Looking up at the sky tonight

 

Jupiter and Saturn will be aligned tonight at 5.00pm in a rare occurrence, the previous time being 400 years ago. Together they will look considerably brighter than planets normally appear in the night sky. This conjunction has been referred to by some as the Star of Bethlehem, which is a bright idea but hardly likely to be literally true. It might seem great to confirm spiritual truths with scientific verification but we should be very wary of that idea. After all, if this idea was somehow shown to be correct, it wouldn’t necessarily affirm the Christmas story.

The alignment of planets, the phases of the moon, eclipses and comets have always intrigued people and it is a valuable scientific endeavour to understand the universe. I am looking forward to finding our more from two of my grandchildren who are beginning to show a keen interest in the planets and the stars. However, attaching meaning to what we see in the sky is another matter entirely, and just how planets moving round the sun can influence my day-to-day experiences, as astrology suggests, is impossible to comprehend.

The Star of Bethlehem is suggested in The First Nowell as coming to “stop and stay, right o’er the place where Jesus lay”. It’s a delightful picture and in a poetic way it invokes the travellers being guided to the infant Christ. However, our sun is a star, a furnace over 93 million miles away, and we really wouldn’t want a star any closer than that, despite our current low temperatures in Hertford.

Looking out of the window, I suspect that Jupiter and Saturn will be obscured by clouds tonight, alas. It could be a picture of our understanding. I do believe that the birth and life of Jesus is written into the fabric of the universe, for we believe the incarnation to be the central pivot of God’s revelation to us, and since he is light in the darkness then being led by light to the holy birth seems a wonderful picture.

Sometimes our own vision is so limited, we forget the wider picture, we let the clouds block us out. The clouds can be our own misunderstandings or personal issues which prevent us from worshipping and loving Jesus, the true Light of the World. In these troubled, uncertain times, we need to let the light of Christ shine in our lives, for our own souls’ sake and that we can bring light to others who also find clouds preventing them from knowing the love of God among us, full of grace and truth.

Don't be Afraid

 

2020 really has been a time that has driven up for many a sense of fear and anxiety.  

  ‘Fear Not’ is used 365 times in the Bible and we become particularly aware of its important reassurance as it is a phrase often used during the Christmas Story. ‘Fear Not’ Mary is told by the angel, when she is invited to give birth to Jesus. Joseph is told in a dream that convinces him to stay faithful to Mary, ‘Fear Not’. The Shepherds in the fields are told by the angels, not to be afraid when they are greeted with the good news of the Messiah’s birth.

   There were many reasons to be afraid in the Christmas story. Who wouldn’t be afraid when life seemed out of control and way beyond normal expectations: Mary, being away from home with nowhere to stay and about to give birth? Who wouldn’t be afraid living in an occupied country with a tyrant like Herod in charge and life being so precarious?  And this is just the fearful, anxiety-ridden, life and death situation into which Jesus is born. Not a place of peace and stability but into a desperate, needy world.  

   He was born and there was no room for him, he was born into poverty, loneliness, disease, and extreme danger, with death always at hand.

   Christ comes to be with us in all our fears and anxieties, born into a dangerous world, and he grew to be a man who had to face suffering and death himself.

  This is God, coming to live alongside us, within us, to bring us hope and love in a world of fear. That is the true joy of Christmas.   

   In order to stay safe this Christmas, many of us will be alone, from a human perspective. Yet our faith brings us comfort and – yes - joy, for the truth of Christmas is that Jesus has come to this troubled world to win and offer eternal life, the darkness has not overcome the light. It is into just this situation of alienation and loss that the Saviour comes with love, joy and peace - and the greatest hope.

   ‘Fear Not’ for God is truly with us. Emmanuel.   

Advent Prayer

 

Lord Jesus,

Master of both the light and the darkness,

send your Holy Spirit upon our preparations for Christmas.

We who have so much to do

seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day,

We who are anxious over many things

look forward to your coming among us.

We who are blessed in so many ways

long for the complete joy of your kingdom.

We whose hearts are heavy

seek the joy of your presence.

We are your people, walking in darkness,

yet seeking the light.

To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!'

Amen.

 Henri J.M. Nouwen

Strictly Speaking

 

Bill Bailey suspects that he was chosen for Strictly Come Dancing as a bit of a joke. He has actually done really well, and will be in the final next weekend.

If Bill doesn’t seem an obvious candidate for SCD (and I wouldn’t be either) then his choice of music for the tango wasn’t particularly obvious either. He chose a track called “Enter Sandman” by Metallica, probably the hardest-hitting heavy metal band in the world. I have heard this a few times, it is loud and tough. Perhaps the heavy attitude is why he crashed into a cameraman – but he still won.

The song lyrics deal with fear: “sleep with one eye open”, then “Exit Lights”, and you can guess what that refers to. It may be that Bill was expecting to Exit the competition, or just that he needed the adrenaline which the music provides. It struck a chord in the Vicarage, anyway.

Bill doesn’t seem to be a Christian, but the idea of the fear of death is very relevant to Advent, of course. The Advent themes used to be Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell. A great title for a heavy metal album, although Metallica’s last studio album “Hard-Wired to Self-Destruct” is not far off it.

