“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord.” (Luke 2:11).

The Christmas story while we have been telling it from generation to generation for over 2000 years, in all its beauty and wonder with the angel chorus, the babe in the manger, the shepherds in the fields, wise men coming from afar…. It never ceases to amaze and capture the hearts not only of the faithful, but those who hear it for the first time the world over. God in Christ Jesus, had come down from heaven to be with us, that is the amazing thing about all of this, not that a baby was born, not that his mother Mary wrapped him in a swaddling cloth, not even that he was laid in a manger for his bed, for babies are born every day and taken care of by their mothers, and the world over many children have far worst places to lay their heads then the animals feeding trough Jesus was laid in. The wonderful news of Christmas is that this baby, born of a human mother,  was God incarnate, “Emmanuel, God with us”. God in the humblest estate of human life and the most ordinary of circumstances made his way into our world, not that we might have a holiday to celebrate as so many in the world are claiming it for themselves, “leave Christ out of Christmas” they say, we just want the Merry making and gift exchange. We can give all the material gifts we want, and host all the festivities, but nothing can do for us what only God could do through the gift of his son, as in the words of a Carol we sing from the old hymnal, “ Jesus came – the heavens adoring- Came with peace from realms on high; Jesus came for our redemption, Lowly came on earth to die: Alleluia! Alleluia! Came in deep humility.”

May you and yours have a most blessed and Holy Christmas,

Rev. Hannah+

The Confident Hope of Mary...

“you will conceive and bear a son, you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High.” (Luke 1: 31)

In this passage from Luke’s gospel we hear the story of Mary, and the angels visitation announcing she would have a child, not just any child, but the Son of the Most High, God’s own son was to be born to her.  Perhaps we can’t imagine the magnitude of what that announcement must have been to Mary.  A young unwed Jewish girl at that time to be found with child would have been trouble enough for her; Not only would it have meant great shame and disgrace for her family, but to claim that she was carrying the Son of God, would have been sure disaster for Mary, with the likely charges of heresy brought against her and probably a sentence of death by stoning. However when we read this passage in Luke’s gospel we don’t hear anything about the fear that Mary must have felt or the predicament she could possibly find herself in, only the pondering question of Mary asking “how can this be?” and then when the angel replies with  “nothing is impossible with God”, Mary’s response is “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Mary’s response while it may astonish us when we think of her being so young and the possible outcomes from what was being asked of her, we know however Mary’s response was not one taken lightly it was one made with a sure confidence and hope in a God she trusted. Mary’s story invites us to be more attentive to the message of Christmas, to listen for the angel voices, and hear what it is God is seeking to do among us not only at Christmas but all through the year.  Mary’s yes, changed the world for ever. In this final week of Advent, leading us  into Christmas, if we were to prepare for Christ’s coming as Mary did, with that same confident hope and trust that God still acts among his people, might we perhaps be a little more attentive to what God might be speaking to us and our response be a more confident 'yes' to making a way for it to happen in our world. Might we perhaps be a bit more attentive to the needs of the world around us, instead of being so involved with the consumerism of the day. And might we perhaps be a bit more effective in our efforts to spread the Christmas message of ‘peace and good will to all’, as the line from the Christmas Carol goes, “Let there be Peace on earth, and let it begin with me.”

Blessings and Peace, 

Rev. Hannah+