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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-12-20, Page 31• The Goderich Ministerialp resents... The Faces of Christmas Mary...the mother BY THE REVEREND FATHER A.F. LOEBACH, ST. PETER'S CHURCH "As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2) It seemed all so, long ago. As Mary watched the last of the shepherds head back to their flocks, she reflected on what had'happened. No doubt about it; this little child sleeping peacefully in the manger was real! Who could have dreamed a year ago that something like this was going to happen? But it did! She would never forget that moment that changed her whole life; was it only nine months ago? She had retired to her room and was absorbed in prayer when she became aware of a "presence". Her first re- action was one of fear and alarm. But then the person spoke words of re -assurance. "Mary, do not be afraid. You have won God's favour," She did not have to be told that her visitor was from Heaven. "Hail, full o.f.grace. The Lord is with thee." What did the Angel mean? Could he be ad- dressing her, lowly daughter of poor people? What could he possibly want of her? "Listen! You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his an- cestor David; he will rule over the House of Jacob forever, and his reign will have no end." These words had stunned her. Could she possibly be the one of whom the prophet Isaias spoke centuries before: "Behold, a virgin is with child and will soon give birth to a son whom she Will call Emmanuel." Of course every devout Jew was looking forward to the coming of the long:awaited Messiah. But surely he would be born in the palace of a king! And certainly not in the poor home of a peasant! But that was not all that distrubed her at that time. She was engaged to be married to a wonderful man named Joseph. The Angel seemed to be saying that this was something that was to happen immediately. But then he had set her heart at rest. "The holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will cover you with its shadow. And so the child will be holy, and will be called Son, of God." There seemed to be nothing for her to say but "yes". But how her heart had burned within her as she put herself completely in ,God's hand's. "I am the handmaid of the Lord; let what you have said be done to me." And now, nine months later, this little child, this gift from God, the Saviour of the world! Those were precious days and weeks, especially when her body told her that there was life within her. But there were times of deep distress too, especially when she saw the bewilderment in the eyes of her beloved Joseph as he saw signs , Turn to page 13A • Joseph...the husband BY THE REVEREND FRED DAY • BETHEL PENTECOSTAL ASSEMBLY The man God chose to provide a home for Jesus was a legal descendant of King David named "Joseph". He was espoused or engaged to Mary, who was descended from David by another line. During their engagement period, they did not see each other but this engagement was considered a binding contract which could only broken by divorce, for such was the custo among the Jews of Bible times. There was bout one year between the betrothal and the actual wedding day. _-._It. was_d_uring_-this_time:-Marr.-y -.was- found > with child of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 1:18)., When Joseph heard that .Mary was with Child, his first reaction was to break the betrothal by a divorce. As a "just and righteous man", he could not look on sin with in- difference. Yet he was not a vindictive or unkind man and he decided to give her divorce secretly. Matthew Henry comments: "We may well imagine what a great trouble and disap- pointment it was to him (Joseph) to find one he had such an opinion of and value for, come under the suspicion of such a heinous crime. Is this Mary?...what a struggle does this occasion in his breast between that jealousy which is the rage of man on the one hand, and that affection which he has for Mary on the other! Observe...the extremity which he studied to avoid he was not willing to make her a public example...how different was the spirit which Joseph displayed from that of Judah, who in a similar ' case hastily passed that severe sen- tence, 'Bring her forth and let her be burnt!'...'