Appearing in New Hampshire, the Mecca of the secession of the southern states in the early United States of America, Nikki Haley, running for president, was incapable of stating unequivocally that slavery was the cause of the civil war. On hearing the question from a voter, Haley turned her back, took two or three steps, and then declared the question an easy question. She then recited what must be the practiced line, as dictated by the secessionist White fringe of American society, that the civil war was fought over how governments were going to operate. (AP report Nikki Haley on Slavery ) Her ability to speak ought to be matched with vetted knowledge of American history (it is less than 300 years!), and with the courage to defy the white supremacy clan, who seem to have infected justices of the supreme Court, preachers of the gospel and lawyers. Let’s pray she will soon turn off the taps of her ignorance.
Month: December 2023
Nativity lectures 2023d
Christ is born: the God who is with us
22) Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23) “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which translated means, God with us.”
Matthew 1:22-23, NASB
At home with us
God being among humans is the most consequential of all divine initiatives. In Eden God’s desire to be with humans is unfulfilled and disturbing because humans shun God’s presence. One of the outstanding pronouncements in the end of the age is “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,” (Revelation of John 21:3b, NASB)
In the birth of the Christ-child God begins his investment in the salvation of humans by entering the stream of human life.
God-with-us changes our view
The prophetic contribution consists of writing things with which he had no guarantee of intimate knowledge.
Mary’s unusual conception is not a prophet’s sign and wonder.
A chaste and pregnant woman is a rebuke to the proud religious people in every age.
The baby brings GOD within reach of humanity, removing the barriers that had defined divine mystery all over the world.
All previous and subsequent revelations of God are contained within the functions of prophet and messenger and guru, priest and shaman, but not this baby. This is fraught with risk. The prophet can choose to presume to interpret or simply say what God tells him or shows him.
18) I will raise up a prophet from among their countrymen like you, and I will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. 19) It shall come about that whoever will not listen to My words which he shall speak in My name, I Myself will require it of him. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19, NASB)
When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deuteronomy 18:22, NASB)
Jewish observations do not help. A man cannot make himself God but God can become man. What better way could there be to realize a human-divine solidarity than
God in human flesh!
Along with the name Jesus (Salvation) the child is to be known as Immanuel. Imma (with), nu (us), el (God) opens the door for humans to experience God in an unprecedented way. He used to be identified by pillar of fire and pillar of cloud, by a voice issuing from the inner room of the sacred tent. The thought of God living in a single human would become one of the reasons for conflict with Jewish authority.
The grown up Christ would be accused of making himself equal with God. This accusation lands him in court, accused of blasphemy. The death penalty hangs over him, but he dies of his own accord and takes it back so he can guarantee God’s presence with anyone who wants it.
Fool the American people, not me
If Israel says she intends to eradicate Hamas, believe her. If she says deradicalizing occupied lands is a priority, believe her. If she says she is pulling out all stops to prevent civilian casualties, believe her. I have stopped believing in all things Jewish. I cannot be a committed Christian and align myself with Israeli and United States policy and practice regarding Palestine. Racism underpins the community that returned from Persia. Christians know that demons inspire marriage bans. Give us a break. How does the Bible relate the beginning of the Davidide clan in the book of Ruth? Marriage to a Moabite. Racism has hollowed out American culture both in the United States and Canada.
War crimes and crimes against humanity
When Israel gives us the body count of civilians first, before the number Israel Defence Force casualties, and the number of Hamas fighters wiped out, we will believe that a heart beats somewhere in Tel Aviv. They will give us the Palestinian civilian body count first to prove that they are the paragons of morality and deserve the world’s unconditional support. The glory has long departed from Jerusalem. Isn’t that obvious? Isn’t it horrifying that the only nation that the world has rallied around to support and empathize with over violence and hatred, has now turned on its hoses of revenge, ethnic cleansing, and the brutality of famine and disease against the people of the West Bank and Gaza? This is not some cute battle against the people of Persia when Esther was queen. My love stands with the bereaved families in Palestine and I will not take a side in a conflict which has no legs to stand on. My prayer is for Jerusalem to open the curtains to the world’s press so we can see the wickedness and utter malice that plays out as patriotism and biblical orthodoxy. Imagine Moses on Mount Sinai, quaking in his boots as he hears Yahweh’s voice and then hearing the people say they don’t want to hear this Yahweh anymore. Imagine him believing the Jewish people in the 13th century BCE.
