Luke 2.15-21

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ ¹⁶So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. ¹⁷When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; ¹⁸and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Jesus Is Named

²¹ After eight days had passed, it was time to circumcise the child; and he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Firstly, notice where Jesus was born. The prophet Micah had prophesied that the event would take place in Bethlehem[1] - and sure enough, it took place in Bethlehem. This reminds us of the wonderful truth that God is in control. He controlled the secular ruler Augustus and directed him through thoughts, events and ideas, to decree that all people needed to be registered. As a result, he, Augustus decreed that Mary and Joseph should travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem. The Roman emperor did not know that he was a pawn in God's hands and that he was only doing what God was allowing him to do.[2]

God is in control. As God intervened and changed the course of history using Caesar Augustus as a pawn to do what he willed, so can he intervene and use earthly rulers and others as pawns to bring about his purposes on this earth. But people need to respond in obedience.

Secondly, notice who the first people were who received the wonderful news of Christ's birth - simple ordinary shepherds, not priests, rulers, theologians, scribes or pharisees. This is not meant to imply that people who are learned or who have position were excluded. The visit of the Magi - the wise men who followed the shepherds - bears testimony of this. But all too often, simple people, poor people feel that they do not know enough to be able to draw close to God. Nothing could be further from the truth. What is important is not wealth, position or knowledge - but faith.

God offers to all people faith as a free gift.[3] All people have to do is respond by accepting it. Whether you are a university professor, a mechanic, housewife, millionaire, street-sweeper, unemployed - no matter what one's station in life is - all people are afforded the opportunity to draw close to God through faith in Jesus Christ.

Thirdly, notice the message the angels brought with them. They said:

... I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy.[4]

The spiritual darkness that had covered the world for thousands of years was about to be rolled away and God was to be revealed in all his fullness through Christ; the way in which sin could be forgiven was to be made available for all people; people can defeat the power of Satan, temptation and sin in their lives and so be enabled to experience wholeness and restoration while living on this earth; people were about to be enabled to experience peace with themselves, peace with others and peace with God. Indeed, the birth of Jesus is 'good news' and should make 'everyone happy'. Because of Jesus there is hope, because of Jesus there is power, because of Jesus people can be restored to God.

Fourthly, notice how prompt the shepherds were in responding in obedience to what they were told. We read in verse 16:

They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying in the manger.

They responded immediately. They never debated, questioned, doubted or even hesitated - they did something - they hurried off to find Jesus.

May our spirit be like the shepherd's. May we believe implicitly, act promptly and wait for nothing - let us all come to Christ so that like the shepherds, the journey we begin in faith may end with praise.

Lastly verse 21 deals with the time when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple to present him to the Lord. Mary was also required by the Law of Moses to go through a purification rite as all woman, after childbirth, were considered ritually unclean. While at the Temple, they met an old man called Simeon, who had some interesting things to say about their child Jesus.

Verse 21 tells us of how Jesus was circumcised. Every Jewish boy was required by the Law of Moses, to be circumcised eight days after his birth. This ceremony was considered so important that it was even permissible to perform this rite on the Sabbath, if that turned out to be the eighth day.[5] In order for our salvation to be achieved it was necessary that the saviour obey every single aspect of the law in its entirety. We read in Galatians 4:4:

... when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. His Son obeyed the Law so he could set us free from the law, and we could become God's children.

It is encouraging to be reminded that, even in the smallest detail, Jesus fulfilled every aspect of the Law and so won our salvation for us.[6] We do not need to practice circumcision today, nor do we need to become slaves to the thousands of other laws of the Old Testament because Jesus has set us free from the Law and all its requirements. Rather, instead of being circumcised in the flesh, Christians should live showing that they are continually cutting sin out of their lives in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul explains this in Colossians 2:11:

Christ has also taken away your selfish desires, just as circumcision removes flesh from the body.

Again in Romans 2:29 Paul explains:

True circumcision is something that happens deep down in your heart, not something done to your body.

Because Jesus fulfilled the Law for us, we are not bound by its requirements. Jesus did everything that no human could achieve and so liberated us from all the requirements of the Law. How wonderful this is. Because of Christ we have been set free. Paul explains in Galatians 5:1:

Christ has set us free! This means we are really free. Now hold on to your freedom and don't ever become slaves to the Law again.

There was nothing that the law demanded that Jesus did not fulfill, not even the smallest detail. Jesus fulfilled everything and so earned salvation for all people who accept it. And so it was appropriate that he was given the name 'Jesus' which simply means 'Saviour'.

---

[1] Micah 5:2.

[2] Ryle, Expository Thoughts, pp. 50-51.

[3] Ephesians 2:8.