. How good it is to think on things, as Joseph did here! Were there more deliberation in our censures and judgements there would be more of mercy and moderation in them." So while his mind must have been filled with conflict and his heart with anguish, he took time to think and wait on God. As he did so, God sent an angel with encouragement. He need not fear to go through with the marriage, for her condition was not the result of what Joseph thought it to be but it" was the result of a mighty creative act of the Holy Spirit. By Joseph accepting this -guidance given from God, he revealed himself to be a man o "prayer", a man of "wisdom and un derstanding" (how easy it would be to misunderstand) and a man of "sensitiveness" for he arose and did as God had told him to do. And in taking Mary to be his wife Joseph brought a new significance to men and women tomarry in the will of God, to marry a God - chosen mate, to take into accotun that God has a certain person for,one to marry. Another fact concerning Joseph was that he had the privilege of naming the Holy Child, Jesus, which in Hebrew means "Jehovah is Salvation". I would remind us all this season that salvation is only possible through our being in Christ Jesus our Saviour. Watchman Nee of China illustrates it thus: I remember once I took a small book and put a piece of paper into it, and I said to the simple folk (Chinese), "Now look carefully. I take a piece of ,paper. It has an identity of its own, quite separate from the book. Having no special purpose for it at the moment, I put it into the book. I post it to Shanghai, I do not post the paper, but the paper has been put into the book. Then where is the paper? Can the book go to Shanghai and the paper remain here? Can the paper have a separate destiny from the book? No! Where the book goes the paper goes. If I drop the book in the river, the paper goes too, and if I quickly take it out again, I recover the paper also. Whatever experience the book goes through the paper goes with it, for it is still - there in the book." Thus being in Christ, we have the hope of salvation and outside Christ, there is no hope of salvation. God speaks to us today in His word, the Bible. "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." God gave His only begotten -son, Jesus, that whosoever believes on His word should not perish but have everlasting life. Jesus is our hope in this day of war and trouble on every hand. Why not accept Him today? Obey His voice as He speaks to you. The Wisemen...the gift bearers BY LIEUT. NEIL WATT SALVATION ARMY The Wisemen: "There came wisemen from the east to Jerusalem . they saw the star in the east. they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. they fell down and worshipped him. they presentedunto him gifts. (Matthew 2:2,9.10.11) Each day as we read our newspaper, or watch the news on our television set, we are confronted with situations which we must react to. Canadians in many circumstance's do not react, we accept too readily the abnormal as the norm. There seemed to be no lack of reaction to the birth of Jesus Christ. The insignificant manner of His entrance into the world, should not detract from its significance. John's Gospel (1:14) tells us, "And the Word (Jesus) was made flesh, and dwelt among•us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth." Jesus Christ was unique, for He was God from all eternity and yet joined Himself to sinful humanity. He was the Go.drman who possessed all the attributes of deity (see Philippians 2:6). Only the God man could be an adequate Saviour; for He must be human in order to be Herod...the fearful King • BY THE REVEREND RONALD ASHTON FREE METHODIST CHURCH He was called Herod the Great and in many ways he deserved the title. 14e was the only ruler of Palestine who ever succeeded in keeping the peace and in bringing order out of chaos. He was a great builder; he was indeed the builder of the temple in Jerusalem. He could be generous. In times of difficulty he gave back the taxes to make things easier for the people; and in the famine of 25 B.C., he actually melted down his own personal gold plate to buy corn for the starving people. But Herod had one terrible flaw in his character! He was almost insanely suspicious. He had always been suspicious, and the older he got, the more suspicious he grew. l Then he' became old he was called by many, "a murderous old man." He was so suspicious, so threatened by others, that he murdered for it. He murdered his wife, Marianne, and her mother, exan- dra. He killed three of his own sons. rra When Herod was 70, he knew he was going to die. What did he do? He gave orders that some of the most distinguished citizens of Jerusalem should be arrested and imprisoned. He ordered that the moment he died, they should also die. You can imagine how such a man would feel when news came to him that a child was born who was destined to be King. Herod was deeply troubled and all of Jerusalem was troubled. They knew that Herod would react violently and murderously. They waited for his inevitable reaction. This was the world that Jesus was born into. Herod symbolizes much of the suspicion and fear and hatred that is in our world, No sooner was Jesus born into this, world than we see men grouping themselves into three groups in which men are always to be found in regard to Jesus Christ. Let us look at the three reactions: I. There was the reaction of Herod, the reaction of hatred and