Epiphany - A great revelation

I remember a bloke in the mid-sixties (Colin Chapman) who worked really hard at making English something interesting and appealing to his (North London) pupils reading a poem with the word 'epiphany' in it. This was a word we never heard before and when he asked what we thought - we merely shrugged - and then . . . He made us all jump by turning round and telling it that it was one of those moments when something suddenly becomes clear (not our general experience I would guess).

Today the day the Church celebrates 'The Epiphany' - the revelation of Jesus to the non-believing, scientific, thinking world (as opposed to the smelly Jewish shepherd world) - in the shape of the Magi (AKA 'three kings or wise men') is most certainly 'revelation' but it took its time to come about. The shortest estimate comes in at about three months and the longest, five years, and regardless - it's not sudden is it? What's more interesting is that our tableaux replete with shepherds, angels, MJ&J and the freakings (as one of the children pronounced it during one of the carol services) weren't all there together in the stable - today's visitors arrive late and, considering the Holy Innocents (the slaughter of boys under two years of age) - I would have to assume it was no more than a couple of years after Jesus' birth.

So Christmas is done - and in a nutshell:

Donkey ride on a dusty road to a town South of Jerusalem (no security barriers then)
In a land that was occupied by strangers
In a town that was full - no room at the inn
Giving birth in a stable - laid on the stuff the cattle ate
Visited by shepherds (I ask you, shepherds, smelly outcasts!)
And then?
Time passes
More time passes
And then into town comes the Circus:
Flash geezers with expensive clobber on camels arrive.
Looking for a King - no ordinary King, but the 'King of all kings'
Which doesn't please the bloke who is king at the time
(and he's killed his own kids to keep the job as his)
They've brought Him gifts
Not nappies, baby bottles and stuff
Proper gifts
Gold - that's the stuff of kings
Frankincense - the stuff of priests
Myrrh - the smell of death
In three gifts volumes are spoken: Priest, King and Sacrifice
From Gentiles - people who are distant from God
Not local lads but foreigners (and we know about foreigners don't we ;-)  )
Making clear something that the locals might not have understood
Jesus is the Christ (God's anointed one) for ALL
Jew and gentile
Near and far
All colours and complexions
Suddenly, yet slowly, it all becomes clear.

Morning Prayer - Jan 6

EPIPHANY

Psalm 113
Alleluia.
Give praise, you servants of the Lord, O praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and for evermore.
From the rising of the sun to its setting let the name of the Lord be praised.

The Lord is high above all nations and his glory above the heavens. Who is like the Lord our God,
that has his throne so high, yet humbles himself to behold the things of heaven and earth? He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ashes, To set them with princes, with the princes of his people. He gives the barren woman a place in the house and makes her a joyful mother of children.
Alleluia.

Psalm 132
Lord, remember for David all the hardships he endured; How he swore an oath to the Lord and vowed a vow to the Mighty One of Jacob:
 ‘I will not come within the shelter of my house, nor climb up into my bed;
‘I will not allow my eyes to sleep, nor let my eyelids slumber,
‘Until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.’

Now, we heard of the ark in Ephrathah and found it in the fields of Ja-ar. Let us enter his dwelling place and fall low before his footstool. Arise, O Lord, into your resting place, you and the ark of your strength. Let your priests be clothed with righteousness and your faithful ones sing with joy. For your servant David’s sake, turn not away the face of your anointed. The Lord has sworn an oath to David, a promise from which he will not shrink:
‘Of the fruit of your body shall I set upon your throne.
‘If your children keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon your throne for evermore.’

For the Lord has chosen Zion for himself; he has desired her for his habitation:
‘This shall be my resting place for ever; here will I dwell, for I have longed for her.
‘I will abundantly bless her provision; her poor will I satisfy with bread.
‘I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her faithful ones shall rejoice and sing.
‘There will I make a horn to spring up for David; I will keep a lantern burning for my anointed.
‘As for his enemies, I will clothe them with shame; but on him shall his crown be bright.’

Jeremiah 31.7-14
For thus says the Lord:
Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say,
   ‘Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel.’

See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labour, together; a great company, they shall return here. With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock.’ For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him. They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again. Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow. I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.

John 1.29-34
The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.” I myself did not know him; but I came baptising with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.’ And John testified, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptise with water said to me, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptises with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.’

