Did you notice him? He was always there!

John 1:1-18

In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.

3 All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him. 4 Life was in him, and that life was the light for all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness. But the darkness has not understood it.

6 A man came who was sent from God. His name was John. 7 He came to give witness about that light. He gave witness so that all people could believe.

8 John himself was not the light. He came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.

10 The Word was in the world that was made through him. But the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him.

12 Some people did accept him. They believed in his name. He gave them the right to become children of God. 

13 To be a child of God has nothing to do with human parents. Children of God are not born because of human choice or because a husband wants them to be born. They are born because of what God does.

14 The Word became a human being. He made his home with us. We have seen his glory. It is the glory of the one and only Son.

He came from the Father. And he was full of grace and truth.

15 John gives witness about him. He cries out and says, “This was the one I was talking about. I said, ‘He who comes after me is more important than I am. He is more important because he existed before I was born.’”

16 We have all received one blessing after another. God’s grace is not limited. 

17 Moses gave us the law. Jesus Christ has given us grace and truth.

18 No one has ever seen God. But God, the one and only Son, is at the Father’s side. He has shown us what God is like.

Food for thought!

Today, 31 of December, is the last day of the year 2013. Naturally, we are going to look back and see what this year has been or not, for each one of us. If you keep your messages, on this day last year we made a series of questions. We asked ourselves:

In 2012,

What has God taught me from failure?

What has God taught me from a lack of money?

What has God taught me from pain or sorrow or depression?

What has God taught me through waiting?

What has God taught me through illness?

What has God taught me from disappointment?

Today, we have a different gospel reading and therefore a different reflection. Today's gospel said of Jesus, that the first time he came to this world he was not recognized by many people.

"The Word (Jesus) was in the world that was made through him. But the world did not recognize him. He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him."

The first time Jesus came around, many people just missed him; he was around, living among them, but many people didn't recognize him. I am afraid that as we prepare to end 2013, the same passage may apply to some of us: The Word was in our world, our home, our place of work, our neighbourhood, our life, and we just did not recognize him. He came to what was his own. But his own people did not accept him.

In this year that is ending, did you recognize Jesus when he showed up, the way he showed up, and the times he showed up? The text is saying that "Everything was created through him; nothing — not one thing! — came into being without him." In 2013 everything happened through Jesus. Everything we did, was through him because as he told us, "without me you cannot do anything" (John 45:5).

In other words, let us look at our achievements and acknowledge the Lord for them. Be thankful of your achievements and your gains and profits. What you did was thanks to Jesus. He was there since the beginning; everything was done through him; there was nothing that was done without him. Jesus is always there, whether we recognize whether we don't. When we do, he gives us the right to become children of God. Once we do recognize him, we become God's favourites, who operate as Jesus himself; we become partners of Jesus, enjoying special protection, privileges and favours.

Once we become like Jesus, everything changes; even our failures. In the Lord we are always conquerors even when we apparently seem to fail. As St. Paul reminds us in 2^nd Corinthians 4:8-9, "We have troubles all around us, but we are not defeated. We do not know what to do, but we do not give up the hope of living. We are persecuted, but God does not leave us. We are hurt sometimes, but we are not destroyed." This is what it means to be children of God.

We easily thank Jesus for our gains and achievements. We seldom thank him for the pains, the difficulties and the losses we encounter in life. But we should thank the Lord for both our gains and our pains. The Lord is always with us, in good and not so good moments of our life.
 

As someone once said, successful people approach losing differently. They don’t try to brush failure under the rug. They don’t run away from their losses. Their attitude is never Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Instead they think, Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn.

In other words, learn from your losses of 2013. A loss isn’t totally a loss if you learn something as a result of it. This said, not everyone learns from losses. A loss doesn’t turn into a lesson unless we work hard to make it so. Losing gives us an opportunity to learn, but many people do not seize it. And when they don’t, losing really hurts.

So, can we end this year with Psalm 124:

If God hadn’t been for us

    when everyone went against us,

We would have been swallowed alive

    by their violent anger,

Swept away by the flood of rage,

    drowned in the torrent;

We would have lost our lives

    in the wild, raging water.

Oh, blessed be God!

    He didn’t go off and leave us.

He didn’t abandon us defenceless,

    helpless as a rabbit in a pack of snarling dogs.

We’ve flown free from their fangs,

    free of their traps, free as a bird.

Their grip is broken;

    we’re free as a bird in flight.

