Christmas, a season of good will, the time when we celebrate Christ’s birth in Bethlehem and hear again the message of Isaiah announcing that a child would be born who would be called ‘Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’.
Prince of Peace. That has a rather hollow ring about it at the moment with the ever-increasing death toll of troops in Afghanistan and the ongoing threats of terrorism and other conflicts across the globe. If anything, the world seems a far less peaceful place now than it did two thousand years ago, and yet it’s a situation that Jesus and his fellow countrymen would have recognised.
Israel was placed at the crossroads of the ancient world and was regularly fought over by its warring neighbours. At the time of Jesus’ birth his country was occupied by the Romans who regularly experienced acts of terrorism carried out by militant Jewish groups. The names might have changed but the situation is the same.
The world needed him then. It needed to hear his message of love, peace and justice, but it rejected him and his message. He and his message are still needed in today’s world. So, as we celebrate the coming of Jesus into the world this Christmas, let us demonstrate his love, his peace and his justice in our lives and in our worship.
God bless you all,
Nigel Rogers