Human nature is inquisitive and excitable. It has a tendency to construct theories upon very flimsy evidence and wild speculation, and personal opinion is often promulgated and received as solid fact. Heightened imagination can often outstrip careful observation and cautious investigation. Objectivity is often swayed by presupposition and prejudice, deep seated loves and fears, and it is a wonder that our perception of facts, events, issues, and persons can ever be remotely accurate. There is within us a blindness and bias that determines how we see things, a favouring of our own given stance, cultivated outlook, and indulged affections. We are tilted towards our own gratification, defence and promotion. What suits our interests is true. How do we know that we see things as they really are, that our built in lenses on reality are not fuzzy or flawed? That all the while we are not seeing things from a subjective vantage point that is illusory and that we are actually boxed in to a focus on the self through a reflection of our own moral warped-ness and self-serving desires.

This condition of being wrapped in a colossal illusion as fallen beings seems to be addressed in Ecclesiastes (all is vanity) and corrected in the presentation of Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He grants us a measure of insight and understanding in the form of common grace as “the true light that gives light to every man” (John 1:9). But we only gain a grasp on truth that puts us on the way to authentic life by contact with ultimate reality, Jesus Christ, the expression and explanation of God who grants us an accurate interpretation of his purpose and his works. The knowledge gained by believers is not encyclopaedic or perfect, but it is a beginning in which the mists of inherent error are being dispelled and true understanding is tending to displace them.

Our best comprehension of matters is partial and we must be careful not to expand it in obedience to unexamined inclinations or false propositions. We adhere to principles we like and defend them to the death of intellectual honesty. Our only safe ground is the Word of God, a purified heart, an illuminated mind, and modesty in our conclusions which are continually referred to the Lord in prayer. As sinners we have a tendency to even wield the word of God to the fulfilment of personal ambition or justification of preferred opinion. We soil Scripture even as it cleanses us. Our deepest motivations operate undetected. We are not to influence the word but submit to its influences. This is the task of the Holy Spirit who creates contrite and teachable hearts. He teaches us not to overrule the authority of Scripture or manipulate its verities. The essential truths become a part of the accumulated inheritance and confessional wealth of the people of God and especially those endued with the most conspicuous saintliness and penetrating insight. A substantial consensus develops in the truths that bring us to God, and whilst the majority is not always right on every single issue intellectually, there is an underlying agreement attitudinally – the humble and dependent spirit of the poor before God. Grace is magnified if not universally defined. The heart is lowly before God and reliant on his mercy alone. Scripture is not the tool of human inventiveness, ideology, or political programming of any kind. It is the source of right thought and action that corrects and controls our foolishness.

Any truth or theme in Scripture can be misunderstood, misapplied, and presented in an unbalanced and disproportional way. Context and purpose can be overlooked.

The beautiful harmony of the word can become disjointed through careless handling and rash interpretation. The limits of divine revelation are to be observed as much as the licence it gives us to know something of the divine mind. We have access to the paths of knowledge that he has prepared for us, but wandering to either side of those paths is prohibited and the terrain littered with pitfalls. An over-stimulated enthusiasm for certain ideas, embellished by wishful thinking, can project certain minds into areas in which they ought not to stray with their over confident surmises, and it is in the area of prophetic prediction that the boldest conjectures are made, sometimes to the point of fanaticism, where the most tenuous theories are permitted to eclipse the most vital truths of the gospel. A new orthodoxy is allowed to trump simple explanation of the way of salvation. The best way to handle the future, ours and the worlds, is to entrust it to Christ, his sovereignty and assurances as to the final outcome. The incidents along the way, many baffling, can be entrusted to him. Possible signs of the end are not to be exaggerated into certainties.

The fact is we have been in the “end time” since the advent of the Saviour. He is the last word of the Father. His redemptive work has been completed. Now is the season of ingathering of the people of God, the era of the Spirit’s conviction and conversion of the elect. Every extraordinary occurrence or catastrophe is a pointer to the end, a warning to excite preparation for the most spectacular and terrifying finale to history. Such signals have been sent over and over again down through the generations but the time lapse between these and the ultimate end are not known. The length of the link between portents and the last day is not disclosed or discoverable. The portents are guarantees of its coming, which is always to be considered as soon, and it will be soon enough for unwary and unbelieving humanity. The number and intensity of the signs of the end may alarm us but we cannot foretell what may be in store, of an unimaginable nature, yet to take place. History may have a long or short course ahead, but whichever it happens to be we are exhorted to be ready, and not to think that we are exempt from the uncontrollable effects of the series of warning signs in the meantime. Judgment hovers over the unrepentant daily, and deliverance will dawn for the people of God inevitably. The clock is ticking but we cannot see its face.

The unpredictability of the exact end does not prevent our lamentations over the indications of its increasing nearness. The concurrence of tragedies, natural and man made, amaze and unsettle us. The growing prevalence of evil and irreverence dismays us. So called “acts of God” disturb us but it is principally the wicked attitudes and acts of man that unnerve us and which threaten the denouement of earthly time. The rudeness, lewdness, cruelty, and boastfulness of human speech in public and over the media, especially of the those credited with dramatic and comedic talents that are turned to blasphemous and injurious entertainments and comments, is contemptible and distasteful. It is not surprising that so many of our contemporary humourists and satirists are blatantly atheistic and nihilistic by conviction. They destroy others through insensitivity and pride. Our media contributes to the undermining of wholesome living and societal morality to a large degree. We are witnessing the steady encroachment of the paganism that horrified Augustine and his confreres and the impiety that outraged the righteousness of our Puritan forebears. The situation we witness is spelt out in 2 Timothy 3: 1-5. The severe remedy is described in 2 Thessalonians 1: 1-10.
RJS