God’s strong name is our help,

    the same God who made heaven and earth.

And He grew strong in body & soul!

Luke 2:36-40

36 Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years 37 and a widow for eighty- four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fastings and prayers. 38 At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem. 39 When they finished everything required by God in the Law, they returned to Galilee and their own town, Nazareth. 40 There the child grew strong in body and wise in spirit. And the grace of God was on him.

Food for thought!

Today's Gospel reading is very revealing; it ends by telling us that Jesus grew, and that he grew strong in body, and grew wise in the spirit. What this means is that Jesus was a true human being, he was truly human; Jesus had a body and soul, the two elements that define human beings. A normal human being must have a normal body and soul. And if Jesus was truly human, he can help us understand how normal life should be.

How did Jesus care for his body and soul, so much so that he was growing strong in body and wise in spirit? For many of us we're missing out, either on our bodies or our souls. It always seems like there is so much, or too much to do. In the end, there never seems like a lot of time to rest or take care of our bodies and souls. Many times we're at extremes, we starve our bodies or our souls, we give more attention to one at the expense of the other.

Which brings me to the question: What did Jesus do for Himself to keep the balance? Looking through the Gospels, there seem to be three key themes related to Jesus' self-maintenance .

1. Jesus spent time with friends. So many stories in the Gospels show Jesus eating, drinking and enjoying the company of friends. Jesus even made friends with people who some would consider unworthy, such as the tax collectors mentioned in the Gospel of Mark.

While we all have different ideas of what it means to be a friend and different thresholds for the amount of friends we need, friendship is so important to leading happy and healthy lives. True friendship brings out the best in us, lets us relax and enjoy the gifts we have.

2. Jesus took time alone. The Gospel of Luke reads, "The reputation of Jesus continued to grow. Large crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to some place where he could be alone and pray." It is crucial to carve out alone time to reflect, read, pray and so on. When we make that time, we are more able to cope with life's joys and challenges.

3. Jesus cared for his body. The Gospel of Mark tells the story of a woman who anointed Jesus with perfumed oil in Bethany. Some of the apostles questioned this extravagance. But Jesus replied, "Let her alone. Why do you criticize her? She has done me a kindness."

Some of us have great disdain for spending time caring for our body. Much like the apostles, we think this is an extravagance. As a result, many people are disconnected from their body; getting a holiday or a massage never crosses our mind. When we take care of our bodies, not only will we be better able to serve others, we will also be more in touch with our spirits. It's a win-win, really.

Because Jesus knew how to take care of Himself, He was better able to care for others. You  can't care for others if you don't care for yourslef.

Problems and their causes do come to the end!

Matthew 2:13-15,19-23 

After the wise men had left, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, because Herod intends to search for the child and do away with him.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt, where he stayed until Herod was dead. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:I called my son out of Egypt.

After Herod’s death, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother with you and go back to the land of Israel, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.’ So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, went back to the land of Israel. But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as ruler of Judaea he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he left for the region of Galilee. There he settled in a town called Nazareth. In this way the words spoken through the prophets were to be fulfilled: 'He will be called a Nazarene.’

Food for Thought!

We meditated on this text yesterday. And today we have it again for meditation.  Why? Well, there's a point we didn't touch; in other words, there's still food for thought in this gospel.  Yesterday we focused our meditation on problems and problem causes. We forgot to mention that both our problems and their causes do come to the end. In today's gospel reading we are comforted to learn that "those who wanted to kill the child are dead."

Yes, our problems and their causes do die. Our problems are not forever; our Herodes do die, and we continue alive. This is the good news from today's gospel reading. The first part of the gospel reading talks of Joseph and Mary and Jesus going into Egypt. The second part of the same gospel talks of Joseph, Mary and Jesus coming out of Egypt.

Our life is like this: we are on our way to Egypt or on our way out of Egypt.  I don't know where you're right now, if on your way to Egypt, in Egypt or getting out of Egypt. You must be somewhere.  Or you are about to get into a crisis,  or you're in a crisis right now, or you just came from one. In all these moments, today's gospel reminds us that our crises and their causes do come to the end.

Did you notice that twice the gospel says all Jesus' ordeals happened for the scriptures to be fulfilled? In other words, bad as it was for Jesus to be hated and sought to be killed by Herodes, there was a hand of God behind it all; it all had been foretold by the prophets. How would scripture - "I called my Son out of Egypt" - be fulfilled if Jesus had not been in Egypt? How would Jesus come out of Egypt if he had not been there? And how would he be there if he had not been forced to go there?

