Today's Gospel reading is about the shepherds in the field near Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth.The great announcement is made and the shepherds respond,
entering the stable which has now become a holy place with the Christ-child
born to bring God’s message to all people and to win for us eternal life. It is
the most massive change, that God should come into this world in physical form,
from timeless eternity into this constantly changing world. From a place of
harmony and peace to a planet of uncertainty and suffering.
On Christmas Eve we heard the announcement that a deal
has been agreed between the European Union and the United Kingdom. After a
tortuous process of negotiation, accord was finally reached. Even now our
politicians will be examining the 2000-page document to check the terms on
which our trading relationship will be based. It feels like a very big change,
but compared to happenings 2000 years ago it is small. Yes, God’s will is that
we live in peace and harmony, which I hope this will facilitate, but the divine
perspective must be that for the moral and personal lives of people it is relatively
modest.
The ongoing challenge of the virus has also changed our
way of living, at least for the time being. Hopefully the vaccinations will soon
bring about a way of life where we can interact more normally again. With the
ongoing infection, hospitalisation and death rates being reported daily we can
see that this is very significant for individuals, families and our nation. I
don’t say this lightly, it is wretched. And yet while it feels like such a long
time it is less than one year so far, and we are at a stage in history where we
have been able to develop remedies very rapidly – just as that very science,
facilitating air travel and global trade, has assisted the rapid spread of the
virus.
God’s love is for all people, always; that is unchanging.
It has been revealed to us by Emmanuel, God With Us. We speak of Jesus’ birth
as the Incarnation, where God takes on this frail mortal flesh to fulfil the
mission to bring us back to himself, and to save us from the consequences of
our sin. When Jesus speaks, he speaks from the Father, and in sacrificing
himself when rejected by cruel and prejudiced people he brought the hope of
eternal life to people for all ages. Ultimately, this is the big deal, the
game-changer. O come let us adore him….with those shepherds of old.
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