When we re-count our blessings on earth from the vantage point of eternity surely the greatest will be the privilege of being able to have heard the word of God. The word is the portal to salvation and the introduction to the Saviour. “And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” (Romans 10:14). The importance of the word is beyond estimation. It confronts us with essential truth and confers eternal life. The word is the origin of faith that saves the soul through Jesus Christ. By the word the Lord Jesus addresses us preparatory to rescuing us. His message enters the outer ear before it reaches the ear of the heart, and both organs must be open before the word works its salutary effect. Ear and heart must listen together. We must be in a position to hear, which is a physical matter, and we must have the disposition to hear, which is a spiritual matter. Both conditions are arranged by God. His providence brings us within range of the word, and his grace makes us receptive. There is a sovereign differentiation between those who merely hear with the outer ear and those who respond to the call of the gospel. That is why the petition of the Litany is so vital. It is cognizant of all the pertinent facts.

The word proclaimed is not of human invention. It is God’s word. Therefore it is of ultimate authority and significance. The Lord does not speak casually or unnecessarily and so it is imperative that we give it our attention. But such reverence and submissiveness towards God is not a human tendency. Grace is the enabling necessity and so it is earnestly sought to donate the meekness that makes the heart porous to the preached word.

We must be permeated with divine influences before we are disposed to accept and assent to the gospel. A softening process needs to accompany the exercise of hearing. Our hearts rage against God until he tames the beast within. We are too proud and rebellious to receive. By nature we dispute and deny the word. We must learn to hear gently and obediently. Inner attentiveness is the gift of God. Understanding is the enlargement of that gift. We may make grammatical and logical sense of the message but its pertinence to us and power within us is not realized until the Holy Spirit attends its delivery and brings it home.

Man considers himself too wise to be taught. The factual information he receives is considered obvious to his mind and the knowledge he gains he fancies he has always assumed. “I know that” is the retort of the heart. The teacher is merely spelling out what he has always grasped if not articulated. He was bound to discover it eventually through opportunity and acumen. The sinner credits himself with more wisdom than he actually possesses.

Teachability in the things of God is one of the prime indices to the reality of regeneration, the renewal and mellowing of the human spirit. The un-renovated mind resists truth, suppresses it, or disputes with God with a swollen sense of superiority. “Knowledge puffs up”, avers the apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 8:1), and it makes us sullen and argumentative under instruction. Meekness welcomes the lessons of the word and loves to hear them over and over again. We are never past masters and there is always something new for head and heart as we grow in awareness and sanctification. The nuances within the word are innumerable. We discover new facets to treasure and new faults to repent of. The believer instinctively bows before the word and refrains from boastfulness (What do you have that you did not receive? 1 Corinthians 4:7). As much as some folk listen to the word habitually they actually hear it selectively or dismissively. It wafts over the ether to the ear but does not win its way to the heart or conquer the will. They listen to it with the air and inner arrogance of the theatre critic assessing as to whether its suits them or not. They may discuss or controvert the doctrines of the word quite ably, but these truths are not tenderly accepted and cherished with any sincerity. Karl Barth warns against the tendency to dominate the word in attitude and argumentation. We can wield it aggressively, competitively, or cleverly for the sake of self display and reputation. Again, Barth, who has written more than most authors could ever accomplish, cites the folly of presenting his barrow loads of books to God with any sense of acceptableness or achievement. The word is the Lord’s. It is above us and we are under it. It cannot be manipulated toward our own ends or interests. It is the vehicle of divine truth and glory. It cannot be wrested away from its saving purpose for our own perverse and self serving purposes. It comes as a gift, its comprehension is a grace, it is received in a mood of grateful humbleness. He opened the heart and granted illumination. He softened the heart so that the precious seed could settle within it. He cleansed the inner eye so that it could see clearly.

We come to the word as fools and ignorant. We approach it as beggars. We renounce our own discernment. We come to the Author and Master of the word praying for understanding and pleading to be taught, requesting that along with comprehension will come the desire for honest consent and eager compliance. We open the Bible like no other book. From first to last page natural ability stands aside as the servant of supernatural disclosure. The Spirit must read to us, pointing to every word lest we get carried away by our own pridefulness, prejudice, and hasty assumptions. If we come to the Scriptures to object or correct we will find ourselves in a maze of human error and invention, contriving our own destruction from that which is meant to save. Heresy is simply the indulgence of our own preferences, smothering the true word with our own parasitical perception of things.

It is not the accumulation of knowledge in itself, or the academic skills of interpretation that are principally sought, but the knowledge of and resemblance to Christ. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ exhorts the apostle Peter” (2 Peter 3:18). Grace grants true admission to knowledge and accompanies its progress. If grace is absent knowledge is flawed.

We do not sip the word with the smug confidence of the connoisseur, depending on our own judgment of what tastes right and good, we drink it in and savour it for our own sustenance in grace and life in Christ. We are not seeking knowledge especially for ourselves which is kept secret from others and admits us to the elite of the kingdom. We crave the common word that is the wealth of all the people of God. With all the children of God we bend the knee and outstretch the empty hand, saying:

May it please you to give to all your people an increase of grace to listen meekly to your Word, to receive it with pure intention, and to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit in our lives:

Hear us, good Lord.