Yes, the sufferings of Jesus was all intended for something good for us all. Jesus did not suffer in vain; he did not die for nothing. Jesus suffered it all for you and me to learn to live through our own suffering and death. That's why we do well to remember during our own ordeals that God is in it, and that it is God who has either permitted us or lead us into the crisis or problem, "so that scriptures may be fulfilled" just as he did with Jesus Christ his most loved son, our Lord and Saviour, who lives for ever and ever. Amen. 

The power & meaning of love!

John 20:2-8

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus ' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed.

Food for thought 

The part that love plays in this story is extraordinary. It was Mary, who loved Jesus so much, who was first at the tomb. It was John, the disciple whom Jesus loved and who loved Jesus, who was first to believe in the Resurrection; when John saw the scene, he believed. Why? Because he was the disciple who loved Jesus most; he is the only disciple who followed Jesus until the end, on the cross. All the other disciples run away. Love gave John the power to follow Jesus to the cross; love gave John the eyes to read the signs and a mind to understand that Jesus had risen. No wonder, two days after Christmas, we remember and celebrate John, the disciple of love.

Here we have the great law of love. Love is the great interpreter. Where there's love there's understanding; if you love someone, you will understand them; you can't understand someone you hate. Indeed, we only hate those people we don't love. If you don't understand someone, like your spouse, your boss or colleague at work, it is because you don't love him or her enough. You will never understand someone whom you don't love.

It is good news to know that love is true, and truth is immortal. We can suppress love / truth, accuse it of being a lie, condemn it, torture it, kill it, bury it in the grave but on the third day love / truth will rise again. 

Remember this and do not give up on Love / Truth even when everybody seems to give up on it. Do not give up on Love / Truth; do not give up on Justice. Do not give up on doing what is right. Do not go corrupt because everybody around you has gone corrupt. True will always be true. Just will always be just. Right will always be right even when the world around us would have it otherwise. 

We must learn to believe in the sun even when it is not shining, knowing that sooner or later it will shine again. It is the end of the story that counts. 

Get up & Flee!

Matthew 2:13-18

 

After the scholars were gone, God's angel showed up again in Joseph's dream and commanded, "Get up. Take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him."14 Joseph obeyed. He got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. 15 They lived in Egypt until Herod's death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what Hosea had preached: "I called my son out of Egypt." 16 Herod, when he realized that the scholars had tricked him, flew into a rage. He commanded the murder of every little boy two years old and under who lived in Bethlehem and its surrounding hills. (He determined that age from information he'd gotten from the scholars.) 17 That's when Jeremiah's sermon was fulfilled: 18 A sound was heard in Ramah, weeping and much lament. Rachel weeping for her children, Rachel refusing all solace, Her children gone, dead and buried.

 

Food for thought!

 

Flee to Egypt. Stay until further notice. Herod is on the hunt for this child, and wants to kill him.

 

This statement is a real shock. The Son of God Almighty is on the run, because some human king wants to kill him. We would expect the new born to have the best protection and security around, especially from evil kings like Herod. But he didn’t. Right from his childhood, Jesus is not exempt from problems of and in this life. Jesus has started already to teach us about life and living.

 

Being human is not easy for everybody, including Jesus. Sometimes we wonder and ask such questions as, "Why is this happening to me? If God is a God of love, why all this pain? Why do the innocent suffer? If He is a God of order, why all the chaos? If he is so powerful, why does he seem so incapable?

You pray, but God doesn’t seem to be listening. You trust Him, but He appears to be letting you down. You believe His Word, but His promises are coming up seemingly empty in your life. You seek, but do not find . . . you knock, but no one is answering. If God is doing anything at all in your life . . . you can’t see it.

Jesus told us in John 16: 33, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." Again, Jesus told us “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but a human being has no place to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58). In other words, earth is not heaven, and heaven is not earth; life on earth is just plain hard.

 

God's care is not to be seen as rescue from the difficulties of life. One is not to try to escape the limitations of this life, but to embrace reality and live it with faith in God. Christ did not come to deliver us from the difficulties of life but to strengthen us in the midst of our struggles.

 

Jesus is teaching us also that wherever we can, and if we can, we have to run, like he did, not towards but away from our Herods who seek to destroy us. Sometimes we do well to hide, to keep quite, to bold peace until further notice.

"Joseph got up, took the child and his mother under cover of darkness. They were out of town and well on their way by daylight. They lived in Egypt until Herod's death."