The Collect
O God,
who by the leading of a star manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Twelfth (and Last) Day of Christmas - Credo

The final part of our song is billed as the 'Twelve Articles of the Apostle's Creed'.

Now I don't know what people out there know about the creed (Credo - to believe) but there are three such beasties and the first, the Apostle's, is the one that begins with the words, 'I believe' and this is an important consideration. Important because this is a personal confession of belief (I, not we) and was part of the act that saw the new believer baptised (how timely in the light of Michael Nazir Ali's words today).

The other two creeds being the Nicene* creed, which is the first 'ecumenical' (meaning everyone who is 'Christian' should be able to say it without any theological concern) and because it is for every Christian it begins with 'We believe'. The other creed, the Athanasian creed, is a great example of how you can make something simple totally unintelligible when you try to explain and clarify every step of the process.

So here we are - twelve articles, let us play:

1. I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Just as our faith begins with God the Father, so too does the creed

2. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
The incarnacy and the Trinity emerges as we state who we believe Jesus to be

3. who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
Enter the Holy Spirit and the 'theotokos' (Godbearer), Mary

4. suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;
Wounded and pierced for our iniquities, died for us

5. he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again;
And having broken the power of sin (death) makes resurrection a reality

6. he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and
Job done - back where He began

7. he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Yep - we believe in the Second Coming

8. I believe in the Holy Spirit,
Not a spook or bloke in sheet - but part of the Trinity - one substance, three natures

9. the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints,
One Church, One body - Catholic meaning 'universal' - that's all of us in communion

10. the forgiveness of sins,
Jesus died to take away our sins - all you need do is look in Jesus' eyes and take your ticket

11. the resurrection of the body, and
When the end comes we'll find that our end wasn't at all - resurrection is to be expected (and awaited)

12. the life everlasting.
And when it comes, we'll be with Him for ever (and those who don't know Him can enjoy eternity apart from Him) - Bargain!

Amen.


And there it is, the basic beliefs of being Christian - in a nutshell: virgin birth, incarnacy, death and resurrection, eternal life, sins forgiven, Trinity, creator and all that stuff in a simple to learn and remember statement.

* Council of Nicae, 325 AD - when the Church came together to deal with heresy and dodgy thinking in general and come up with a way the whole Church could be united and at peace - theologically and practically!

Paper Planes - Jan 4/5

This plane has to last the whole weekend - but what a plane, it a shuttle and better still, it flies well too:

Last Day of Christmas - Christ is made known a day early

I know tomorrow is really Epiphany (that day which celebrates Jesus, the Christ, being made known to the non-believing world - the world of science, learning and unbelieving faith) but where I am (and in many other places too) we will be celebrating it today.

In today's services the two prayers below (the Collect and Post Communion prayers respectively):

O God,
who by the leading of a star manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we, who know you now by faith, may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Lord God,
the bright splendour whom the nations seek:
may we who with the wise men have been drawn by your light
discern the glory of your presence in your Son,
the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And by way of a bonus there is this most wonderful carol to close Christmas with:

The Eleventh Day of Christmas - Christian Big Brother

Yes indeedy - here we are on the penultimate day of Christmas and it's time to see who we are going to evict from the Big Bible House - and it's ........

Judas!

And so what we have today is a roll call of the eleven who remain as the 'Faithful Disciples' who are of course (always good to remember in case there's a Bible Pharisee of the year competition in your church):

1. Simon Peter
2. Andrew
3. James
4. John
5. Philip
6. Thomas
7. Matthew
8. James (Alpheus' Son)
9. Thaddeus
10. Simon
11. Bartholomew

And in case you'e forgotten who was sitting on the substitute's bench - It is, of course, Matthias who replaces Judas in Acts 1.26

Here's a handy little chart:

Morning Prayer - Jan 4

Psalm 89.1-37
My song shall be always of the loving-kindness of the Lord: with my mouth will I proclaim your faithfulness throughout all generations. I will declare that your love is established for ever; you have set your faithfulness as firm as the heavens. For you said: ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn an oath to David my servant: ‘ “Your seed will I establish for ever and build up your throne for all generations.” ’

The heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, and your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones; For who among the clouds can be compared to the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the host of heaven? A God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and terrible above all those round about him. Who is like you, Lord God of hosts? Mighty Lord, your faithfulness is all around you. You rule the raging of the sea; you still its waves when they arise. You crushed Rahab with a deadly wound and scattered your enemies with your mighty arm. Yours are the heavens; the earth also is yours; you established the world and all that fills it. You created the north and the south; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in your name. You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand and high is your right hand. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before your face. Happy are the people who know the shout of triumph: they walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance. In your name they rejoice all the day long and are exalted in your righteousness. For you are the glory of their strength, and in your favour you lift up our heads.
Truly the Lord is our shield; the Holy One of Israel is our king. You spoke once in a vision and said to your faithful people:
‘I have set a youth above the mighty; I have raised a young man over the people.
‘I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him.
‘My hand shall hold him fast and my arm shall strengthen him.
‘No enemy shall deceive him, nor any wicked person afflict him.
‘I will strike down his foes before his face and beat down those that hate him.
‘My truth also and my steadfast love shall be with him, and in my name shall his head be exalted.
‘I will set his dominion upon the sea and his right hand upon the rivers.
‘He shall call to me, “You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation;”
‘And I will make him my firstborn: the most high above the kings of the earth.
‘The love I have pledged to him will I keep for ever, and my covenant will stand fast with him.
‘His seed also will I make to endure for ever and his throne as the days of heaven.
‘But if his children forsake my law and cease to walk in my judgements,
‘If they break my statutes and do not keep my commandments,
‘I will punish their offences with a rod and their sin with scourges.
‘But I will not take from him my steadfast love nor suffer my truth to fail.
‘My covenant will I not break nor alter what has gone out of my lips.
‘Once for all have I sworn by my holiness that I will not prove false to David.
‘His seed shall endure for ever and his throne as the sun before me;
‘It shall stand fast for ever as the moon, the enduring witness in the heavens.’

Ruth 3
Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, ‘My daughter, I need to seek some security for you, so that it may be well with you. Now here is our kinsman Boaz, with whose young women you have been working. See, he is winnowing barley tonight at the threshing-floor. Now wash and anoint yourself, and put on your best clothes and go down to the threshing-floor; but do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. When he lies down, observe the place where he lies; then, go and uncover his feet and lie down; and he will tell you what to do.’ She said to her, ‘All that you tell me I will do.’

So she went down to the threshing-floor and did just as her mother-in-law had instructed her. When Boaz had eaten and drunk, and he was in a contented mood, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came quietly and uncovered his feet, and lay down. At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and there, lying at his feet, was a woman! He said, ‘Who are you?’ And she answered, ‘I am Ruth, your servant; spread your cloak over your servant, for you are next-of-kin.’ He said, ‘May you be blessed by the Lord, my daughter; this last instance of your loyalty is better than the first; you have not gone after young men, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, do not be afraid; I will do for you all that you ask, for all the assembly of my people know that you are a worthy woman. But now, though it is true that I am a near kinsman, there is another kinsman more closely related than I. Remain this night, and in the morning, if he will act as next-of-kin for you, good; let him do so. If he is not willing to act as next-of-kin for you, then, as the Lord lives, I will act as next-of-kin for you. Lie down until the morning.’

So she lay at his feet until morning, but got up before one person could recognize another; for he said, ‘It must not be known that the woman came to the threshing-floor.’ Then he said, ‘Bring the cloak you are wearing and hold it out.’ So she held it, and he measured out six measures of barley, and put it on her back; then he went into the city. She came to her mother-in-law, who said, ‘How did things go with you, my daughter?’ Then she told her all that the man had done for her, saying, ‘He gave me these six measures of barley, for he said, “Do not go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.” ’ She replied, ‘Wait, my daughter, until you learn how the matter turns out, for the man will not rest, but will settle the matter today.’

Colossians 3.12-4.1
As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and never treat them harshly.

Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is your acceptable duty in the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, or they may lose heart. Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only while being watched and in order to please them, but wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord. Whatever your task, put yourselves into it, as done for the Lord and not for your masters, since you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward; you serve the Lord Christ. For the wrongdoer will be paid back for whatever wrong has been done, and there is no partiality.

Masters, treat your slaves justly and fairly, for you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

The Collect
Almighty God,
who wonderfully created us in your own image and yet more wonderfully restored us through your Son Jesus Christ:
grant that, as he came to share in our humanity, so we may share the life of his divinity;
who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Paper planes - Jan3

Today's offering looks a bit (thingy) but it flew exceedingly well