Christmas Eve

Matthew 1:18-23

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God is with us.”

Are you ready?

asked the checkout operator

as she scanned the last minute gifts we remembered

Are you ready?

A question posed numerous times

in myriad ways

this past few days.

Are you ready?

Our response to that will vary greatly

There is always the fear that we have overlooked something

forgotten something vital

had a senior moment

left things too late.

But the good news of Christmas

For all of us 

Is that it doesn't matter

how ready we are.

God is born.

Emmanuel - God with us

happens over and over again.

Ready or not.

Emmanuel - God with us

comes to those who grieve

to those who worry and fret

to those who feel unprepared

to those who feel calm and ready

to those who are excited

to those who dread

to those who feel that Christmas 

has already been snatched from them

and to those who are waiting to see

what tomorrow brings.

The good news, for all, is

we do not make Christmas 

we do not have to be ready

In every circumstance,

God is born

Emmanuel - God with us.

Fathering God

Matthew 1:24

When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

Joseph

These past few months have been the most demanding of my life

the most emotionally draining

I've known the fierceness of love and anger

The depths of despair, the unravelling of joy.

But I'm a man

I'm supposed to be hard

Demanding

Unforgiving

I'm not supposed to be turned to mush

by watching the woman I love suffer

She looks so beautiful carrying my child

And it is my child

I may not have planted the seed that grows within her

But I have watched her body change

I have rubbed her swollen flesh

in the night when she aches

I have felt our baby move and grow

I have felt the kicks and the hiccoughs

And I have felt her pain

as our friends have shunned us

No cosy chats with the other women for Mary

Swapping stories, normalising pregnancy

And no back slapping congratulations for me

Or even leery comments

Just menacing silence

sizzling with reproach

Little do they know, my former so called friends

If they had stuck with me instead of cutting me off

They might, just might, have brought me to my senses

But Mary and I, pushed together in our adversity

Have learned resilience 

And grown together, forced into maturity

It's not just us

We have a little life to care for

And we will prove them wrong

Those who think we'll never manage.

We will show them

That we are the people God calls us to be

Parents for the Son of God.

Liz Crumlish 2014

Piercing truth

Luke 2:34-35

Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

It was a long time in coming

A lifetime and more

But even though he'd waited a lifetime

to greet the Messiah

Simeon could not temper his words

The old prophet could not keep silent 

about what he saw.

This baby, brought to the temple

to fulfil tradition and custom

was recognised by Simeon

as the Messiah on whom he waited.

A Messiah who was destined 

to shake up the institutions 

to challenge a way of life

and to bring searing pain

to the woman who had borne him.

And, having waited so long to greet him.

he could not keep quiet

about the future he saw

in the face of the Son of God.

You are the story

Luke 2:20

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

They came to worship.

knowing that

on this last Sunday in Advent

we'd be ready

to break out the Christmas Carols

and  to unfold the Christmas story.

The star that had been making its way

through the sanctuary

as Advent progressed 

was placed over the choir at the front.

As the children processed

dropping glitter in their wake

there was a buzz of expectation.

Children and adults dressed up

and took part

Angels, shepherds, wise men too.

Mary was a single mum for a time

until one of the shepherds 

stepped into the breach.

One angel was well into his 70s

The three kings were four

And the baby God?

Was there the whole time

from beginning to end

Not asleep on the hay

but coorying in beside

the widower chilled with grief

Embracing the young mother

worn out working all hours to make ends meet

Lifting the spirits of the gran

whose family are all far away

And heading home

with all who were entranced

by the beauty and simplicity

of the story 

of Emmanuel

God with us.

It's all about the story

Matthew 1:18

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.

The Day of the Nativity Play

There's a buzz in the air

The adults arrive early

intent on snagging the best seats,

the best viewpoint

from which to see their charges re-enact

the greatest story ever told.