What are our deepest fears and concerns? Suffering and mortality are very challenging aspects of our existence. Is this a dance of life or death? Do we have a saviour? In these uncertain times, are we confident in God’s coming among us to bring hope and eternal life?

Lord, we live for a time on earth among the dance of the planets. There are many dangers and challenges to face as we pirouette through our lives. Help us to face our fears and turn to you, to trust you, that when the exit lights show we can find the way to peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

So what music for that final performance? “Won’t you come home, Bill Bailey”? Ace of Spades? Save the Last Dance for Me? We’ll see.

Good old Corrie!

 

I understand that the United Kingdom is celebrating 60 years of Coronation Street. It’s quite an achievement, to keep so many people entertained for so long. It’s great, too, that it has reflected life in a Northern town, through a time of what many call a North-South divide, although maybe a little stereotyping is present too. For example, the brass band theme music is very effective but brass bands aren’t just for Up North.

I must come clean, I haven’t actually watched it for decades. I gather that Mike Baldwin is no longer strutting the street and even Dierdre and her spectacles are no longer there, nor Bet at the bar in the Rover’s Return. My husband says it hasn’t been the same since Ena Sharples died.

A long-running series like that makes me realise just how much our lives and communities change over the years. I noticed that there was even a bomb at the bistro (what bistro??) a few years ago, and over the years a train crash and a tram derailment. And the people have gradually changed with children growing up, others moving away, new people arriving.

The Street may well be dramatized, it needs to be to keep weekly interest alive, but it seems to have presented good, human characters with all their imperfections and good intentions. I am glad it has lasted so long as a soap opera which feels generally true to life in Britain, and therefore our lives, rather than some of the over-egged confections which come to our screens. For much of our human growing, our changing communities and our nation’s development are reflected there and in its long-term portrayal of ordinary people it is something of a national treasure.

Lord, thinking back makes us realise how life keeps changing. The smoky chimneys of the 1960’s terraced houses are rare these days and the pace of life has increased with our improved ways of communication. People and families develop and move on. The constant mix of good and ill remains. When I look back, help me to rejoice in the good times and as I carry with me the faith which you have instilled within me, grant that I may look forward to my future episodes of serving and loving you. Amen

Go the Extra Mile?

 

We thought it was all over – now we are going the extra mile.

The negotiations between our government and the European Union have now gone beyond their expected end date. Following a phone call on Sunday morning, our Prime Minister and the European Commission President have agreed to continue the process of seeking a deal. It was described as “going the extra mile”, and perhaps if they were in church on a Sunday morning more often they would remember the context of Jesus’ saying.

The ‘extra mile’ phrase comes shortly after the Beatitudes, part of the Sermon on the Mount, which Christians hold as a central text for faithful discipleship. Matthew 5.38-48. It is a very challenging text about love, forgiveness and understanding. In verse 39, we are told to turn the other cheek which is very Christ-like but tough for ordinary humans; and verse 41 states that “if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile”. We might say that it is precisely what has happened here, but surely it suggests negating the force through co-operation – or over-cooperation!

It is easy to take sayings out of context, we all do it, but Jesus’ words are not there to be watered down or give the impression that we are somehow acting in accordance with some form of divine approval. Jesus makes it clear in verse 41 that we should “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in Heaven”. The world is full of a heady mix of the love which God has given to the human heart and the selfishness and deceit which means that impaired relationships are broken rather than healed. It is still not too late to truly go the extra mile and find a way forward which clearly leads to harmony rather than division.

 

Heavenly Father, in Advent we hear the personal challenge of John the Baptist to God’s people to repent and turn afresh to recognising and following Jesus. Help us to be generous and sacrificial in our dealings with others.

And be with the leaders of the nations, especially at this uncertain time in our relationship with the European Union, that negotiators on each side, having created the time for further dialogue, may indeed be ready to walk the extra mile together in a manner which promotes a positive relationship for the future for the good of all. In Jesus’s name, Amen

Real Joy

 

Helen writes:

 How are you today? You reply “I’m fine” if you are of the older generation, or “I’m good” if you are under thirty.  How are you, how am I in the spiritual sense during this time of Advent? Busyness or tiredness still manages to crowd out times when I meant to be quiet, and all around the news seems so depressing.

If you can find a time to be quiet, it is possible to experience a great feeling of peace especially if you can manage to find a relevant Bible verse, or a lovely advent reading.  Real joy is a special gift from God, and I sometimes experience this when seeing natural beauty, or when listening to music.  My whole being almost burst with joy when I watched the Aurora Borealis up in Norway. I thank God for this beautiful world and for composers and musicians who give such joy.

Ann Gerondelis is an artist who has developed a practice of drawing while praying.  She says, “Like drawing water from a well, I work to draw out certain qualities of the world to engage with them more fully.”  She has written and painted a book of Daily Prayers for Advent and this is one of her prayers. 

O God of power, come.

Come in a material way – in matter and body.

Come, as our Hebrew brothers and sisters would say,

as Ruach, a tempest.

Sweep over our waters,

our land,

our hands.

our hearts.

Both body and soul.

Twist us, turn is with your gale-force presence.

Transform our humanity.

Transform creation.

In the name of peace,

in the name of love,

in the name of justice,

may your kingdom come.

Even here.

Even now. Amen 

© Ann Gerondelis/ Wildgoose publications 2016