Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and he is to be called Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I have not been with a man?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. The holy one will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age; she who was unable to conceive is in her sixth month. No word from God will ever fail.”
“I am God’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Mary sang “My soul glorifies God and my spirit rejoices in
God my Savior, who has been mindful of the humble state of this
servant. From now all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is God’s name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
for the Mighty One has done great things for me - holy is God’s name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones and has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”
Zechariah (Luke 1 – beginning at 76)
You, my child, will be called a prophet of the
Most High; for
you will go on before God to prepare the way for him, to give
his people the knowledge of salvation through the
forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our
God, by which the rising sun will come to us from
heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace.
Luke 2 In those days Caesar Augustus issued
a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius
was governor of Syria.) Everyone went to their own town
to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.
There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into
heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this
thing that has happened, which we have been told about.” So they hurried off
and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had
been told them about this child, and all who heard it
were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.
******************************************************************************
Prophecies. We have two stories – both involving prophecies. In
the first story – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, there is a prophecy
that when two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve come to Narnia, the power
of the White Witch will come to an end, and the world of Narnia will be reborn
as Aslan returns. The word Aslan means King – and the prophecy speaks to the
coming of humanity to restore the balance –
Aslan alone can’t do it. And yet – the coming of Aslan is anticipated as
a great event. There is also a prophecy – from the Deeper Magic, created before
the dawn of time that when one who has not committed any traitorous act
willingly gives up his life for a traitor, time will reverse itself – a kind of
resurrection.
The prophecies in the scripture – for that’s what they are –
are that of Gabriel and Mary, and of Zechariah. Prophecies in the biblical
context were never predictions far into the future. Never. None of the
scriptures we now call prophecies about Jesus were actually about him – they were
about immediate coming events. They became part of the story when a desolate
group of followers were trying to make sense of life after Jesus’ death – and began
going through their previous scriptures to find any shred of anything to help make
sense. The words King and Judge for the Hebrews meant “the one who makes right”
“the one who restores the balance.”
So Gabriel prophesies to Mary – that she will have a baby who
will come to make things right. He will be a king – not a king of great wealth
and power in the sense most people think, but one who restores rightness in the
world through the power of love.
And Mary speaks prophecy – listen again to her words but with a
small change which is nevertheless intended.
“My soul glorifies God and my spirit rejoices in
God my Savior, who has been mindful of the humble state of this
servant. From now all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has
done great things for me - holy is God’s name. His compassion
will extend to those who are in awe of him, from generation to generation. He
will perform mighty deeds with his arm; he will scatter those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He
will bring down rulers from their thrones and will lift
up the humble. He will fill the hungry with good things and will send the rich away
empty.”
In Narnia the world is frozen until the coming of the prophecy – when
two “”Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve” arrive, Aslan will come again; spring
comes, life awakens, love lives again.
Mary’s song is a prophecy about God’s action in the world,
bringing hope to life.
Zechariah also prophesies – “You, my child, will
be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before God to prepare the way for him, to
give his people the knowledge of salvation through the
forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our
God, by which the rising sun will come to us from
heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace.”
Jesus was referred to as God’s son – but did you
know he was also referred to as a child of Adam? He was sometimes called a
‘second Adam’. So a “son of Adam” is born – , who will set the world right –
who will bring a message of peace, hope, joy and love.
And in both these worlds, where is peace, hope and
love found? Around tables, sharing food.
Isaiah says “On this
mountain God will prepare a feast of rich food
for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine - the best of meats and the finest of
wines. On this mountain the shroud that enfolds all peoples
will be destroyed, and the sheet that covers all nations; God will swallow up
death forever. The Sovereign will wipe away the tears from all faces.”
Isaiah
was speaking to his people, about the coming of a judge who would right the
wrongs – for the people had suffered a long time, and were beginning to wonder
if their lives would ever change for the better.
The
Narnians too have suffered long – the White Witch with her magic cast their
world into perpetual winter. Father Christmas had not been seen for many years,
nor had Christmas been celebrated. Nor any great feasting together.
Nevertheless, the children sit down at table with the beavers to a feast of
good healthy food which nourishes and strengthens them. With the coming of the
‘Sons of Adam’ and ‘Daughters of Eve’ – children of Creation, Father Christmas
appears and provides a great feast for a family of woodland creatures. Complete
with a huge plum pudding, and wine.
These
two meals are remembrance and celebrations of times past, living fully in the
present, and looking forward to a new life to come.
As
we celebrate communion on Christmas Eve, we are reliving a feast which Jesus and
all the Children of Israel celebrated
together – a remembering of times of
great sorrow and trial, and a celebration of what was to come. Jesus made it
into something even more personal – remembering the life he lived and the
truths he taught - and looking forward
to new life to come.
Aslan
– meaning King. The King to come – who wipes away the tears from every eye, who
rights the wrongs, and brings Life back to Creation. Aslan’s power grows as he
returns to the land he created. But Aslan does not, and indeed cannot do it
alone. The return of balance in Creation is because of the commitment of the
humans, and the creatures. None of them could make it happen alone – it had to
be a joint cooperative effort.
Likewise,
the birth of Jesus came not just because of the power of the Spirit, but
because of the commitment of Elizabeth and Zechariah, Joseph and Mary, an
innkeeper, and some ordinary shepherds. They too were waiting, and when the time
came they became part of the story, even if they weren’t quite sure what they
were doing or what was coming.
The
whole of these stories – both Narnia and the Christmas story, are moored – held
together- by hope, and by love. For both the Narnia stories and the Christmas
story are tales about love – love of others, love of friends, love of family – unconditional
love, with no strings attached. That’s what we celebrate at table!
A
colleague of mine, Pamela Hodges, wrote this Christmas poem – and I share with
her permission.
“Love Everywhere -
We are in love.
Not thinking about it,
Not getting around to it,
Not looking back on it.
We are centered in it,
It's centered around us.
Love surrounds us,
We are the heart of love,
Love is the heart of us.
The light of love grows
Through us, from the inside out.
Wherever we go, healing love follows,
If we forget love, love catches up.
Our hearts are always on time,
Our minds are sometimes behind,
But be still, and know.
Love is breath deepening our song, and
Love supplies Christmas peace,
And Christmas peace supplies love.
We follow a star that sparkles with possibility Because
We intrinsically know about that timeless, Beaming light, calling
Our glowing hearts to also beam.
We are following love, because we are love.
Love finds love in a manger,
Anywhere,
Everywhere,
Love anticipates the arrival home.
Not thinking about it,
Not getting around to it,
Not looking back on it.
We are centered in it,
It's centered around us.
Love surrounds us,
We are the heart of love,
Love is the heart of us.
The light of love grows
Through us, from the inside out.
Wherever we go, healing love follows,
If we forget love, love catches up.
Our hearts are always on time,
Our minds are sometimes behind,
But be still, and know.
Love is breath deepening our song, and
Love supplies Christmas peace,
And Christmas peace supplies love.
We follow a star that sparkles with possibility Because
We intrinsically know about that timeless, Beaming light, calling
Our glowing hearts to also beam.
We are following love, because we are love.
Love finds love in a manger,
Anywhere,
Everywhere,
Love anticipates the arrival home.
- P.Hodges 2018
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