RJS

Christmas is the joyous season of our redemption. But only if we relate the Babe to the shed Blood (But a body you prepared for me . . . . I have come to do your will O God. . . . And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all”. Hebrews 10:5 – 10). Christmas is not a time to wallow in sentiment and materialism but an opportunity to confirm our sincere faith in the Saviour as the one who came to save us from our sins. Atonement is at the heart of Christmas as much as Incarnation. The celebration of the Nativity cannot be detached from all that follows in the earthly experience of Jesus. Rejection at his birth presaged the rejection that culminated in his death. The wooden crib ominously preceded the wooden cross. He would lay upon both. He was born to die. There is celebration and sobriety in the Feast. He came to save us from the world, not to whet our appetite for the world’s enchantments or weave a net of indulgence and debt for those entrapped by the wiles of profiteers. The economy in view at Christmas is the eternal welfare of the household under the management of Christ. It would be better if the marking of the Saviour’s birth and the need for “Christmas cheer”, okay as a social and family enjoyment, were separated, except that then two occasions would be exploited.

The antidote to Christmas nonsense, sentimentalism, and excess is provided by the collects composed for the observances immediately following. These purify us of the self –gratification that so easily infects the time of year: December 26th – St. Stephen the Martyr.

Grant, Lord Jesus Christ, that in all our sufferings here on earth, for the testimony of your truth, we may look up steadfastly to heaven and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and also grant that being filled with the Holy Spirit, we may learn to love and bless our persecutors, as Stephen your first martyr prayed for his persecutors to you, blessed Jesus, who stand at the right hand of God to sustain all those who suffer for you, our only Mediator and Advocate.

Stephen is the exemplar of the ultimate cost of embracing and testifying to the Saviour. The possibility of persecution confronts all believers, more often for us in this country in mild form, but for others in various serious ways. Personal peace and prosperity are desirable for all, to be prayed for, enjoyed and attributed to God’s mercy when possessed. We are invited to seek his provision and protection when necessary. God does not begrudge us his blessings but lavishes them upon us continually. But we are not to be deluded by a sense of immunity from the ills of this world or the ill will of the world. Scripture tells us that we are not to be friends or at ease with the ungodliness of this world. Hatred towards God, or anything truly associated with him, simmers in the hearts of the unbelievers, and their freedom to sin or ignore him, when threatened, incites their enmity. The beauty that attracts us to Christ exposes us to battle with evil, tough to endure, and, even more daunting, to the obligation to be caring for the welfare of those who ill use or assail us. Realism in the experience of Stephen points to the possibilities in coming to the crib on Christmas Day. Like our Lord we must bear a cross and its accompanying strokes inflicted by the opposers of the gospel. With a full grasp of this gospel on Christmas Day we are better prepared for the trials, sacrifice, and suffrages of St. Stephen’s Day. We are on the ready to attest to truth, accept its consequences, and seek the sustaining power of the Saviour of Bethlehem. We do not drop our guard complacently at Christmas but arm ourselves in the Savioiur’s might for the fray ahead.

December 27th – St. John the Evangelist.

Merciful Lord, let the bright beams of your light shine upon your Church, we pray, so that, being enlightened by the teaching of your blessed apostle and evangelist Saint John, it may walk in the light of your truth, and come at last to the light of everlasting life: through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John is the enthusiast for truth. He presents it faithfully and winsomely. He knows that for all his industry in proclaiming truth propositionally, it must point to a Person, and that only he, Jesus, can illuminate the mind of the recipient and dispose him to receive the Saviour. Truth is doctrine and narrative, and known in the Person of Jesus who embodies and expresses it. Truth is revelation in its entirety and those who approach Jesus go with him beyond Bethlehem to Nazareth, Capernaum, Jerusalem, and Calvary. The truth of the Nativity is the beginning of the trail to Calvary and true followers go all the way. While they contemplate the crib they also concentrate on all the other saving efforts and events narrated in apostolic memoirs. Christmas, as a season, does not exclude the gospel, but invites its preaching and acceptance. The cross is not an intrusion but a necessary inclusion announcing the purpose in Jesus’ coming and its accomplishment. John was imprisoned for his testimony and in Revelation describes the ordeals of the saints and the cosmic warfare that engulfs them. He hails the hope of everlasting life which Jesus won for his people through his suffering. A sentimental, superficial Christmas must not obliterate the truths so precious to John. Christmas is comprehensive treatment of the Gospel.

December 28th – The Innocents

Almighty God, you who have established praise out of the mouths of infants, and have made children by their deaths glorify you: Put to death all evil within us, and so strengthen us by your grace, that by the purity of our lives and constancy of our faith, we may glorify your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

So soon after the wonder of birth and the extension of saving grace to little ones we are made to face the death of babies. Nothing is so painful to our hearts, yet the place of infants in the kingdom of God is assured. God glorifies himself by giving little ones insight into his goodness that results in praise, expressed in reliance, cries, and contentment, that stands for ever as an example of simple saving faith to be emulated in proud adults. Infants are helpless and vulnerable. The innocents were not free of original sin, or the propensity to actual sin. They were innocent of any threat to the paranoid king Herod. They died by the cruel hands of men. But God is glorified in the death of children when he catches them at the moment of departure and whisks them home. A greater love awaits them there than any love that could enfold them here. The disappointments and dangers of life have not been ordained for them. Through their earthly parents married love God has made them immediately available for the joys of heaven. They were born for eternal life through Christ and his atonement and the evil within them has been defeated early. The evils and uncongenial inevitabilities of life are recognized at Christmas, not glossed over. Death hunted Jesus at his birth with murderous fury. The story is not all sweet.

The facts of persecution, the desire for maturity of faith, and death’s intervention so soon in life, drive us to the Saviour who was born for our sakes. Christmas is the reminder of our need and the proclamation of his compassion. It is a pity that the memorial days immediately following Christmas are rarely noticed.

