Monthly Archives: December 2024
Christmas Reflections: Remembering Bethlehem, Seeking Peace
… as Christians we still have a duty to speak up against war crimes, racism, and injustice, even if that means we are accused of antisemitism or of being on the side of terrorists. If we are to celebrate Christmas and sing carols with integrity then we must speak up against all violence in the Holy Land, even if our calls for peace are misinterpreted or misrepresented. Continue reading
The Magnificat and Micah: Love Through Justice
It is interesting that we hear her song on the Sunday of Advent when we celebrate love, because just as it can be hard to see love in all Micah’s condemnations and warnings, it can sometimes be hard to see love in the scattering of the proud, the bringing down of the powerful, and the rich being sent away empty – especially when we are the rich. But as African American theologian Cornel West says, ‘justice is what love looks like in public’. When Micah and Mary prophecy justice, they are speaking of love. Continue reading
The Gift of Peace: God’s Love for All
The reflection for North Balwyn Uniting Church on the Second Sunday of Advent emphasizes the contrasting visions of Zechariah and John the Baptist. While Zechariah holds a nationalistic hope for Israel’s redemption, John’s message calls for a wider, personal vision of repentance and peace. Paul reinforces that true righteousness stems from love, not mere religious identity. As Christians prepare for Christ’s arrival, they are urged to pursue and embody peace in a troubled world. Continue reading
Sermon: Stand up and raise your heads, justice and righteousness will come.
Every year people like me moan and complain that the outside world has started preparing for Christmas too early. The Council puts up decorations, the shops start trying to sell us things, butchers and fishmongers tell us to order now for Christmas feasts, and all this before December had even started. Rather than being quite so Scrooge-like, grumpy people like me should perhaps look at the time and effort the secular world puts into preparing for Christmas, and put the same time and effort into preparing for the Parousia. That is, after all, what today’s Bible readings advise. Continue reading
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