[4] Luke 2:10.

[5] Barclay, The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Luke, (Edinburgh, The Saint Andrews Press, 1981), p. 24.

[6] Ryle, Expository Thoughts, pp. 61-62.

Advent 4

Luke 24:13-35 NRSV

The Walk to Emmaus

¹³ Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,¹⁶but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ ¹⁹He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth,who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’ ²⁵Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

²⁸ As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³²They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ ³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ ³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

I begin this week’s reflection with the aid of William Barclay and then will move on to other commentators as the week progresses.

This passage tells of the ability of Jesus to make sense of things when hopes and dreams have been shattered. Cleopas and his companion (many think it was his wife) were deeply disappointed: they thought that Jesus was the Messiah and that he was going to rescue Israel. Jesus walked with them. “When we walk with the Lord in the light of his Word” as we sing in this lovely him, so too can he make sense of things in our lives.

While on the journey, Jesus expounded the Scriptures to them. This has been central to my calling as a preacher because I do believe that the truth is to be found in a careful, prayerful study of God’s revelation to the world in the Bible. But we need to be cautious; as too often people tend to treat it literally when that is clearly not what the original authors intended. Careful, prayerful, study – even struggle – reaps rich dividends as God speaks to us through His Word today.

Notice also the courtesy of our Lord. He never presumed anything and waited to be invited to stay with them. Barclay writes: “God gave to men the most perilous gift in the world, the gift of free will; we can use it to invite Christ to enter our lives or allow him to pass on.”

Jesus was made known also in the breaking of the bread. It is easy to think automatically that this is a reference to the Eucharist – and it probably is – but not only this special sacrament. The meal that Jesus was sharing with Cleopas and his wife was an ordinary meal in an ordinary home. Jesus is made known to us as we share ordinary fellowship as well as special occasions (sacraments) with others.

When they received the great joy, they were anxious to share it with others; they were eager to return the seven miles back to Jerusalem where they found others who had similar experiences. It is our joy that we share fellowship with others who have so much in common with us, we are always richly blessed. Barclay adds: “... true fellowship begins only when people share a common memory and can say to each other: ‘Do you remember?’”

Now I refer to the commentary by J C Ryle who points out the importance of spiritual conversation because it provides encouragement and that our Lord draws near to us in these times. Ryle writes: “Conference on spiritual matters is a most important means of Grace ... It brings special blessing on all who make practice of it.” When we do this our hearts, like those on the Road, will also be strangely warmed within us as we find encouragement.

It is also good to be reminded that Jesus never forces himself on anyone, but is always there when entreated. When they arrived at Emmaus, Jesus made as if he was going on. This is a special verse as it tells us so much about human free will. Scripture is full of references to this important feature in the human’s relationship with God: Jacob at Pniel, the Canaanite mother, the blind man at Jericho, the nobleman at Capernaum, the parable of the unjust judge and the friend at midnight – all these remind us of the need for persistence and to ask God for his blessing in our lives. Ryle comments: “All show that our Lord loves to be entreated and like importunity. When we pray ‘Let us ask much and ask often and lose nothing for want of asking.’”

How do we pray today? Do we miss out on God’s blessings because we never ask, or do we hold back when asking?

I am challenged by this thought ...

I now turn to the thoughts of G B Caird for inspiration ...

Jesus appeared to Cleopas and his partner ‘suddenly’. At the time they assumed that he was just another traveller. Later he disappeared – just as suddenly. This shows that Jesus was different – he was no longer bound by the rules of time and space. In retrospect Cleopas and his companion realised that they had been liberated when they came to understand the significance of the fact that Jesus has been resurrected. The dawning for them came in the experience of the breaking of bread – something so familiar – but now given special significance.

It took time. Like the modern day sceptic, they probably just thought that this sort of thing just never happened – could not happen. They were probably especially sceptical, because all their other dreams had also been shattered and – to begin with – Jesus had turned out to be a disappointment.

Jesus dealt with their disillusionment by expounding the Scriptures to them – not a selection of proof texts – but the essence of the message of all Scripture.

The joy of it all for me is this: that today we can (and do) have the same experience. As we spend time studying Scripture and as we break bread together, Jesus comes into our midst and is present with us.

I close this reflection with some thoughts from Tom Wright.

Jesus was not merely alive again – like Jairus’ daughter, the woman’s son at Nain or Lazarus – for they would still die again one day. Jesus had passed through death and had come out the other end a new, deathless creation ‘... still physical but somehow transformed ...’

When we realise that this same Jesus is with us in the Holy Spirit, and as he is present with us as we explore Scripture together with him, we too feel our hearts strangely warmed as we understand its truth. Study needs to bring together head and heart ‘... understanding and excited application.’