The children too seem extra fidgety

They won't stand still

while tea towels are affixed to shepherds

and tinsel to glittery angels

Even the Kings seem electrified

though they are older

and supposedly more jaded

But with their crowns perched atop slicked back hair

and their gifts clutched tightly in their hands

they too seem ruffled by the moment.

Only Mary seems calm and serene.

Although I don't know how, since Joseph is tearing around

pretend fighting with the shepherds

Just as well those staffs are foam and not wood!

Those tea towels are off again!

And who put the camels, the donkey and the sheep

in those ridiculous positions?

Someone has been messing with the manger!

And the baby Jesus is nowhere to be seen.

But it's time to go.

The choir have finished singing.

The angel Gabriel is making her way down the aisle

Oops - Mary was supposed to go first.

Never mind - the Angel's message will be delivered

Mary and Joseph will carry the donkey 

all the way across the chancel to Bethlehem,

The baby will be born.

The angels will tell the shepherds

who will hurry down to Bethlehem.

And the wise men will make an entrance

with their gifts, hopefully not tripping over their curtains

on the way up the chancel steps.

Someone will find the baby Jesus

and place him in the manger

just in time.

And everyone will say

"What a lovely story"

And, in all the cuteness of the re-telling,

maybe, just maybe,

we will glimpse the greatest gift ever given

and see God born in our midst today.

(To be continued)

Mothering God

Luke 1v 42

Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.

Mary

God, you pick your moments

and your people.

Talk about a big fat Jewish wedding?

Well, the big, fat part came true

as I swelled with the weight of the Son of God.

People thought Joseph was a fool

But I knew differently

It took guts to stick with me

and not run from God

and the crazy plans

he'd racked
up for us.

Once he'd set his mind to it

like everything else he did,

Joseph made a great job

of caring for me

the mother of God's child. 

What other man

would be there at the birth

and not leave it to the women.

Mind you, Joseph had no choice.

No one else would speak to us

disgracing them as we had.

It wasn't really until the birth

that I missed the other women folk

Because Joseph was so loving and caring

He saw the hurt I felt

and tried to make it up to me.

And, for a time, he did.

But, when the time came

to push this fragile life

out into the world

that was when I needed another woman

One who knew what to expect

One who could talk me through the pain

and reassure me

that this was how it had to be

to bring a new life to birth.

I couldn't even blame Joseph

He hadn't planted this seed in me

But I cursed him anyway

with every profanity I knew.

He had to stay

and take it

There was no one else

to catch the Son of God

as he was delivered

onto a straw covered floor

in a place hidden from sight.

No one else to bring him to my breast

so that I could nurture God's Son

the Light of the world.

Liz Crumlish 2014

Beloved child of the light

John 1:9-12

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God.

Today we bade farewell

and celebrated the life

of one of God's saints.

A child of God.

Even in the darkness of grief

or maybe even especially in that darkness

the light was visible.

The light that came into the world

in the form of a baby.

We celebrated the hope, love joy and peace of Advent

all rolled up in a life of faith

that pointed others to the light 

that cannot be extinguished. 

We gave thanks not just for the light

but for one in whom light shone

one who claimed her power

as a child of God.

And the darkness was pierced

with the light of love

that lasts forever.

Thanks be to God.

Doing Advent

John 1:5

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

Good intentions

To"do"Advent properly

To avoid getting caught up in the rush

To take time to contemplate

the miracle of birth

and the miracle of love

But preparation

as an act of love

is exhausting.

Remaining alert

to all the signs 

of God born among us

is challenging

and, quite frankly,

draining.

Rooting for that glimmer of light

in all the darkness of the world

is hard work.

Proclaiming the light

is exhausting .

Advent becomes

a bone wearying

energy sapping slog.

Just like that third trimester

of pregnancy.

Hope is high

But there is still so much anxiety.

And other chores

and other concerns

are not diminished

but heightened

as the days move on.

The need for God

to get here already

trumps everything else

and puts paid

to good intentions

of waiting patiently

and preparing well.