hostility. Why? Herod was afraid that this little child was going to interfere with his lifel, his place, his power, his influence; therefore, he.must destroy him. tq, ' There are still those Who would gladly GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1979 --PAGE 7A he Shepherds.... the first evangelists BY THE REVEREND MARVIN L BARZ, BEREA-BY-THE-WATER LUTHERAN CHURCH What an amazing God it is Who reaches out to all humanity! A God who chooses to come to earth in the form of a tiny, helpless baby! A God who opens the door to His Kingdom while His bed is a lowly manger. A God `whochooses to make the Good News 'of "a Saviour, Christ, the Lord," known first, not to the "important" people, the influential people, the leading citizens of the town or the nation, but to lowly shepherds! We might have expected that the first to be informed of the greatest miracle of all time would have been kings and princes, the wise and mighty, the residents of regal palaces and bustling cities. But St. Luke tells us: "And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, .ke,eping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them..." Thus, the first to receive the message were people whom we would have considered least likely to be so honoured. They were poor, humble, uninfluential folk, shepherds from an obscure village, watching sheep on the lonely hills, guarding their flocks from the wolf and the robber. There are various ideas of what these shepherds would have been like. We may be inclined to a romantic idea of them as gentle kindly, loving folk, worthy of the honour given to them. able to suffer and die, and He must be God to make that death effective as a payment for sin. John in his Gospel tells us as well, that when Christ was born it was as a light shining in a dark, world. The dark world could not com- prehend it. (John 1:5) His own received Him not, (John 1:11). This seemingly insignificant birth brought with it various reactions. REACTIONS There was the reaction of hatred and hostility; complete indifference; adoring worship. There may not be the outward hatred and Turn to page 17A • destroy Jesus Christ. They see in him the one who interferes with their lives. They wish to do what they like, and Christ will not let them do what they like; so they would kill him. The Christian is the person who has ceased to do what he likes, and who has dedicated his life to do as Christ likes.' 2. There was the reaction of the chief priests and scribes. Their reaction was. complete in - 'difference. It did not make the slightest dif- ference to them. There are still those who are so interested in their own affairs that Jesus Christ means nothing to them. 3. Then there was the reaction of the wise men, the reaction of adoring worship. They desired to lay at the feet of Jesus Christ, the noblest gifts that God wants from you at this Christmas time. Which category do you fit into? Does Jesus Christ threaten your way of life? Or would you say, "He means nothing to me"? Or would you say at this Christmas season, "I will worship the Christ, I will give him the gift of myself"? You must make the choice. By not making a choice, you are already making a choice. You clioo§e to ignore Christ. God calls you to •respond in worship. But it is at,least possible that such a picture is somewhat unrealistic. the historian Eder - sheim reports that ordinarily shepherds were despised, and even banned from religious observances because of their isolation and manner of life, which made strict observance of religious law unlikely, if not impossible. An even less appealing picture of a shepherd presents itself to one who has lived for a time in the American west, where the word "sheep- herder" is a word of scorn.. Having• shared a hospital room for several days with a modern day sheep -herder, I came • to realize that such men can be rough in- dividuals, often trying to escape something in their past, preferring to live by themselves 'except for an occasional weekend of carousing in some nearby town or city. Whether the shepherds of Bethlehem were ' quite like Clem, my one-time roommate or not, it seems certain that at the time Jesus was born shepherds were of a poor, lowly, even despised class. Thus it is a truly amazing thing that God chose such as the shepherds to be given the Good News of great joy: "Today in the town of'---' David a Saviour has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord." To such lowly shepherds was given the wonder of seeing the heavenly host -and -hearing the angelic choir sing "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favour rests." It is the —wonder of Christmas, of the celebration of the Heavenly Father's great love, that the Saviour was born for such as the lowly shepherds. He came not merely for the mighty, the learned, the rich, the ruling class. For all who will hear , the Good News with trusting