Be careful!

Mat 10:17-22

Jesus said to his disciples, "Don't be naive. Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation, just because you believe in me. 18 Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you, and me, a favour, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! 19 And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; 20 the Spirit of your Father will supply the words. 21" When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. 22 There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end.

Food for the soul!

What is it that you get from this Jesus' words, "Some people will impugn your motives, others will smear your reputation"? What is it that Jesus is telling his chosen people of yesterday and today and for ever? What is it that Jesus is telling you and me, if not that life is not meant to be easy? That life and living is hard even for those that follow Jesus.

Jesus is revealing to us THE WAY LIFE IS. Jesus is saying that life is difficult to everybody, including his disciples. More to this, Jesus is saying that our GOD IS IN CHARGE. However, God being in charge does not mean a suspension of the way life is.

These are two realities difficult to grasp: God in charge; the way life is. Let us take an example. The lion or crocodile will always eat flesh, even of humans. God will not change that. Women will always feel pain in child birth. God will not change that. We will always feel sad when our dear ones die. God will not change that because this is the way life is, the way God made life to be.

God's care is not to be seen as rescue FROM the way life is. It is rather guidance THROUGH the way life is. God does not save us from getting into trouble, He empowers us to go through trouble: "Don't be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they've done you and me a favour, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don't worry about what you'll say or how you'll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words."

As someone said, when you get into some storm, and you will surely get into many of them, remember that "God has not forgotten you...He has not abandoned you in your time of desperation. He often works best in your brokenness...a humble heart is more moldable in His hands. Stop worrying about details...quit trying to figure it out - God knows what He's doing. HE IS IN CONTROL. ..EVEN WHEN LIFE ISN'T.  Trust that when your world seems to be falling apart...it's really just falling into place in the hands of your Almighty God."

Today, as I write these words, BBC Radio is announcing Christians that were bombed inside their church as they were celebrating Christmas, in Baghdad, Iraq. Many people are reported dead.

Today, the day after Jesus was born, we are celebrating St. Stephen, the first martyr. As Jesus warned, no one should be naïve. St. Stephen was the first but not the last to suffer for following Christ's teaching. You and I must never be naïve, either. Some people will impugn our motives, others will smear our reputation…proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. It is all well worth it in the end.

Whatever you're going through, God is in it. So, keep calm and carry on!

In the beginning was word!

John 1:1-14

IN THE beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. 2He was present originally with God. 3All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.

Food for thought!

Today, we are going to do something different, something new; we are going to make a journey into the beginning, our beginning. I want you to go into your beginning. And by beginning I mean your beginning as a person, your beginning as a family, your beginning as a professional, your beginning as a believer. What do you find there?

Well, it is a Word. In the beginning of everything, there is a word. In other words, in the beginning of your relationship with your spouse, there was a "I love you!" At the beginning of most jobs there is a word in the form of interview. Even, at the heart of broken and destroyed families, there are always (bad) words. Words can save us or fail us; words can ruin families. Words can build or destroy lives, families and entire people.

Proverbs 16:24 says “Pleasant words are as an honey comb, sweet to the soul and health to the bones.” This is true. For example when you are downhearted and discouraged and a friend gives you a word of encouragement or you hear good news, you immediately become revived and refreshed. Once the word enters your spirit, you receive a new urge and strength to go on and not to give up. In the same way a hurtful and bitter word released from a person, aimed directly at you or someone you love can break you down, wound your spirit and even cause you to have a bad day.

The same with God.

In Genesis, God “speaks” the universe into existence: “Let there be light…. Let there be a firmament.” Each verse of the entire first chapter of Genesis begins with the notable exclamation, “Let there be….” With a similar potency begins the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the word.”

The Letter to the Hebrews (today’s Second Reading) says, "In many separate revelations and in different ways God spoke of old to our forefathers in and by the prophet. But in the last of these days He has spoken to us in the person of a Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time.

And in the Gospel Reading to today, we read: "In the beginning of everything there was a word; before anything there was a word. God made everything by his word ; without his word nothing came and comes to be."

At the beginning of anything, there is a word or words. Nothing get started except by words. Our words reveal who we truly are. Our words are us. The words we release may result in either life or death to us and our hearers. When we study the life of Jesus, there was no place where or when Jesus made a statement and said “Oh do not worry about what I just said. I was only joking”. No, every word that proceeded out from Jesus’ mouth was for a reason and purpose. When the Holy Spirit first descended on the disciples in the upper room, He first touched the disciples’ tongues; He gave them tongues of fire, and made them speak words (Acts 2).