Thankfully, God arrives

ready or not

and the calmness 

we tried to create

is forever disrupted

by God among us.

The calm

AND the storm.

Unwitting accomplices

Matthew 2:19-20

The Return from Egypt

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.”

We think of the Angels singing:"Peace on earth"

We imagine the shepherds hurrying to Bethlehem

We romanticise the notion of the stable 

complete with a little donkey

and other assorted animals keeping the baby warm.

In our mind's eye is a blissful mother

and a bursting with pride father.

We conveniently overlook the fear

and the poverty

the political unrest

the brutality of occupying forces

and the desperation of folk in that time.

And we try to do the same today.

To make Christmas idyllic

a time of indulgence and goodwill.

A season to deny reality -

be it the harsh reality of today

or of that first Christmas world.

And even when we are confronted

by inescapable inhumanity:

The murder of children

The abuse of power 

The sleaze of politics

The race to consume

Still we hope and pray for a different world.

But the Advent of hope, love, peace and joy

of which we speak and sing and for which we pray

demands that we get real

that we open our eyes

that we are affected

and move to change a world

where weapons are more valued than health care

and where oil revenue is so tightly held

that none can be spared to provide clean water for all.

Where food mountains and arms dumps grow

while people starve and are moved from their lands.

Those who sought the child's life

are still to the fore

and we have become accomplices.

Beyond the door

P

John 1:14

And the Word became flesh and lived among us

Passing the church door

on a cold and stormy night

And seeing the light and the noise

spill out across the wet cobbles

The light shimmering in the puddles

The noise carrying through the air

The doors are closed against the winter chill

and there's no one in sight

to encourage or repel

A moments hesitation

And then the thought of entering passes

Fleeing as quickly as it came

And I am assaulted again by the thought

that though it is good

to make a joyful noise

with those of like mind

Though God loves and honours our praise

God also nudges - even chases us

out of our buildings

To embrace those who pass by

Those who long for the light

and the warmth

Those who yearn to be loved,

not for what they might become

but for who they are

Cherished children of God

with whom God dwells

Hurrying on

Matthew 2:6

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

Barely half way through Advent

but feeling the pressure

to rush on towards Christmas

To sing the Carols

To place the baby in the crib

To hurry the wise men on

To get there already

But the Advent of God among us

was a long, slow journey

Promised by prophets

through centuries of longing for light

Hoped for by folk

through years of yearning for justice

Watched for by nations

walking in darkness

Who are we

to be impatient today?

Yet we, too, 

long for light,

yearn for justice

and need God

to be born among us

Now.

Justice unearthed

Isaiah 42:1-4

The Servant, a Light to the Nations

​Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

my chosen, in whom my soul delights;

I have put my spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.

He will not cry or lift up his voice,

or make it heard in the street;

a bruised reed he will not break,

and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;

he will faithfully bring forth justice.

He will not grow faint or be crushed

until he has established justice in the earth;

and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

The Servant

Bringing justice

Not by force

Or by power

But by gentle persistence

Stealth

that creeps in

Undoing centuries of wrong

Overturning layers of tradition

Unearthing goodness

buried deep

Ground down by harshness

Lost in the depths of holiness

But there for the finding

And ready to be brought to the surface

Grasped and gently nourished

Coddled into fullness of life

Unable to resist

the pull of love

that elicits the response

of justice held out

Fragile

Vulnerable

Life giving

Life changing.

Justice wrought 

not by force

but by love.

Asleep on the hay?

Luke 2:7

And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

Not calm and bright

Not sleeping peacefully

Not surrounded 

by boy shepherds

with fluffy lambs

Or ox and ass huddled around

To keep warm

Not cosy and serene

that baby in a manger

More like a lion

surrounded by his pride

More like the cyclogenesis

by which we've been assaulted of late.