RJS

There are two perspectives on Christmas: the “Dickensian” and the Scriptural. On the human level there is no harm in a season of general goodwill and generosity, family gathering, feasting, and the giving of gifts to loved ones, friends, and the needy. Any time of wholesome celebration and relaxation is to be welcomed and enjoyed. Freedom from care, shared happiness, and openness to others is a refreshing and therapeutic pause in the busy preoccupations of life. But Christmas expectations and observance can also be accompanied by domestic tensions, commercial exploitation, and the personal grief of sad recollections and the experience of isolation and “not fitting in” to any circle of relationships. Whilst some revel in the season others dread it, or dislike the indulgence in materialism and profiteering. Christmas is attended by much sentimentality, frustration, and dissatisfaction. Social workers can testify to the clashes in relationships and the casualties of debt. Whilst there can be an affable bonhomie abroad at Christmastime there can also be bad humour and harm.

The great risk is the concentration on the Dickensian Christmas and the neglect of the Real Christmas. An even greater danger is the submerging of the spiritual Christmas in the worldly and sentimental Christmas, where even the churches forget the intended nature of the season which is to be God-centred and Gospel-centred.

Christmas is not mandated by the Bible. Every Lord’s Day is a Christmas, an Easter, and a comprehensive festal occasion embracing the whole scope of the Saviour’s redemptive mission. Historically, the Church has made pastoral provision for the emphasis on various aspects of faith and doctrine in the invention of the Church Calendar which facilitates special emphasis on the great facts and acts of God which constitute our salvation. Some of the Christian events, whether it be wise or not, coincide with pagan festivals for the purpose of evangelism and the demonstration of the supremacy of Christ. Some of the Christian celebrations have been taken back and corrupted by the world. Individual Christian consciences will deal with these matters differently. Some believers regard the marking (and then the marketing) of the Church Calendar as perverse, others take it as an opportunity for proclamation when the ear of the world is at least half-cocked and the nominal roll out to church in droves. The regulative and normative principles each have their point. The vital thing for the Christian community is to ensure that everything done is always God-centred and man-convicting.

The narrative of our Lord’s nativity is rife with misinterpretation, fanciful embellishment, and sceptical reservation. Distortion of and distraction from the truth abounds. For some the mystery of the Incarnation is entirely wrapped up in myth, for others the charm of the story, be it fact or fiction, is remote from reality and their own experience. There is a fascination without faith and a failure to grasp the central historical message – that the Son of God became flesh (the God-man), was laid in a crib at his birth, lived among us for a time, and was nailed to a cross for our sins. Christmas is the time for reflection on crib, cross, and the necessity of our conversion to Christ: “Grant that we, who have been born again and made your children by adoption and grace may be daily renewed by your Holy Spirit” (Collect for Christmas Day). Christmas is to be pronouncedly salvation oriented: “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The Saviour is at the centre. Our sin is the cause of his coming. The Lord’s compassion is the dominant theme. Joy is our response. The purpose of the season cannot be overlaid by the “Dickensian” and secular elements that prevail, however congenial they may be. The real Christmas spirit is engendered by the Holy Spirit and some of the carols we customarily sing are masterly in their theology and message if we truly attend to them and give priority to message above melody. Christmas is a time for the Church of God to become evangelistic in the most beguiling way. The truths to which we testify are stupendous and invigorating. Each event, if proclaimed with conviction and passion, seizes the mind and moves the heart. We witness to a wonder – the Creator mingles with his creatures for their recovery to him, and so that they might live he endures death in his manhood in order to remove their offences against him. Christmas is the most dramatic account of the Lord’s infinite love for estranged and rebellious mankind. No description can do it justice. We simply must drink in the words of Holy Scripture until they work their profound effect and produce faith and gratitude.

Scripture must be pre-eminent. It is the wellspring of the genuine hope, peace, and joy we deeply crave. It is the “stocking” in which we find everlasting treasures and as we delve into it we find that the stock of divine gifts is inexhaustible. What flows from the container is continuous. The Lord Jesus is the gift that surpasses all and supplies all that God has to give. The Bible is an inventory of all that God has in store for us, and what we have so far received is only a foretaste. The Lord’s season of generosity has no time limit.

Christmas is the season for celebrating mercy. The bounty we receive is the Lord Jesus himself, the forgiveness and life forever with him that he bestows. Martin Luther is adamant that the angelic message to the shepherds concerning joy should include the indefinite article i.e. “I bring you news of a great Joy”, the person of the Lord Jesus (Luke 210). He is Joy personified and present within us who believe.

There is yet another necessary amendment to the text of Luke’s gospel, now recognized by translators, that alters the unfortunate traditional misreading that misinforms us as to the core of the Christmas observance. The correction shifts the focus from man to God, and is consistent with the primary sentiment of the angels’ song, “Glory to God in the highest”. “The peace on earth” that ensues from the Saviour’s birth is wrought by God, principally through the One who was crucified. And the “good will” does not flow from men to men, but happens to be the favour of God that rests upon his chosen people i.e. “Peace to men on whom his favour rests”. The heavenly chorus extols saving grace, and that is the essence of Christmas, and the possession we are encouraged to gain through faith. But faith is not the currency we exchange for the divine favour it is the God-given means of appropriation. Salvation is free and faith constitutes our union with the Giver, the linking of hands between the donor and the recipient. Faith is the channel of transference. In his grip we are graced and he forges the connection. Leon Morris, one of our leading Anglican commentators on Scripture, writes, “There is an emphasis on God, not man. It is those whom God chooses, rather than those who choose God, of whom the angels speak” (Luke, Revised Edition, IVP, Leicester, England). The old approach to the passage, and many approaches to Christmas, are an attempted robbery of the glory solely due to God, and theft of the gift he proffers to men through his Gospel. May glory and gift be recovered.