We too have the power of words. There is a seven-word combination that has affected many people. You can try it too; it has power to erase failure, increase strength, eliminate fear, and overcome self-doubt. That seven-word formula is this: I can do all things through God. Remember, if you tell yourself words like, I am nothing, I am poor, I can’t do this, I am miserable.... The chances are that you will be what you say; if you say to yourself words like these seven words, "I can do all things through God", there is hardly anything you can’t do.

Jesus said:

 If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. (Mt 18:19); If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. (Mt 6:14); If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven (Jn 20:23). All this means that our words works. I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you will have them. (Mk 11:24).

A Saviour for us!

Luke 2:1-14

About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. 2 This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. 4 So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. 5 He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

8 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. 9 Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. 10 The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: 11 A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. 12 This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger." 13 At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: 14 Glory to God in the heavenly heights, Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

Food for thought!

Life is not about Advent only; there's life beyond Advent. Life is not about waiting only; it is also about arriving. Life is not only about giving; it is also about getting . We have been waiting for Christmas, and now Christmas is finally here. As the First Reading puts it,

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light; those who dwelt in the land of intense darkness and the shadow of death, upon them has the Light shined. ...For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

I know that some of us are always living in Advent, in waiting, in expectation, in darkness. Yes, for some poeple life is a constant night that knows no dawn; for some people life is lived under the shaddow of death. It is to such people that the angel makes this announcement tonight: “Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A SAVIOR has just been born in David's town, a SAVIOR who is Messiah and Master.”

Please, note the angel’s words. “I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide.” This everybody includes YOU and ME; it means all people. We are all included in the joy of Christmas.

I want you to notice what the Angel is calling Jesus: Savior! The angel is not calling Jesus a mere example or a teacher, or but a Saint but a Savior! If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent a banker, if our greatest need had been economy, God would have sent an economist, If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent an entertainer. If our greatest need had been military, God would have sent a general. If our greatest need had been for justice, God would have sent a judge. But, our greatest need was forgiveness and redemption, and, therefore, God sent a Savior! Yes, Jesus has come to save you and me.

The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master."

He set salvation of within reach!

Luke 1:67-79

Then Zachariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he came and set his people free. He set the power of salvation in the center of our lives, and in the very house of David his servant, just as he promised long ago through the preaching of his holy prophets: Deliverance from our enemies and every hateful hand; Mercy to our fathers, as he remembers to do what he said he'd do, What he swore to our father Abraham--a clean rescue from the enemy camp, so we can worship him without a care in the world, made holy before him as long as we live. And you, my child, "Prophet of the Highest," will go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways, Present the offer of salvation to his people,

the forgiveness of their sins. Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God's Sunrise will break in upon us, Shining on those in the darkness, those sitting in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of peace.

Food for thought!

  

Filled with Holy Spirit, Zechariah spoke very good news to us, news that help us understand why God came and dwelt among us. It was, as Zechariah put it, to set the power of salvation within the center of our lives, that is, within reach.

This is what the gospel on Christmas day will tell us, "And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us". It means that the GOD came to dwell among us: 1Jo 1:1-2

From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in-- we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen! And now we're telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this: The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.

Since the first Christmas, God is within reach for all of us. Let us also be within reach of God. Let us not run away from him or from those who need our presence. Let us reach out to one another. This could be the best Xmas gift you ever gave.

One thing that is associated with the celebration of Christmas everywhere is giving. Christmas is the feast of giving. Christmas is the one time in the year when everyone is sure to give and receive a present, even if be only a Christmas card. People spent a lot of time and money shopping for the perfect Christmas gift. We put up Christmas trees to surprise family members with our gifts and to be surprised with theirs. Santa Claus is the perfect symbol of Christmas because Santa is the one who gives and gives and never gets tired of giving.

Christmas is a feast of giving even from God's point of view. For at Christmas we celebrate the mystery that "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3:16). God gives, and the people of God give, and that is Christmas. No matter how well or how poorly our lives seem to be going, we can give; there is nobody that is too poor as not to afford to give anything; nobody is too rich the s/he cannot get anything from anyone. We all need to give and get from each other.

