Rev Chris Roth

  1 Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Psalm 148; Colossians 3:12-17; Luke 2:41-52 We read in our Gospel lesson that Jesus “increased in wisdom and in years”. He sits in the temple among the teachers and is asking questions and giving answers. Long after the holiday celebrations have ended Jesus is still in the temple listening to the elders and asking questions. I like the way the Temple is described here. It seems like it is open at all hours, day and night. If he was gone for three days, he probably slept I the temple courts, and that doesn’t seem to be unusual. People are constantly teaching and praying, and this young boy was welcomed among them to participate and was well taken care of. … Jesus is participating in learning the ways of his people. There was development in Jesus. He learned. His character developed. Jesus is at about the age when modern Jewish boys have their Bar Mitzvah. It is a time when they are considered to make a transition from boyhood to manhood. Boys were considered...

  Christmas Readings This morning what I would like to do is talk about the creche. This is a decoration many people have in their home at this time of year. Even many people who never set foot in a church will have a crèche. This is a little model of when Jesus was born, which is sometimes called a nativity scene, or a manger scene. In Britain the word crèche can mean a nursery where babies and young children are cared for. We believe that St. Francis of Assisi may have invented the crèche as a Christmas decoration in the year 1223. In an attempt to honour Jesus and the holy family their images were often surrounded with gold and extravagance. Francis wanted to remind the people of the profoundly humble circumstances Jesus was born into. God came to us in poverty. The first thing we usually see when we look at a crèche is the stable. The Bible doesn’t necessarily say that they were in a stable (see Kenneth Bailey’s Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes ). Luke tells us that there w...

  Isaiah 9:2-7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-20 Merry Christmas! One of the classic Christmas movies of all time is “It’s a Wonderful Life”. George Bailey contemplates ending his life as he faces false charges that could result in him going to prison, but an angel is assigned to save him so that he can earn his wings. George wishes he had never been born, and his angel shows him what effect that would have on his town and the people in his life. For example, once he had prevented the pharmacist from accidentally poisoning a child’s prescription, but the alternative reality where George wasn’t born showed that the pharmacist was charged with manslaughter and was imprisoned for poisoning the child. As children, George had also saved his brother when he fell through the ice, which left him with hearing loss in one ear. In the alternative reality, his brother had died because he didn’t exist to save him, which means that his brother was never able to join the Navy as a pilot, whe...

  Micah 5:2-5; Luke 1:46-55; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-55 Our Advent journey has us at the final bend on our path to Bethlehem. So, the lectionary presents us with the words of the prophet Micah, that tell us about a ruler who is to come from the hometown of King David. And like King David, the youngest brother, a shepherd, from a small tribe, he will be a “nobody” from nowhere. Bethlehem is both literal and symbolic. Just as David was a nobody from nowhere, so this baby will be one that was not considered to be a contender for the title of “The Messiah”.  In our Gospel reading, Mary travels 100km (probably on foot) to see her cousin Elizabeth. She probably goes because of the angel’s news that her elderly and childless cousin is now 6 months pregnant. To see her would confirm the angel’s words, but this is also something to celebrate with Elizabeth, who (like many of her ancestors) would have considered childlessness to be a terrible situation. Just as it is women who ar...

  Zephaniah 3:14-20; Isaiah 12:2-6; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18 Today we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. “Gaudete” is Latin for “Rejoice”, which came from a part of the liturgy that was traditionally assigned for today (intriot). … Advent is a pretty penitential season. It can feel a bit like Lent, as we consider making ourselves ready for Christ’s coming, which also means being ready for judgement. It is a time to consider one’s life and values. It is a time of repentance and purification. And the context of this wilderness makes Gaudete Sunday stand out. Our reading from Zephaniah is full of joy. We are told to sing, to rejoice, to shout. Why?  “The Lord has taken away the judgements against you, he has turned away your enemies; The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more.” (Zeph 3:15).  Throughout the reading we are reminded that God is in our midst and that we have no reason to fear. He will stop disasters and turn away enemies. ...

  Malachi 3:1-4; Luke 1:68-79; Philippians 1:3-11; Luke 3:1-6 Last week we spoke about Advent as expectation of the arrival of Christ and how this cannot be rushed, and that it is something we have no control over. What we do have control over is our preparation. So, a major theme of Advent is about preparing the way for the Lord. In this sense, John the Baptist is the iconic figure of Advent. He is sort of representative of the prophets, and also the last of the Old Testament prophets. The words of the prophets are on his lips, but he is also a prophet himself. The word of God is spoken through him. … He was active in the wilderness around the Jordan River. The wilderness Is a very symbolic place for the Hebrew people. The wilderness is where they wandered for 40 years with Moses as a kind of repentance for their unwillingness to trust God and enter the Promised Land. When they finally did enter the Promised Land, they crossed through the Jordan River. This prophet was inviting t...

  Jeremiah 33:14-16;  Psalm 25:1-10;  1 Thessalonians 3:9-13;  Luke 21:25-36 Today we are starting a new year in the church’s calendar. The Church year always begins with Advent. Advent is about expectation. It is about anticipating something that we have no control over. We read in Jeremiah, “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made” (Jeremiah 33:14). We can’t force this. Our impatience won’t make this come any faster. We are waiting for a door to open that we have no key for. Over our history, humanity has tried to make heaven come to earth on our own. … For example, the Late Victorian Era was known for its optimism and activism. Optimism is the pervasive belief that things are getting progressively better. Activism is the disposition towards acting to make change in the world.   For the Late Victorians they believed that Colonialism was about spreading civilization. They believed they were making the world a better...

2 Samuel 23:1-7; Psalm 132:1-12, (13-18);  Revelation 1:4-8; John 18:33-37 Today is “Christ the King” