12th December 2021 at 11:00 “I wouldn't have made that choice”
Order of service 12th December 2021
Welcome – Keith
Happy Birthday – Lisa
Lighting of the Advent candle – 1st Wyatt, 2nd Lucas, 3rd Lucy anna
Today we relight the first two candles of the Advent wreath. The candle of HOPE and the candle of PEACE. Now we light the third candle of Advent. This is the candle of JOY. As the coming of Jesus, our Saviour, draws nearer, our joy builds with our anticipation of his birth. From the Book of Isaiah we read the words of our Lord: “But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight.”
From the New Testament, the words of Paul to the people of the church at Galatia: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.”
Let us pray:
We joyfully praise you, O Lord, for the fulfilment of your promise of a Saviour and what that means in our lives. Thank you for the gift of salvation through the birth of your son, Jesus. Create us anew as we wait and help us to see your glory as you fill our lives with your living Spirit. Amen.
Scene 1
Carol The First Noel
Scene 2
Carol From the squalor of a borrowed stable
Scene 3
Carol Calypso Carol
Scene 4
Carol Angels from the realms of glory
Scene 5
Carol Come all ye faithful
Scene 6
Thought “I wouldn’t have made that choice”
Carol Joyful, joyful
Blessing
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all evermore. Amen - Steve
Thought for 12th December 2021 “I wouldn’t have done that”
Gillian & Lucas are always ready to let me know when I am not doing something correctly and each is more willing to share with me what I have to do to do it correctly. The irritating thing for me is that they are more often right than wrong.
As I have read through the nativity story recently a question has kept popping into my mind “why did God choose to do it that way”. Let me be honest some of God’s choices around the nativity have left me scratching me head. God’s decisions are doubly mystifying given that the nativity is the culmination of a plan set in motion by God from before the beginning of time. This was an event God had spoken to the prophets about for millennia. It was the event that the whole nation of Israel was fervently waiting for. The nativity is the story of how Jesus who is God came to dwell amongst humanity is the single most important event ever in the history of humanity, well at least until Jesus comes again. Yet, despite the undoubted importance and significance of the nativity God can appear, at least to me, to be making some strange decisions.
So we are going to look quickly at three of God’s decision that did leave me thinking “I wouldn’t have chosen to do that”.
Firstly, why did God choose a couple like Mary & Joseph with looking after His Son. I mean Mary was a girl of about fifteen and Joseph was an older man who worked a very ordinary job. Surely God could have chosen parent who were experienced, wise and wealthy. Parents that could have given Jesus everything He needed for a good start in life.
Secondly there was the angelic host appearing to the shepherds on the hillside. Wouldn’t it have been better for the angelic host to appear over Jerusalem to announce the arrival of the promised Saviour, Jesus. It would have had much impact rather than appearing to these social outcasts with a very dodgy reputation. After all, the Shepherds lives were spent watching sheep who would either sheep explode or drop dead out of pure spite for the shepherd. Not the most worthy people to receive the angelic host’ message of the birth of the promised Saviour.
Thirdly, there were the Magi. Why did God choose these pagan Astrologers to bring the gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to Jesus? They weren’t even Jewish just Gentiles dabbling in occult practices. Surely God could have chosen the great or powerful to deliver the royal gifts to the Christ Child. I mean wouldn’t it be better that the gifts came from the hands of Caiaphas the High Priest himself, much more fitting.
However, as I read and thought about the nativity I began to realise just how profound God’s choices were. How each choice under scored and illuminated God’s plan for the salvation of all humanity.
So, why did God choose Mary and Joseph to care for and bring up His dearly beloved Son. The answer is, they were obedient. When they were both faced with stunning demands from God their first response was to obey. In Jesus words spoken in the Garden of Gethsemane when faced with His imminent death we perhaps hear echoes of Mary and Josephs own obedience, “Not My will but Yours be done.” God made no mistake nor could He have chosen better parents than Mary & Joseph for His son.
Why did God choose for the Angelic host to appear to these sketchy outcast shepherds on an isolated hillside? The answer is God’s offer of salvation isn’t based on a person’s job, wealth, social standing, intellect or religiosity. God’s offer of salvation is always made to those who don’t deserve it. It is a theme of Jesus’ life that he spent time with the sinner and outcast that society thought of as being less worthy. You see God love and values each and every person equally, in His eyes we are all outcasts needing His salvation. The shepherds in the nativity story stand as symbols of God’s love for those who don’t deserve it. God made no mistake when he sent the angelic host to proclaim the Saviours birth to the shepherds.
Why did God send these Gentile astrologers to deliver the royal gifts to His Son? Because this is the “Good News” of the Gospel. That God did not send His Son to save just the Jewish nation no He sent His son to save all humanity. Listen to these famous words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” God in choosing these gentile sinners God was establishing His offer of salvation is to all mankind.
We can be tempted to ask, “why did God do that” and perhaps try to tell how Him He should have done it correctly. But when you take the time to think God’s choices through you realise that the choices tell a story of His love and desire to share the offer of Salvation through Jesus with all the humanity not just the Jews or the rich or the powerful or the religious or even the good. Rather God’s offer of salvation is for all humanity including the outcast, the sinner, the despised and the lowly. Yes even for you and me.
If you take anything from this morning I pray it is the realisation that the nativity isn’t about shepherds or starts or wise men or stables. No the real nativity story is God entering His creation seeking the lost, the outcast, the broken, the least to offer them Salvation from all their sins and to give the opportunity for them to call the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe Abba, Father. The question what are you going to do with the nativity story?