It is easy to send flowers, it is easy to send a parcel, but to give the gift of ourselves, to make out the time to be with somebody, that is the gift that many people long for but do not receive at Christmas. We can, in addition to the flowers and parcels, give of ourselves, our presence, our time. We must find the time to visit and be with people. This is the greatest gift because its value cannot be calculated in terms of money. And all of us can afford it.

What is your God given name?

Luke 1:57-66 

The time came for Elizabeth to have her baby. She gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very kind to her. They shared her joy. 59 On the eighth day, they came to have the child circumcised. They were going to name him Zechariah, like his father. 60 But his mother spoke up. "No!" she said. "He must be called John." 61 They said to her, "No one among your relatives has that name." 62 Then they motioned to his father. They wanted to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for something to write on. Then he wrote, "His name is John." Everyone was amazed. 64 Right away Zechariah could speak again. His first words gave praise to God. 65 The neighbors were all filled with fear and wonder. All through Judea's hill country, people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it. And because the Lord was with John, they asked, "What is this child going to be?" The child grew up, and his spirit became strong. He lived in the desert until he appeared openly to Israel.

Food for thought!

"Among those born of women no one is greater than John" (Luke 7:28). These words which our Lord said about John the Baptist explain why we remember him on Christmas Eve. And not only is John the man of interest to us, also John the name is. 

Today's gospel story focuses on the naming ceremony. Why does the gospel show such an interest in the naming of the child? What’s in a name? In the Bible, just as in many cultures, names function just the same way as business names do, that is, they aim to convey what the bearer of the name stands for.

The name John means “God is gracious.” God himself gave John that name and it was revealed to his father Zachary in a vision (Luke 1:13). That this name was given to the child already before his birth shows that God has a purpose and plan not only to this child but to all of us. Yes, God had and still has a purpose for each one of us.

The words of Isaiah apply equally to John, to you and to me, to all of us: “The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother's womb he NAMED me. … he formed me in the womb to be his servant (Isaiah 49:1, 5). In John we see that God already has a purpose for His children before they come into this world, and so the challenge of life is for each one of us to discover this purpose and to be faithful to its demands.

The purpose for which God created you may require that you walk to a different drum beat than other people. For John it required that he live in the desert far from normal human contact and civilisation. God’s purpose for his life dictated every details of how he would dress and eat, since he had to dress in rough animal skin and eat the vegetarian food of locusts and wild honey. He adopted a lifestyle that would enhance his calling in life. He did not go for any unnecessary trappings that would weigh him down or contradict his life.

To discern what God is calling us to be we need to cultivate some sort of desert in our lives where we can listen to God. We need to make Samuel’s words to the Lord, “Speak, your servant is listening” (1 Samuel 3;10) part of our daily prayer.

And, to be faithful to the call of God, we need the courage and discipline to stay on track all the time, all life. John is great today not only because God called him to a special vocation but because he walked faithfully on a special road. In the gospel reading, the neighbours were saying of John, "No one of your relatives has that name." Each one of us has to travel a unique road that God traced for him or her.

The neighbourhood in which John was born did not help him to realise his divine calling. In fact they wanted to prevent John from receiving his God-given name and identity. They wanted to give him his father’s name “Zachary.” They wanted John to be another Zachary. They objected to his being named John because “None of your relatives has this name” (Luke 1:61).

Yes, many times other people don't want us and don't let us live our God given vocation; they force us to embrace and live according to what THEY want. This is especially true of parents, who many times force their children into alien lifestyles, alleging "none of your relatives has this name or job or life." Such parents impose on their children their own past; they want their children to be their extension! Sad. We do well to avoid such toxic assumptions because God’s dream for us far exceeds anything that has been in our family background. Our life’s work is to wake up and make God’s glorious dream for each one of us a reality.

As we get ready to celebrate Christmas, let us ask ourselves: what on earth am I here for? If you do not know your God-given name, the name which represents all that God sent you into the world to be and to accomplish, then it is time to find out by listening in prayer. This is because our greatness as children of God, like the greatness of John, consists in discovering what God has created us to be and living out the demands of that call without compromise.

Through the Holy Spirit!

Matthew 1:18-24

This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to fulfil the words spoken by the Lord through the prophet: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and they will call him Emmanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.

Food for thought

Jesus was born by the action of the Holy Spirit, or as  the gospel reading says, "through the Holy Spirit." The birth of Jesus is the work of the Holy Spirit. This statement is of extreme importance because it spells out the purpose of Jesus' coming; it helps us appreciate what Jesus came to do, and why Jesus came.