RJS

Luke the doctor relates to us the two great hymns of Advent, namely the Song of Mary (Magnificat) and Zechariah’s Song (Benedictus). These are prescriptions, for a wholesome celebration of the season, bequeathed to us by the saints who were closest to the arrival of the Messiah and the Messenger who would prepare his way into public ministry and the fulfilment of his saving passion. Mary and Zechariah were united in family and faith and their testimonies to the coming of Jesus and John are intensely personal, deeply passionate, and poignantly persuasive to those who receive them ponderingly. Pondering was the preoccupation of those closely connected with the twin miracles of Jesus’ and John’s entrance into the world. Both births were a marvel. A barren womb and a virgin’s womb brought forth two unique men who were to create a new era in the drama of salvation. John came as a Forerunner to the One who would be the Fulfiller of the promises of God and the hopes of his people. Mary and Zechariah have given us elaborative anthems of the Advent and its central characters and crucial roles. A divine purpose is being brought to a climax in an intensely human way. It pays to give close attention to the entwinement of the human and divine in the stories of amazed Jewish parents recounting the intervention of God in the affairs of men in such a powerful manner with very limited publicity on the world scene.

Elizabeth and Zechariah must have been overwhelmed at the consciousness of the calling of John. He was a dear son to them, God’s “gracious gift”, to adore in his infancy and childhood. Later he seemed to be in the care of a desert community, perhaps when his aged parents had died. But as much as John was cherished by his parents they knew that primarily he was God’s man in a special way. They knew the prophecies concerning him in the Scriptures and confirmed by an angel. They were the appointed guardians of the foreordained forerunner of the Redeemer of Israel. The Lord’s possession and prior claim upon John was clearly indicated in the choice of his name. Zechariah and Elizabeth must yield the parental privilege of naming their son to the sovereign prerogative of God. His name will not be selected by or in honour of any family member. He “is John” in clear recognition of the fact that his is God’s man.

The striking thing about Elizabeth and Zechariah is, that in spite of their strong desires and God’s favourable regard to them, the Lord is uppermost in their thoughts. They are not selfishly engrossed in the arrival of their son but submissive to God’s purpose in sending him to them. They know that he has a role to fulfil in the service of someone greater and in his song of praise Zechariah keeps the coming Christ child to the fore. He extols the Saviour before he introduces John, his very precious son, and expatiates upon his assignment. Jesus is the more precious. John is his beloved auxiliary - his harbinger and herald. He is born before the Messiah but inferior in rank. Zechariah’s deepest gratitude is for the coming deliverer – the redeemer of his people.

John in his mature years endorsed the approach of his father: “A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me” (John 1:30). “He must become greater; I must become less”(John 3:30). “I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him” (John 3:28). John knew his proper place. It was highly honourable but in service of Christ.

Zechariah’s song first touches upon the greatness of the Lord Jesus. He is a mighty victor, a royal figure in the lineage of David. He is a successful deliverer and the merciful keeper of his covenant commitments. . Finally, he will be the establisher of a rule or reign of perfect peace, absolute security, unblemished holiness, and indisputable righteousness. Both the nature and environment of the people of God will be heavenly because they will be at home in God and he will make his home in them in a wondrous mutual indwelling.

Following the recognition of the superiority and supremacy of Christ Zechariah turns to his son whom he addresses fondly as, “My child”. There is a father’s tenderness in the Benedictus that expresses the tenderness of God. The birth of John has primed Zechariah in a profound mood of sensitivity to convey the loving kindness of God bound up in his covenant concern for Israel. Salvation is more than a transaction; it is an act of immense and compassionate love for the chosen people. As Zechariah cradles his son in his arms so the Lord cradles his folk in his care. The Song of Zechariah is affectionate and anticipatory.

John is truly God’s man. He is appointed prophet of the Most High. This office was foretold by former prophets and confirmed appreciatively by Jesus himself. “I tell you, among men, there is no one greater than John” Luke 7:28), meaning that John was the greatest of all the prophets because of his proximity to Jesus and because he is the preparer of the Messiah’s way (Luke 1:76).

John’s commission was an exalted one – a crucial and vital task: “To give God’s people knowledge of salvation” (v71). No knowledge is more essential. John fulfilled the impartation of saving knowledge by 1) Preaching repentance. He was to be occupied in, “Turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just”.

He must bid the people to return to God, forsake sin, and find reinstatement in his favour and his people. Judgment was his warning and forgiveness his offer. 2) John completed the main aspect of his ministry in pointing sinners to Jesus. “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). This was his crowning accomplishment. John showed the way to forgiveness of sins – our greatest need. A need met and countered by magnificent grace, “The tender mercy of our God” (V78) – sweet compassion surpassing comprehension or measure.

John’s call and destiny were extraordinary. Mary brought Jesus into the world. John brought Jesus to his public.

In Mary and Zechariah we perceive the place and power of poetry in Holy Scripture – the lilt and lyricism of divinely inspired liturgy. It is so prevalent in God’s Book. Let none despise liturgy. In meditation and worship our thoughts ascend to imagery and song – the art of the sanctified heart. There is emotion in the Word that becomes feeling in our spirit. There is music in the gospel – not only information, accurate and necessary, but inspiration too. We move from words to wonder at the glorious things God has done, the blessings he has provided, and the good things in prospect. In Jesus the mercy of God shines upon us. Jesus is to us the expression of the Father’s warm smile of approval upon our souls. “The rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace” (vv78-79).

