is to happen.

Tell us the former things, what they are,

so that we may consider them,

and that we may know their outcome;

or declare to us the things to come.

Tell us what is to come hereafter,

that we may know that you are gods;

do good, or do harm,

that we may be afraid and terrified.

You, indeed, are nothing

and your work is nothing at all;

whoever chooses you is an abomination.

I stirred up one from the north, and he has come,

from the rising of the sun he was summoned by name.

He shall trample on rulers as on mortar, as the potter treads clay.

Who declared it from the beginning, so that we might know,

and beforehand, so that we might say, “He is right”?

There was no one who declared it, none who proclaimed,

none who heard your words.

I first have declared it to Zion,

and I give to Jerusalem a herald of good tidings.

But when I look there is no one;

among these there is no counselor

who, when I ask, gives an answer.

No, they are all a delusion;

their works are nothing;

their images are empty wind.

There are many delusions

Many temptations

to lure us with false promises

and empty threats

Without substance

they dissolve into nothing,

vanish like vapour

None can stand against God

None can even come close

to the stature of the one

who was there at the beginning of creation

who called the stars to their places

and breathed life into the world.

None can measure up

to the God of all creation.

May we fix our eyes on truth

and not on passing fantasy.

On the One who colours the sky and the earth

new every day

surprising us time and again

with unimaginable beauty.

Prayer

God may we lift our eyes to see your indisputable majesty in the world around us. Save us from the glittering distractions that blind us to the truth. May we share, this season, with those for whom every day brings unrelenting greyness, the colour of your love displayed in rainbow hues, poured out on a world in need.