Mary was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. This means that the child conceived in Mary was not from some man but was from the Holy Spirit. Let us try to understand the significance of this by going back to the Old Testament (OT).

We know from the OT that it was through his Spirit that God performed his creating work. The Book of Genesis says that God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. And God’s Spirit moved upon the face of the waters, and chaos became a world (Genesis 1:2).

Again the OT says, "When you send forth your spirit, they are created." (Psalm 104:30); "The spirit of God has made me," said Job, "and the breath of the Almighty gives me life" ( Job 33:4). As you can see, the Holy Spirit is the Creator of the World and the Giver of Life. So, if Jesus came through the Holy Spirit, it means that in Jesus there came into the world God’s life-giving and creating power.

Jesus came and comes to bring order to our disordered lives, families, relationships; he came and comes to breathe life into our weaknesses and frustrations. Jesus gives life to the lifeless; he gives hope to the hopeless; he gives meaning to life. It means that we are not really alive until Jesus enters into our lives.

In Jesus the Spirit of God came and comes to us.  As the Bible puts it, "I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live" (Ezekiel 37:14). If Jesus came and comes through and by the Holy Spirit, it means that in Jesus there came to this world of ours the power which can re-create life. Jesus can bring to life again the soul which is dead in sin and revive again the ideals which have died; Jesus can rekindle our lost dreams, our lost ideals. He can renew life when and where people have lost all that life means.

Jesus is the creating power come among us, the re-creating power which can release us from the death to life, from hopelessness to hopefulness, helplessness to helpfulness, from meaningless living to meaningful living. If you claim to be Christian don't ever get despaired; be hopeful knowing that "all things go well for those who trust him." (Romans 8:28) because finally God-is-with-us (Emmanuel) in all our ups and downs, our trials and victories, our failures and successes.

Jesus said, “Be sure of this: I am with you ALWAYS, until the end of time.” (Mt 28:20).

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10).

"The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." (Psalm 46:7).

Give credit or praise where it is due!

Luke 1:39-45
 

Mary set out and went as quickly as she could to a town in the hill country of Judah. She went into Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth. Now as soon as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’

Food for thought!

In today's gospel reading, Elizabeth does something many of us don't do: giving praises or credit to others.  When Mary visited her, Elizabeth "gave a loud cry and said, ‘Of all women you are the most blessed, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Why should I be honoured with a visit from the mother of my Lord? For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt for joy. Yes, blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled.’"

Elizabeth: Of all women, including myself, you are the most! When is the last time you acknowledged someone, a neighbour, a colleague at work, at church as being more than you! More blessed than you? More beautiful than you? More patient than you? More active than you? More loving than you…?

When did you last shout for joy, not because of your accomplishments but because the accomplishments of someone else? In other words, do you ever acknowledge that someone is better than you in something? Can you notice the good in others and state it publicly like Elizabeth did?

There is always something beautiful to be found, right where you are, if you will look for it. Concentrate your thoughts on the good, the beautiful, and the true things of life. This positive, loving attitude of mind can help you perceive the presence of God active in others. This is what Elizabeth did.

“The praises of others may be of use in teaching us not what we are, but what we ought to be.” — Augustus Hare

Google Maps!

Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her, ‘Rejoice, so highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’ She was deeply disturbed by these words and asked herself what this greeting could mean, but the angel said to her, ‘Mary, do not be afraid; you have won God’s favour. Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob for ever and his reign will have no end.’ Mary said to the angel, ‘But how can this come about, since I am a virgin?’ ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you’ the angel answered ‘and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy and will be called Son of God. Know this too: your kinswoman Elizabeth has, in her old age, herself conceived a son, and she whom people called barren is now in her sixth month, for nothing is impossible to God’ ‘I am the handmaid of the Lord,’ said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me.’ And the angel left her.

Food for thought!

Three days ago, we had the account of Jesus from the humanity's point of view (since Abraham to Joseph). Two days ago, we saw the same story but from a smaller perspective of the immediate parents of Jesus (Joseph and Mary). Today, the same story but even from much smaller Mary's point of view. Slowly but steadily, we are zooming in to Jesus.

Today's gospel reading says that "The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. He went in and said to her." Interesting to note how God knows and sees us from heaven.

The angel was sent by God in 1) heaven, 2) to the country of Galilee, 3) to a village called Nazareth, 4) to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, 5) called Mary. It looks like from heaven God used Google Maps to zoom in to Mary. Mary was not met by chance; she was zoomed in by the angel under the direction of God.