This baby

and those parents

And the visitors and onlookers

are not naive well wishers

But fierce political extremists

Determined to bring about change

And the only chink in their militant armour

Is that they are pinning their hopes

on a baby

And all these years later, we too,

longing for change

dreaming of equality

weary of political posturing

and failed promises

pin our hopes 

on a baby in a manger

knowing that the stable

is not a benign shelter

but the birthplace of revolution

And we, today's onlookers

are charged with fulfilling promises

creating justice

and exploding love

on an unsuspecting world.

After the storm

Luke 2:13-14

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”

After the storm

there's an eerie stillness

when every sound is magnified

And if we stop just for a moment

we will hear sounds 

that we haven't heard in a while

Not because they weren't there

But because we didn't pause to listen

Like bells on the still night air

And the song of angels

And children's voices

arguing to make sense of it all

It's like the ferocity of the storm

clears the way

for the gentle sounds 

too fragile to be heard

in the normal daily rush

But waiting to be discovered

when we take time

to listen.

And once we've heard them 

They remain

bringing depth to our hearing

bringing awareness

of another world.

A world that is ours to inhabit.

Filled with the mysteries of God.

Travellers

Not a good time for a journey

Battling against the elements

Hunched against the wind

Battered by the rain

Nowhere to shelter

Just the relentless plodding on

with a deadline to meet

carrying the weight of anxiety

that precludes the hope

of discoveries along the way

And no certainty of welcome

at journey's end,

hoping, at best

for a brief respite

from the weariness

and the opportunity

to draw breath

and gather the resources

to continue the journey.

A common plight for many today

- and little different to the predicament

of those who journeyed

to encounter

the son of God.

2000 years ago.

Love carved out

Isaiah 49:15-16

Can a woman forget her nursing child,

or show no compassion for the child of her womb?

Even these may forget,

yet I will not forget you.

See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;

your walls are continually before me.

Loved before birth

Cherished through life

with the unconditional love

of a mother bearing the joys

and sorrow of birth

Releasing her child

into the harshness of life

out of the womb of protection

Suckling, sustaining

Continuing to nourish

and nurture growth

Affirming love

that knows no end

A love that comes unbidden

and is never exhausted

or withheld

A love carved

on the palm

of God's hand.

In the wilderness

Luke 1:80

The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.

In the wilderness

John the Baptist

Cousin of Jesus

who leapt in the womb

when Mary came to visit Elizabeth

In the wilderness

Until the time was right

to prepare the way

for the son of God

In the wilderness

preparing for the task that was his

to call folk to repentance

And all the while growing 

strong in spirit

Strong enough to play his part

as the herald 

of the one who was to come

Strong enough

to play second fiddle

to God's chosen Messiah

Perhaps the hardest task of all

is to stay out of sight

preparing for one

whose Advent dawns

In the wilderness

Growing strong in Spirit

Preparing to welcome 

God among us.

Messenger of God

Luke 1:26

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,

The Angel

I do not float on a cloud

Strumming a golden harp

I do not appear in a rush of air

and a Carol of bells

I am much more gritty 

and down to earth

I am the woman in the next street

deheading rose bushes

or sweeping up leaves

who shares a sympathetic look

as you struggle with your brolly on a windy day

I am the man you passed

on the station platform

with the backpack

and the laptop bag

Who raises an eyebrow

as the man across the aisle shares 

too much information on his mobile phone.

Often I smile

or cry

I try to create beauty

or bring light.

Once in a lifetime I will have

a special commission - or two

I told Mary of the seed that was within her

And then persuaded Joseph

to go ahead and marry her. 

On those assignments I carried

a frisson of fear

and left in my wake

a trail of chaos

but also wonder

and promise

Folk are free to reject me

or ignore my message

or blank me completely.

But Mary and Joseph

listened

And, if not exactly welcoming

they did not write me off

but spent the rest of their lives

pondering my words

along with their import.

And, even if they didn't ever fully appreciate

their uniqueness

They changed the face of history

by listening to me

an angel sent by God.

Liz Crumlish 2014

For such a time as this

Esther 4:14

For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father’s family will perish. Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.”