RJS

Words connote different things to different people. Some words have been “stolen” to suggest meanings of dubious morality or cheap significance and in the interest of maintaining standards these words are oftentimes avoided. And yet restraint in the use of certain terms and all the perfectly valid synonyms available to us can repress the high energy and exuberance of language that is meant to arouse uninhibited emotional expression that in no way tends to moral looseness or poor taste.

Scripture is very vivid in its description of moods, and over cautious interpretation may dull its intended sense to the reader and curtail the spirit of a passage in which we are meant to participate. As well as understand the word with our intellect we are meant to feel its message keenly within our heart, for it is true that evidence and emotion combined move us to acceptance of divine teaching.

The gospel is meant to excite as well as instruct. The word of God is meant to elicit our affection and action as well as mental assent. It should thrill and enthral in its impartation of truth, and we should not blunt the desired impact of its authors who are endeavouring to gain a heartfelt response to realities that affect them overwhelmingly.

The Bible is alive and stirring and we must suck out the passion from its proclamation. This may mean that we ought not be as “polite” as we deem a divinely inspired text to be. The dynamic thrust of the text needs to be fully conveyed. There is sometimes a shock value in Scripture that needs to be communicated with accentuation. Our cosy sensibilities need to be shaken. God is holy but not prissy (prudish).

“Rejoice” is a wonderful word that describes or exhorts great gladness but its familiarity in frequent religious use almost mutes its tone of effusive celebration. When we rejoice our inward delight is accompanied by cheerful facial expressions, the sounds of laughter, shouts of happiness, and gestures of triumphant pleasure. Christian rejoicing is the unfettered demonstration of festive feeling, an outbreak of gaiety at the great and good things God has done and still proposes to do. Those in misery and mourning receive surprising mercy that is lavish and massive, and the extravagant generosity of the Lord causes acclaim from the heart, praise from the lips, and the energetic exercise of the limbs. The blessings of the New Covenant, when they are conferred, cause the recipients to leap, jump, dance, and raise hands to heaven. The gospel is a source of mirth and merriment.

The adjective “merry” captures so well the mood in which the Good News of Jesus Christ is received, and “innocent merriment” (W.S. Gilbert) is just what the believer experiences at the realization of all that salvation implies.

In this, the NEB excels in its translation of Romans 15:10: “Gentiles, make merry together with his own people”. Making merry is an essential part of biblical tradition. The prodigal son returned home to a great feast and heaven is a perpetual banquet. “Merry” is a cheerful, almost jovial, word to pronounce and it conveys exactly the sentiment associated with understanding of the grace of God.

The festival of the Incarnation is meant for the celebration of all nations at the coming of Israel’s Messiah. The promises made to God’s ancient people extend to the whole earth and all its inhabitants. Israel was selected as servant of the message of universal rescue and favour through Christ the foretold Redeemer of men. The enjoyment of God’s goodness was to make Israel’s commendation of the Saviour credible and convincing. Their taste of the Lord was to whet the appetite of the strangers to the covenant so that they might yearn for and find inclusion within the elect people of the Lord. The little nation was to swell with members of every nation. God’s ideal for the Jews failed through repeated and long term disobedience. Their own lack of spiritual vision prevented the fulfilment of their mission to the world. Pentecost restored the impetus to publish the message of grace to the entirety of humanity, and as the gospel spreads, converts make merry the world over as they transfer from darkness to light, fear to hope, ignorance to knowledge, peril to protection. The change is so radical and the joy is so real.

We Gentiles of the Christian tradition, that has been established in our cultures for so long, perhaps fail to fully appreciate the plight of the Gentile world past and present. The gradual erosion of the influence of faith in our society, and the corrosion of our inherited cultural norms and values, will perhaps educate us in the preciousness of our heritage and the cruciality and necessity of the gospel in the lives of human beings both for conversion and civilization. Ethnically we are not the “direct heirs” of the promises. Israel was to be the instrument of our calling. The faithful remnant, the apostles, and their colleagues, ensured that the message “got out” to reach the other races, but we are grafted into the true Israel through new birth and belief of the promises made to the Patriarchs. We are humbled to be drawn to God through the “over-plus” of saving grace. Our distant heathen ancestors of long ago were not aware of the ancient Scriptures and its prophecies. They lived in superstition, idolatry, savagery, and dread. The over-spill of the word of God to “outsiders” is the source of our good fortune before God. The faithful from “the circumcised” took the first and many extra steps in reaching out to us. For all of Israel’s sinfulness, blindness, and defection we must be grateful that Jews shared their Messiah with us and opened up the nature of his worldwide purposes of mercy to us. In spite of Israel’s unbelief and ineffectiveness on a wide scale we Gentiles are beneficiaries of Jewish loyalty to Christ and their concern and compassion towards us.

Now Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Peter, John, Paul – “The glorious company of apostles, the noble fellowship of prophets, the white robed army of martyrs” are our forbears, family, and dear friends. Now all racial distinction is removed, except for chronological order in the knowledge of God (Romans 1:16). We Gentiles, incorporated into the fellowship of Christ by gracious permission, are under sovereign and sweet command to, “Praise the Lord” (v11a). We partner the believers from Israel in exalting and glorifying God. “Let all peoples praise him” (v11b). The promise in Christ is universal and so, too, should be the praise.