God sees us. If you have ever used Google maps you know what I am saying. God knows our continent, our country, our village, our street address, our house, our heart. He knows each one of us personally. "Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you." (Jeremiah 1:15).

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something. Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, the days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day." (Psalm 139,16)

The less you speak, the more you are heard!

Luke 1:5-25

When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old. 8One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

11While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

18Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.” 19Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” 21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

23When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25“How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

Food for thought!

Zachariah, a priest, had married a woman of priestly descent. The gospel says that the two “Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.” Two holy people, righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations, and yet, UNABLE TO HAVE A CHILD OF THEIR OWN.

This fact says a lot. It means that even God fearing people like this couple, can have no child. Yes, sometimes bad things can happen to good people. Only God knows why this happens; only God knows when the right time for us to be blessed. It has nothing to do with sins; it is not that Zachariah and Elizabeth were sinners that they could not get a child. Indeed, the couple was God fearing and faithful in their living.

Despite their situation, the couple served the Lord. Zachariah never stopped going to the Temple.  Sometimes we give up too soon, too easily. Just because we are not getting what we think we should get, or because we are being what we think we should be. One thing stands out: it was in God’s house that God’s message came to Zacharias. The gospel says that while Zecharias was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.

Yes, the message of the Lord comes to those who know how to listen; who know how to wait on the Lord. We do well to learn to listen in quite places; opportunity sometimes knock very softly (Mother Theresa). Our prayers are strong when we are silent; when there is peace of mind, there is inner strength which is unfailing. Someone once said that in all of our Christian life we’re prepared to hear God speak to us, but nothing prepares us for His silence. In other words, many of us are ready to listen to the Word of God but not ready to listen to the Silence of the God.

Remember that the less you speak about your problem to others, the more you are listened to by the Lord. Yes, like Zacharias, when quietness is maintained within us, our problems and challenges vanish like mist before the rising sun. It is in silence that we bring ourselves to a realization of the good for which we have long sought in vain.

Did you know that our mind is most efficient only when it is cool, not hot. In a heated state of mind, emotions take over, which may prove costly; power comes from quietness. God’s silence is an opportunity for us to enter into the silence with Him. It is our invitation to shift our relationship from one that demands words to an intimate relationship where no words are necessary.

A wise old bird sat on an oak tree. The more he saw, the less he spoke; the less he spoke, the more he heard. Lord, make us like that wise old bird; make us like Zacharias. Because he was quiet, he was able to hear the message from God. Remember that the less you speak, the more you are heard!

From normal people for normal people!

Matthew 1;18-24

18 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn't know that.) 19 Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced. 20 While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God's angel spoke in the dream: "Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married. Mary's pregnancy is Spirit- conceived. God's Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. 21 She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus-- 'God saves'-- because he will save his people from their sins." 22 This would bring the prophet's embryonic sermon to full term: 23 Watch for this-- a virgin will get pregnant and bear a son; They will name him Emmanuel (Hebrew for "God is with us"). 24 Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary.

Food for thought!

In the letter to the Galatians, we read, “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman.” (4:4). What Paul is saying here is that there was a right time when God acted; when the right time came...! Well, this right time came in today’s gospel reading, it was JUST AFTER and JUST BEFORE! Just after Joseph and Mary had engaged, and just before they came together as man and woman. That’s when God’s perfect time came to be.

Why did God wait for Mary and Joseph to engage? This is what was bothering Joseph. While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. The answer is more than clear: Jesus could not have fallen from heaven; he had to come through the normal channel, the human family.

God does not want to use extraordinary ways to come to us; he uses the normal ordinary ways. Jesus was born not of angels but of normal people like Joseph and Mary (this is what we saw yesterday). Joseph was a very normal guy just like the rest of us; he struggled with the idea of a pregnant Mary. Today's gospel says that he did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

Mary was also a normal woman like the rest of women. When the angel came to her to break the news, she got “Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.” (Lk 1:29). The angel had to assure her: "Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end! Mary asked the angel, "But how can this happen?” (Lk 1:31-34).

Yes, like we said from yesterday’s gospel reading, Jesus came FROM all kinds of people, and came FOR all kinds of people. Today, we are saying that Jesus came from ordinary and normal people like Joseph and Mary, people who were in LOVE and ROMANCE and set for MARRIAGE. Jesus came from normal people for normal people.

"Joseph, son of David, don't hesitate to get married...! Then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary.”