At
this time of year lots of people attend carol services and concerts. Some carols are played and sung every
year. Much as I love many traditional
Christmas carols, I have other favourites which are less well known. One of these is “God’s Surprise”. We sing it to the tune “Scarlet
Ribbons”. The birth of Jesus is a
surprise for a number of reasons. In
Bible times there was the expectation that God would send the Messiah (that’s a
Hebrew word meaning “anointed” – the Greek equivalent is “Christ”). First century Palestine was occupied by the
Romans, and the Jews were anticipating a leader sent from God who would deliver
them from their enemies. There were various
ideas about the kind of leader this would be, but a king who would lead them
into battle was what many were looking for.
So the birth of a baby to a couple far from home, who found no room at
the inn and who had to take shelter among the animals was not what they were
expecting.
When
that baby grew up he attracted followers, but upset many of the religious
leaders, with all his talk of forgiving enemies and praying for those who hate
us, not to mention healing people on the Sabbath. The Roman rulers were upset too, because they
feared Jesus would lead a revolution.
Jesus came to show a different way to be great, and to save us all, not
from occupying armies but from the consequences of human sinfulness. He came to bring about a revolution all right
– a revolution in people’s hearts, to turn us right around from going our own
way and to turn us back to God. Some
understood his message, but many missed the point – just as many failed to
notice that God had come among human beings that first Christmas in the form of
a tiny baby, wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger. Those who did see and believe were just a
handful of shepherds who saw a vision of angels, and some wise men who followed
a star. I wonder how many people who
celebrate Christmas this year will see the sign of God’s love in the baby in
the manger, and receive him into their hearts and lives, and how many will miss
the point.
To
quote a couple of lines at the end of each verse of that carol, “God surprises
earth with heaven, coming here on Christmas day.” Are you ready to be surprised by God this
Christmas?
With my love and prayers for a blessed and peaceful
Christmas,
Glynis Hetherington
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