God’s dealing with Jew and Gentile are marvellous. His grace and judgment have been exercised upon both. Now our longing is that is that folk of each category will be drawn in enormous numbers to the Saviour of the world. In him we shall find safety and unity and shared joy. For the sake of the Fathers we are debtors to the Jew. Paul’s devotion to their spiritual wellbeing was huge (Romans 9:1-3, 10:1). If we honour Paul we honour and share his desire for his people. As Gentiles, judged favourably through Christ (Daniel 7:22), we embrace all humankind in our concern and outreach with the plea of Spurgeon, “Lord, save all your elect, and elect some more”.

If our joy at Christmas is found in Christ then “Merry Christmas” is a proper seasonal greeting indeed.

RJS

Normally a housebreaker or thief depends on two great allies – darkness and suddenness, concealment and quickness. He doesn’t want to be seen and he doesn’t want to be caught so he takes precautions to avoid detection and capture. He operates in a furtive and fleet fashion. Therefore the householder has to take his precautions and be equally alert and on the watch. He has to anticipate the possibility of a raid and be on the ready all the time. A moment off guard could be the villain’s opportunity. If a person values their possessions they have to be vigilant.

The Saviour’s warning concerning the suddenness of his return and the imminence of judgment is one of the key biblical themes that determine the Church’s pastoral provision of the season of Advent. The comings of the Lord Jesus in his birth and again at the conclusion of history are preceded by many intimations and warnings. More than adequate notice gives mankind the time to prepare for these great events. At Jesus’ birth only a small remnant was waiting and given the insight to welcome him. The way of the world does not indicate that there are many looking for the Saviour’s appearing. Most have no real apprehension of the approaching event and even believers slacken in their watchfulness. “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:8-9).

We grow accustomed to our routines, the regularity or even the monotony of each day, and our minds are crammed and preoccupied with the affairs of ordinary life. It doesn’t seem as if anything unusual or cataclysmic will disturb the normal pattern. We know notionally that a couple of seconds can change our life, upset our plans, and destroy our hopes, but the tendency is to accept the present state of affairs as unchanging however much our liturgy draws our attention to the changes and chances of this life. We have limited even minimal control over time and its occurrences and to think that we are in charge is imitative of the hubris of the devil. “He will speak against the Most High, and oppress his saints, and try to change the set times and the laws” (Daniel 7: 25). We have to be modest and submissive to the providential dispensations of the Lord chronological and natural. He reigns and we revere his sovereignty.

Time is not a factor God has to reckon with. It is his creation, sliced out of eternity for our habitation, and he directs it as he wills. Its duration is fixed, its passage is ordered by him, he decrees its progress, events, and consummation. As time comes towards us and bypasses us so God plots the future with all that is to come, and the cut off point for our merging with eternity will be startlingly sudden, either by his advent of our death. The fact is certain, for us the moment of fulfilment is uncertain. We do not know when we shall go or when the Lord will come. As to the first, we should be packed and ready, and as to the second we cannot speculate. In spite of clear instruction in Holy Scripture many dabble with prognostication as to when the end will come. This is a futile and distracting exercise for people of faith and in fact an act of arrogance and disobedience. The closing date of earth’s existence and man’s vain show is not disclosed and remains God’s secret. It is decided but not declared to us. We are simply to be ready for our departure to him, whether through a hole in the ground or the clouds above (1 Corinthians 4:16-17). Jesus puts a stop to all calendar calculations with a word that should not be circumvented or contradicted. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). The Apostle Paul reiterates that prohibition, “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (1 Thessalonians 5: 1-2). We ought to respect the prerogatives of God and simply be aware of the prospect of his coming at all times, judging our character and conduct as befitting the momentous event. The thief in the night is the perpetual image to keep in constant view. It re-arranges our priorities and schedules where these things are in our power to decide, and it keeps us looking to Jesus as much as we are able.

Jesus says that he will come in stealth and at a moment when the majority do not expect it, when the neighbourhood watch is relaxing and the burglar alarms are silenced through neglect. Paul has the situation in view, “While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come upon them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

Advent is the season of preparation and expectation. It should be longer and the emphases stronger. It is solemn and joyous concurrently. “Suddenly” is the watch word. Surprise is the mood. Our concentration will be elsewhere only to be abruptly interrupted by the heavenly Intruder who will disrupt the course of our lives with a crash through our door, a claim on our souls for his scrutiny, and the subjection of the cosmos to a total melt down. The happening will be catastrophic for evil and celebratory for the kingdom of God. There will be a reversion to nothingness and then a new creation where everything detestable and opposed to God will be utterly purged away. Peter presents the vision of the climax to earthly and astronomical history. All will be erased for a new beginning. The foundations of the natural order will shake and the hearts of natural men will quake and the Lord’s “suddenly” will be terrible to endure for those who do not know God. The hour will be horrific. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be?” (2 Peter 3: 10-11).

Alert, cautious, circumspect, and holy would seem to be the answer to Peter’s enquiry. The final bell could sound at any moment. Dubious employments and preoccupations ought to be avoided. Nearness to God ought to be maintained. Blamelessness, purity, and loyalty to the Lord ought to be faithfully fostered through the means of grace and godly thoughts. We are prone to wander and may do so in an instant. David lapsed into sin in the process of meditation, and our souls slip into slumber so easily. Wakefulness is due to the Holy Spirit’s continual urging (the meaning of the term “comforting” in the KJV). The Holy Spirit, the word, prayer, and the resolve, “To cast away the works of darkness and put on the armour of light” (Collect Advent 1) will enable us, unknowingly, to keep pace with the timetable of heaven.