For such a time as this

We are called

Not to keep silent

But to speak up

For the poor

For the vulnerable

For the homeless

For the hungry

For those persecuted

because of race or religion or colour

For those whose voices are not heard

Whose suffering goes unheeded

Whose rights are violated

For such a time as this

We are called to take risks

To stand alongside God's children

In Missouri ,

in New York, 

in the Ukraine,

in Yemin,

in Israel

in Palestine

in all those places 

where voices are silenced

and where hatred kills.

For such a time as this

We are called

To keep the hope alive

That light shines in the darkness

A light that cannot be extinguished

The light of love

The light of God with us 

For such a time as this.

Prelude

Luke 1:76

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

The Advance Party

Called to prepare the way

Not the one

But called to make the road smooth

What an awesome responsibility

To lay the groundwork

To blaze the trail

And then to step back

Slink into the shadows

Out of sight

There are few of us with grace enough

to be fore runners

Few of us who are skilled

at keeping out of the way

when the time comes

for another to step up

and continue the work that we have begun

We give thanks for prophets

For fore runners

For trailblazers

And pray for the grace

to be more like them

as we prepare the way

for Incarnation.

Blessed

Luke 1:46-48

Mary’s Song of Praise

And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.

Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;

How could Mary sing such a song of praise?

when responding to God's call

meant that she was ostracised by her community,

shunned by her peers,

the subject of gossip and slander?

When responding to God's call

brought isolation, anxiety and overwhelming responsibility?

When responding to God's call 

brought a swollen belly

and the pain of labour and childbirth?

How could Mary sing: "My soul magnifies the Lord."

as her body changed

and weariness settled in her bones.

Could it be that the peace in her heart,

the knowledge of responding to God,

of making God's will, hers

was so momentous

that joy overrode apprehension

and love overcame fear

giving way to the knowledge

of true blessedness.

Mary, mother of God, blessed art thou among women.

The little things

Matthew 2:6

‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler

who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

"By no means least"

God has a way

of raising the lowly

Of bringing import

to the things considered insignificant

Of creating surprises

Catching folk unawares

It's startling

Discomfiting

It throws us off kilter 

But God continues to reach into 

the ordinary

the commonplace

the everyday

and extract the extraordinary

or create something spectacular

skewing our perspective forever.

May our daily journey through Advent

be filled with God interrupting

changing the landscape

before our eyes

until we wake up everyday

expecting the unexpected.

The Advent of God.

Lineage

Matthew 1:17

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Slotted in there

A place to belong

Kith and kin established

But cutting a new mould

Refusing to conform

Impossible to peg or label

Needing no human credentials

or heritage to bring authenticity

But at home nonetheless

At home in every time and place

Welcoming the stranger

On the road with the refugee

Tagging along with the outcast

Standing out with the stigmatised

That's my boy!

The Son of God

The Son of Mary

Stepping out of that noble line

To stand with all of humanity

The Christ - born for us.

Dream on

Matthew 1:18-21

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph dreamed

and married Mary

The Magi dreamed

and went home by another way

Zechariah dreamed

and named his son John

Joseph's dreams were invaded by angels

warning him to flee to safety

and telling him when it was safe to return

A story built on dreams

that revealed the will of God.

And what of your dreams?

Are they incredible too?

Are they inhabited by angels

revealing their message of love

encouraging the embracing of hope?

There is nothing that is out of reach

when our dreams become a vision 

of the indescribable love of God.

The star

Matthew 2:1-2

The Visit of the Wise Men

​Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

The star formed billions of years ago

making its way through the Universe

light age by light age

Singled out

to be the compass point

by which the magi navigated.

Singled out

to light up a dingy corner

in an out of the way place

Singled out 

to confirm good news

told to weary shepherds

Singled out

to lift the ordinary

to the realms of the spectacular

A cosmic accident

born in the collision of gas and clouds

already burning itself out

and in its dying throes

Heralding the birth

of the Son of God.