wonder; for all who will kneel in joyful adoration as did the shepherds; the Good News comes today. To you is born a Saviour, a Rescuer, Christ the Lord. Perhaps the shepherds were more aware of their need for rescue than were the more "respectable" people. -f' In any case, they received with joy the news that there was rescue for them, rescue from all that would separate them from God. That is still the good news for all who are aware of our human need to be rescued from the disaster that we would face if we had to stand before God and face His holiness with our unholiness. We need the Good News of the angels song, the Good News that because God Turn to page 12A • The Innkeeper...the host BY CLARE McGOWAN LAY VISITOR, NORTH ST. UNITED CHURCH St. Luke 2:7. "And she brought forth her first - horn Son,, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn:" St. Matthew 2:11. "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother Visiting The Holy Land was the greatest thrill of my life. There I saw so many things, just like I read about in the Bible, that helped me to understand and appreciate Bible people and customs. It was an amazing revelation to me to know there are NO. stables in that country, although there were special storage places for. extra grain, olives and figs. We always connect a manger with a stable, don't we? Many of our hymns, Christmas carols and stories refer to Christ's birth in a stable because it was in a manger. This is a natural conclusion for us who live in a country with its many barns and stab4es. In that land there is no need for them, for there is seldom any snow, and the animals pasture on the hillsides and in the valleys all the year around. Sheep are sheltered at night in caves, or in sheep -folds surrounded by high stone walls (the country is very stony) whose only entrance is through a narrow opening just wide enough for one sheep to enter at a time. So, where are the mangers? In a land where grass can be cut, if necessary, each day, there is no need for much storage space. It is put in the manger! The Hebrew -people (except the wealthy) didn't have big houses. Poor folk had only one room. In the back part there was a raised section where the family ate and slept. It was called "the upper room". Along one side of the front part was the manger where the fragrant leaves and soft stems of the fresh cut hay could make a very welcome and comfortable bed, when necessary (as in St. Matthew 2:11). People in Bible times were very hospitable. It was their custom to invite travellers to come in for �a meal, or even to remain over night. (Remem;ber Abraham who entertained angels, not knowing who they were?)' Their beds (like mattresses or thick quilts that could be rolled up during the day) were kept in the upper room. However, there were times when there wasn't room for all the visitors and,family to sleep in the upper room. Then it was common procedure for the family to sleep in the manger! But St. Luke says "there was no room for them in the inn". What sort of place was an inn? The inns usually had rooms around three sides of the courtyard, where sleeping ac- commodation was provided for travellers who could pay for it. The travellers' animals (donkeys and camels) were tethered and fed in the courtyard. However, if a young donkey or baby camel needed special care it was brought into the house for the night. But on this night ALL the rooms in the inn were already occupied before Joseph and Mary arrived. Probably this was the only one in Bethlehem, at that time, too. Can't you imagine the feelings of the inn- keeper when he saw two more people arriving? Was,he upset because all his available rooms were filled and he couldn't receive any more ,people? Or was he a hardened business man whose ambition was just to make more money and get rich? We do not know. In those days when women were not con- sidered important people, but always kept in the background, something about Joseph must have made the inn -keeper realize the man's anxious concern for his young wife so soon to become a mother. Or - did the inn -keeper glimpse the weariness, and possibly pain, in Mary's face? We do not know. Whatever it was, his heart was toffched with interest, yes, with sympathy, I believe, for he did something about it. He offered to share a place with his own family, in his own manger, in his own humble home! I like to believe he did so graciously and gladly. Can't you just see the scurrying around inside the house as they inn -keeper and his family made room for two fnore unexpected guests? Little did they even imagine the blessing soon •to come into the world through a Baby born in their manger',in their house! I am very"sure the inn -keeper was happy as he went to bed that night. You see, it isn't so much what we give that brings us the greatest happiness. It is what we share. Indeed it is what we share gladly! •