Nativity lectures 2023c
Christ is born: a Spirit-driven conception
20) But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21) “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 1
The Spirit begets and the woman gives birth
We might well ask what is a conception. Human and animal offspring are born dead or seriously deformed often enough to be noticed. What ever is in her is holy; not to be treated with anything less than golden gloves. It is certainly not yet born. We may have fallen victim to the Greek use of gennao to refer to both the beginning of human life In the womb and the entry of that life into the world; I beget, I give birth. You see the essential gender split in matters of procreation! The thing begotten in her from the Spirit is holy “…τὸ γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ γεννηθὲν ἐκ πνεύματός ἐστιν ἁγίου·” (Matthew 1:20, MorphGNT).
Spiritual salvation begins with saving people from their sins
The conception, the begotten holy one, is called a child, named and destined to be the one who saves his people from their sins. On a practical level, the babe in the womb was once in someone’s loins, to follow the human analogy, but the child may only be regarded as begotten. If Joseph was the genetic father he can be said to have begotten the child at conception. The people of Judea had not seen anything like a permanent solution to sin. They had a dramatization of paying for their sins with animals at the tabernacle with a wholesale dumping of all sin once a year and repeating the process year after year. There was neither heart nor Spirit to help the people out of condemnation.
The Spirit’s intention is apparent
Throughout the pregnancy the unborn is treasured as life or soul, nephesh (נפש) or psuche (ψυχη). The whole narrative is taken over by the Spirit. Joseph receives instructions from one of God’s messengers to (a) marry Mary (b) to name the child SALVATION and ( c) he receives a precise explanation of the name. For the Christ-child, conception is packaged by the Spirit’s sovereignty, his birth barely scratches the surface of his destiny, and saving his people will come thirty-three years later.
Lived, led by the Spirit to die to give life
The Christ child was definitely uniquely begotten, born like any other, lived and advanced like any other, but dying like no other. The promise of light breaking into human darkness comes with this baby and his connection to the Spirit of God.
There may be a dozen myths about the birth of Christ, his mother’s conception, and the meaning of his salvation, but the birth narrative is most magical and yet wholly unrelated to the tinsel, jingle, bells and smells of Christmas. And to think that the other dimension of the Matthew Nativity narrative shakes everything to its core, because the Holy thing entering the world brings God to humanity. He will die and rise from the dead and send the Holy Spirit to be permanently in the believers as Helper.
Christ is born: the scandal
Nativity lectures 2023b
before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. (18b). And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. (19)
Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 2
Juicy scandal
The label single mother was once a terrible fate for a woman, young or old. In our times promiscuity, casual sex, and extramarital affairs are quite common and frowned upon. They definitely were in New Testament times Judea. In an age when no one gets engaged for marriage casually one realizes that there’s a certain amount of publicity to one’s romance.
So what can happen when a woman is found pregnant in a society where women are often the victim of both crime and the justice system?
God impregnates a young girl
Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married when she was found pregnant. The Bible contains no narrative about family discussions on both sides, meaning Joseph’s side of the proposed family alleging infidelity of Mary and her family suspecting that the girl’s the story is unreliable, and that Joseph had bewitched the girl to say that God had made her pregnant. Scandal of scandals!
How does one extricate oneself from such a dilemma is the subject of the following inspired words by Luke.
Joseph her husband
- 19) being a righteous man and
- not wanting to disgrace her,
- planned to send her away secretly.
- (Verse 20) But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:19-20, NASB)
God’s word to Joseph. Something extraordinary is happening, proceed with your marriage
It is apparent that Joseph being extremely reverent about the matter not only puts aside his plan to send Mary away into obscurity, he embarked upon 9 months of celibacy. We may even consider that he did not follow instructions precisely, because taking the woman as his wife would normally mean consummating the marriage.
Here’s a great reason to remember the Christ-child and marvel at the mystery Again this aspect of the Nativity story is transformed graciously from scandal into stepping stone. We see how the Christ child becomes known as Joseph’s son, the Carpenter’s son, along with his brothers and sisters. Some scandal!
Here’s a great reason to remember the Christ-child and marvel at the mystery. He did not stop being God to become the world’s Saviour. This twist of human affairs relates precisely with the Son of God’s demonstrated ability to turn things around. This aspect of the Nativity story is transformed graciously from scandal into stepping stone. We see how the Christ child becomes known as Joseph’s son. the Carpenter’s son along with his brothers and sisters. Some scandal!