The Saviour warns us of the thief in the night, likening his coming only to the speed with which the criminal acts “Behold, I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20). His re-appearance will occur in a flash leaving the ill-prepared with no time to rally themselves. In that moment they will be robbed of their soul – with no compensation! RJS

RJS

For pitch, penetration, and clarity, the soprano voice is ideal. When soprano voices, female and young male, sing in chorus the level of our attention and comprehension is raised. There is excitement in the sound of the highest human singing-voice. This is precisely the effect prescribed by the author of the psalm. His hymn is an exultant announcement of the character of God and the confidence that his people may place in him. It describes the worst possible circumstances that could bring terror to the human heart and provides the deepest possible comfort the heart could desire. It is the antidote to fear, panic, and despair however horrific the source of distress.

The psalm does not commence its consideration of divine consolation with a catalogue of worldly catastrophes and human woes, which would be endless, but begins with a statement of the sovereign and universal remedy for any and every cause of perturbation which is always effectual if relied upon. The answer to our crises and concerns is far larger and much stronger than those things that terrify us, and so sure is the psalmist of this fact that he describes a scenario that could not be more devastating and cataclysmic. He imagines the ultimate natural disaster, but only after he focuses upon the facts concerning God that enable him to envisage the very worst.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. We can only face what is nightmarish and ghastly if we are sure of protection and safety, and can distance ourselves from danger. The psalmist is affirming the absolute and ultimate welfare of the people of God whatever peril may threaten. Therefore we will not fear. In spite of alarm and the natural tendency to quiver at some occurrence suddenly menacing to our wellbeing the facts of God’s proximity and power fend off a state of total collapse. There is hope in his eventual action on our behalf even in the most extreme situation. Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Though that which is foundational to our existence and seemingly permanent in our life crumbles and disappears before our stupefied gaze our focus must return to the only secure and enduring refuge, God himself. Though there may be overwhelming turmoil and chaos all around us, and nothing solid beneath us, as the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging, there is still a refuge unmoved by the turmoil, and above the chaos, God himself, who towers over all trouble and contains its effects, restraining the harm it would wreak.

In the midst of calamity and confusion there is a God who can bring calm and preserve life. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God. Water can be a powerful and destructive force given sufficient volume and speed. But God is in control of water and can instantly quieten its rage (Mark 4:39). Instead of causing destruction and death it can donate life and deliver blessing. Beside gentle streams and still waters the people of God may rejoice in his generous bounty springing from the river that symbolizes the Lord as the source of life and prosperity. The city of God represents his people and their home and habitation under his watchful care. Whatever in nature or men’s hearts poses a threat to believers the city is secure. God is within her, she will not fall. God does not only encircle his folk he is at the centre of their lives and therefore they cannot be extinguished by any foe or any event. Because of the union of God and his people they are as long-lasting as God himself and he ensures their preservation and endurance. God will help her at break of day. The dawn of deliverance will always come in timely fashion for those who trust him.

Nature may be in upheaval on a colossal scale and nations in uproar. Acts of God and acts of men may disturb peace and demolish security at the human level of existence but the security of the people of faith transcends the happenings and transient happiness of this world. The violence of a world being rent apart, or the viciousness of evil men who resort to physical assault and cruelty, cannot annihilate those whom God has chosen for himself. They come under covenant protection identical to the pledge given to the patriarchs. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. An irreversible guarantee of an impregnable defence is granted to them. God is not only on their side but at every side as a personal guardian of his people. He cannot be moved as even mountains may be. He cannot be overcome as even great military powers may be. He is invincible and whomever he surrounds is absolutely safe.

All of these affirmations may sound great in theory or when danger seems beyond possibility. The psalmist, however, is not interested in speculative theology but in truths that will stand the test of reality and experience. He doesn’t wish to frame an approach to life that is in the realm of the ideal, but which breaks down and proves inadequate in the face of ordeal. He introduces the likelihood of the most serious circumstances imaginable: the quaking of the earth, the tumbling of mountains, the swallowing of solid ground in the tempestuous swell of an angry and voraciously hungry sea. In these frightening conditions the human individual is tossed about like a feather and sucked into oblivion. Then the poet turns from the wild rage of nature, which is blind to its consequences, to the wicked rage of man, which is the expression of personal maliciousness towards his fellow. War is the most dreadful scourge that men can inflict upon each other. In its scale, its incidents, its side effects and aftermath, and as a cloak for numerous horrendous crimes, it produces untold suffering, endless grief, and countless injustices that have to be borne by combatants and innocent civilians alike. To wield weapons of attack is the last and unavoidable resort of the just ruler, but human history seems to be the account of a ceaseless series of wars symptomatic of the evil angelic rebellion against God and its overspill to our sphere. Hostility and aggression are the ingredients of the devil’s brew and the sharpest onslaught is intended for the people of God who must live as if prepared for martyrdom. Soft and sentimental theology will not do in the tragedies and trials of life. We need to be boosted by demonstrations of God’s deeds in the defence and deliverance of his people and so the psalmist issues the invitation, “Come and see the works of the Lord”. He routs the enemy and rescues his beloved. As evil of any kind ominously advances God himself exhorts his church to, “Be still and know that I am God” , to apprehend his sovereignty, witness his power that pursues and secures his glory, and rest in the security afforded by his saving strength.

Because God is exalted above all other powers that exist his people may exult in him with triumph. “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” To hail the Lord as guardian of his people in all the adversities of life, and all the attacks of the enemy, the composer of the psalm selects his preferred choir* for the festal occasion – alamoth* - a choir of young soprano voices, male and female. The young must know what they have to face and how to face it. RJS

RJS