new church life: jan uary/february 2015
At Christmas we look
back to the events of the
Lord’s life, and consider
its implications in our
own lives. At New Year’s
we look into our own
future to see how to
make the implications
of Christmas change
our lives and make
us different.
Similarly, the wise men, after they had
presented their gifts to the Lord were
“warned of God in a dream that they
should not return to Herod, [and]
they departed into their own country
another way.” (Matthew 2:12)
Sometimes at Christmas we
extend our readings to include other
stories related to the Lord as a very
young child; for example, the story
of His presentation in the Temple at
Jerusalem, and Simeon’s and Anna’s
rejoicing over Him. Less often we hear
the story of Herod’s vicious murder of
the infant boys in Bethlehem and the
flight of Mary, Joseph and the Lord into
Egypt. But after this the story seems to
stop. The only other image we have of
the Lord as a child is when He was 12
years old and went to Jerusalem.
We know very little about the Lord’s life as a child, at least from the
historical point of view. Twice in the Gospel of Luke we are told that He grew;
after His visit to the Temple at eight days old, Luke says:
And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace
of God was upon Him. (2:20)
And 12 years later, returning to Galilee with Mary and Joseph, Luke says:
And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (2:52)
So begins the narrative of the Lord’s life in this world. His birth was, for
Him, a new beginning, a new chapter in His relationship with people. Before
the Lord was born, people could only see Him in shadow, in the images given
in the Old Testament – images that sometimes covered over His true nature.
At times He is shown as wrathful and angry, sorry that He created people.
At other times He is loving, peaceful and forgiving. It is difficult to get a clear
reading on exactly who the Lord was from these conflicting pictures. But when
He came into the world, He put on a new form, a human body just like ours,
from which and through which He could interact with people. He could walk
among us, give us His wisdom and example, and show us His power.
So Christmas, then, is the story of a new phase of life for the Lord, and a
new phase with us when we turn to Him in our own lives. At Christmas we
look back to the events of the Lord’s life, and consider its implications in our
own lives. At New Year’s we look into our own future to see how to make the
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