Dear Friends,
A parent had a quiet word with the head teacher after a school nativity play. ‘It was very nice, as always;’ said the parent, ‘but do you think we could have a different story for a change next year?’
We are in the ‘take it for granted season’. When some want everything exactly as it always was, and others want to push the boat out and do something a bit more edgy or radical. Traditional or modern carols, how to decorate home or church; which gatherings, concerts and parties to go to or not. We all make our choices, and we hope that this year we will have more choices than we had last year.
The irony of the Christmas stories is that none of them can be ‘taken for granted’ either when they happened, or now. It is true that repetitive familiarity can blunt their impact. But that is the same with all aspects of our lives.
Every part of the stories around the birth of Jesus retain an edge and a radical depth if only we are attuned to God speaking to us, through them. They are as fresh today as ever. So we have stories of childless couples giving birth. An unplanned pregnancy out of wedlock. Government requiring many to make long journeys, knowing that it would have tax implications for them.
Outcasts and foreigners recognise and welcome Jesus into this world. And as a new born infant, Jesus was caught up in the vicious politics of his day, having to flee infanticide, becoming a refugee in a foreign land for the first years of his life.
Through everyday challenging events such as these, God comes to show the world his radical love for all, and invites our awe and wonder and following in response.
Peace
Tim