Jesus is the key to our understanding because Jesus is the focus of all Scripture.

We also recognise Jesus in the breaking of bread. Cleopas and Mary (his wife and probably companion) had not been present at the Last Supper and so what he did with them at this last meal, he probably had done with them countless other times. This was soon to become a defining feature of the early Christians. We too meet Jesus in Word and Sacrament. Take the Sacrament away and it becomes ‘... an intellectual and emotional exercise, detached from real life.’

Jesus journeys with us – and faith is our journey. We can face and overcome the challenges of the journey, because we do not travel alone. As Wright concludes:

“Hearing Jesus’ voice in Scripture, knowing him in the breaking of bread, is the way. Welcome to God’s new world.”

Epistle for Advent 3

1 Thessalonians 5.16-24 (NRSV)

¹⁶Rejoice always, ¹⁷pray without ceasing, ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰Do not despise the words of prophets, ²¹but test everything; hold fast to what is good; ²²abstain from every form of evil.

23 May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

I am indebted to the work of J M Reece for this short reflection.

Paul’s letters always end with ethical injunctions. As I used to be an ethics teacher, this therefore is a deep interest of mine.

Here Paul urges people to rejoice because joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and so it is refreshing to all concerned when people share their joy with each other. He also urges them to live lives that are in an attitude of prayer. Added to this is the need for thanksgiving: God is the source of all our blessings. In verse 18 he states that giving thanks is the will of God and brings it all together to include constant joy and prayer as being part of God’s will for us in Jesus.

When God reveals his will to us, he also provides us with the means to achieve what God wants for us.  As J M Reece suggests ‘... grace does not eliminate human efforts but empowers it.’

Paul goes on to deal with some problems that had arisen in the fellowship because of the charismatic element. Reece aptly comments that ‘... charisms ... often proved a two-edged sword in a church.’ Yes, they fortify converts, build them up and give them a tremendous sense of the presence of God within the midst of the Church. This enables converts to accept the high moral standards required of them and to resist temptation. But in Thessalonica, the ‘charismatics’ took over the fellowship and appeared to be forming factions. How some things never change. I am sure you can remember our charismatic experience in the 1970s. It would seem that it mirrored the Thessalonian experience, with those who spoke in tongues giving the impression that God had earmarked them especially for blessing, while protesting (at least in theory) that they were any better than anyone else.

The advice here is timeless – ‘... test everything.’ Discernment is one of the spiritual gifts, together with tongues and prophecy and all the rest, and a vital ingredient.

Having said all this, by moving away from the Charismatic Renewal of the 1970s I think today we have the opposite problem and the Church seems to have ‘... quenched the Spirit ...’ So much of worship falls into a dry formalism and even some beautiful services – like Evensong – can so often degenerate into a refined concert. I was interested to hear the prior at Mirfield challenge the Church to bring the Spirit back into the liturgy where he warned that much of Cathedral worship is in danger of becoming mere relics of a past way.

A little while back, when I was doing some preparatory reading for my weekly reflection, I was touched by a simple realisation and that is the word translated as ‘good’ in verse 21 is kalos and it is almost better translated as ‘beautiful’. The tradition that the Apostles handed down to future generations, and our duty to maintain and pass on is something that is ‘beautiful’. Reese puts it this way: ‘Apostolic preaching enables future believers to experience the beauty of the Holy Spirit.’

For some time now, I have been convinced that the best way to decide if something is good or not, is something is right or not, it to end with the question: “Is it beautiful?” This is not always easy to answer, because the role of beauty (in my mind at least) is transformative; to take the ugly and redeem it, to make it beautiful. This is demonstrated in an experiment in Malawi that is working well, where the latrines are made to produce methane which powers the cookers in the kitchens – taking excrement and making it enable something beautiful to happen.

Paul ends with ‘... the universal negative prohibition that grounds all moral activity, “abstain from every form of evil”.’ (Reese) Note the play on words – abstain here is linked to the hold fast in the previous verse.

Recall again the experience of the Charismatic Renewal of the 1970s; some of the radicals of this time behaved as if there were no restraints and celebrated the ‘freedom’ of the Spirit. But our freedom arises from constraint as Cicero explained: ‘We are slaves to law so that we might be free!” The Psalmist in all 176 verses explains the liberty that comes from following the Law of the Lord.

The work of the Spirit is there to sanctify us entirely – our focus ought not to be solely on having wonderful experiences, but the transformation of our entire lives, body, mind and spirit as verse 23 suggests so that we may be found blameless at the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We do not achieve this alone, but we need to surrender to the love of God, because the one who calls us is faithful and will do this.

Shorter this week as I have needed to prepare carol services for over 1,500 students.