Worship & Prayer
Glory to the Newborn King!
20/12/09
I sought to see the world from a different perspective last Sunday morning, by leading the Shells of Jesus Crew. They are, our Junior Church group aged from 7-11 yrs, and I made a note to myself that I must do this more often. If you were fortunate enough to be here this morning, you will know that we got talking about Herod and his actions after the 3 Wise men had left, which included the killing of the baby boys in Judea under the age of 2, to secure his position in the Kingdom.From this discussion, we soon got talking about children who were vulnerable today, and I found that the group cared passionately about what happens to other children, and that they take in far more from the television, the radio, and the internet than we often give them credit for or indeed feel comfortable in hearing. However much we might try and protect them, by turning the radio down or changing the channel when challenging or painful stories comes on the news, their antenna are twitching.
One of them asked if I thought Madeline McCann was still alive? How would it have been for Baby Peter? And then with a growing confidence, did I know about that Man who kept her underground and married her and had all those children by her. I heard about that said another and then there was that nursery?
It was Josh who made the first connections - with “you know it’s just like in Herod’s day, children get caught up in the actions of adults and they suffer.”
And then feeling that I was sitting in an undergraduate’s class at theological college, they started to make the faith connections.
“God will be crying tears in heaven,” said Esther- who is the heart of God.
“God will be angry,” said Loren – who reflected the justice of God
“God will feel that his Kingdom is threatened,” said Loren with the love of God.
“God will be sitting there with his head in his hands, thinking they still don’t get it. How long will it be till they get it!” said Emily – with the purpose of God.
Aside from what they did say, it was also significant for me, in what they DIDN’T say. Not at any point in the conversation, did they say, as we might have done – How can God allow this suffering?
Rather they stood in solidarity with God and sought to see the world from God’s perspective. So I decided that I would stand in solidarity with them for the week in order to deepen my own faith journey.
The first practical outworking of this was that within 24hrs the Jesus Crew cupboard was cleaned and resourced and bibles that had been promised for 6mths were bought.
On Tuesday night I sought to experience the Disney Show “High School Musical 2,” through the eyes of Loren and Chris gaining something of the exuberance and energy of the musical, and the thrill at meeting the cast at the stage door afterwards.
On Wednesday as I sat to write this address, I took seriously the issue that God chose to become incarnate not as 1 of us – an adult - but as one of them – a child.
God chose to enter creation, taking not only our humanity, but the fragility and dependency of the human condition as
-an unborn baby
-newborn baby
- and as a child impressionable and growing up in a dangerous and unpredictable world.
The choice involved God entrusting himself to the care, concern and kindness of human beings – inviting Mary, compelling Joseph, fascinating shepherds, amazing wise men, confronting Anna and Simeon, and certainly unsettling Herod.
It struck me that the new born King in the manger, did not make disciples, rather, he called forth from people the goodness in and for which, they were created.
The baby reminded those that surrounded him, that they had been called to participate in God’s mission by being mindful and attentive to his need for care.
This need was not extraordinary but one with which they were familiar, having experienced their own infancies and childhoods, as well as times of illness, disability, personal vulnerability and watching those they love journey towards death.
The vulnerability of the Christ child and of every child, reminds us that God assumed this condition. And it is in this form that God entrusted his very self to our care, protection and loving service. In doing so, God was restating the interdependent relationship we have with him and he with us – and the interdependent relationship he wants us to have with each other.
It is more than friendship; it is about becoming vulnerable and dependent on each other. Taking that risk, as God took the risk in entrusting Jesus to our care.
And it is the angels within the Christmas story who remind us of the magnitude of God’s act of incarnation. They declare “Glory to the newborn King.” The king of all heaven, creation, and eternity made human and dependent.
The glory the angels sing of is both that of his holiness and majesty and also the glory of this act – this huge act of sacrifice, courage and kindness – forsaking heaven for earth and for us. Our response is surely to join with the angels and declare GLORY TO THE NEWBORN KING!!!!!!!!!
Julia Monaghan 20.12.09