Christ is born: the family
Nativity lectures 2023a
Christ is born: the family is the subject of the first lecture based on the following verse:
18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph
Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 1
To follow are three other lectures titled;
Christ is born: the scandal
Christ is born: a Spirit-driven conception
Christ is born: the God who is with us
Christ is born: the family
In the Catholic Church the family with which Messiah is associated has a high profile. The mother, has her name adorning thousands of school buildings, houses of worship, and streets. I, for a long time did not develop any curiosity about who St. Joseph might have been. Duh! Duh, and duh! My slow start does not change the facts. Mary was a holy girl. She didn’t have to do any miracles, and won’t be canonized by the Catholic church for her character to be declared unequivocally. She didn’t have to do any miracles to be called a saint, or holy. Joseph was a just man, loving and forgiving. One does not quickly find a man who discovers his fiancee pregnant and works to protect her honour. While the Christ-child is the Highest’s son (Luke 1:32) and Son of God (Mark 1:1, Luke 1:35, John 11:27), he is also Mary’s child, and Mary’s husband, having no part in the procreative process, is recognized as the boy’s father.
Father and mother, parents
“And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.” (Luke 2:33, NASB)
“Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover.” (Luke 2:41, NASB)
Siblings
“Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?” (Matthew 13:55, NASB)
The wider family, the Davidide clan
The Christ-child belongs to humanity and the Jewish clan most associated with divine promises. Here is the beginning of the clan into which Christ was born.
Ruth’s son, a redeemer, destined for fame
13) So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife, and he went in to her. And the Lord enabled her to conceive, and she gave birth to a son. 14) Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed is the Lord who has not left you without a redeemer today, and may his name become famous in Israel.” (Ruth 4:13-14, NASB)
A “forever” deal
“He is a tower of deliverance to His king, and shows lovingkindness to His anointed, to David and his descendants forever.” (2 Samuel 22:51)
“But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.” (1 Kings 2:45, NASB)
“then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, just as I promised to your father David, saying, ‘You shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’” (1 Kings 9:5, NASB)
We have seen that the Christ, God’s anointed ruler, belongs to a family, but what is the distinguishing feature of the family at the time of birth we shall see shortly.
Holy and dysfunctional
Just like holy and girl we do not expect to find holy and dysfunctional united. Why does God not pick a couple with no discernible problems? What does he have up his sleeve? Perfect people are usually proud and puffed up. Coming down God’s sleeve is the mystery of the ages, an impossible thing happening in the public eye. Consternation was the natural reaction to little unknown David going out to battle the Philistine giant. We too may be horrified that Israel’s ruler – the môshal – comes from little Bethlehem.
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”
Micah 5:2
Christ is born into a family with a husband who was sure that he was not the father of his wife’s unborn child. The potential for dysfunction can hardly be greater. The drama is gripping as potential dysfunction is transformed into a display of grace and cooperation with God.
Even the dysfunctional learn
We do not know how a pregnancy may have been hidden in first century Judea, but we have one clue. This supposed cover-up turns into a learning experience. We learn that Mary conceives when her cousin Elizabeth was three months pregnant.
“And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.” (Luke 1:36, NASB)
39) Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40) and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. (Luke 1:39-40, NASB)
And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home. (Luke 1:56, NASB)
We are certain that Mary learned some essential lessons about being a mother as she watched Elizabeth for the last 3 months of her pregnancy unfold. Such is the family into which Christ was born: not endowed with great riches, huge estates and great fame, but united by God’s unique intervention.
The family into which Christ later baptizes believers is not unlike the family into which he was born. Two features distinguish the Bethlehem family from the divine family: it is not limited by human DNA and no member dies.
Sunshine, rain and music
When are you most happy?
Three things make me truly happy; sunshine, rain and the pursuit of creating music.
I like the sunshine because it powers our life here on the planet, and particularly on this day, the winter solstice, as the sun begins its journey back towards rising in the east where I can see it rise over the horizon, instead of coming up behind buildings later on in the day, I am supremely happy.
I love the rain because it cleans the air and causes food to grow to feed a hungry planet. I like the sound of the rain beating on the roof and I like the smell of the earth when it is touched by rain. I think it is my love of water, especially the ocean and its movement and sounds.
I like the pursuit of creating music because music is latent in almost everything I do: I am gifted to detect rhythm, harmony and melody in so many things around me. Sound is life! There is my happy package.
Desperation in prayer goes off the rails
When you listen to this prayer you will feel yourself saying “yes, yes” or the usual “amen”. You may notice how the prayer goes on to ask for things of the coming night and the next day.
While we surely have concerns about later today, tomorrow and the next year, it is not the way we are taught to pray. There is no need to try to cover all the bases of which we are aware in a prayer, and that is why the Lord taught his disciples to pray about today specifically in his instruction on prayer. Artificial intelligence can generate a meaningful prayer but can also profoundly overshoot by driving for perfection.
Life is Fun, But Not a Joke 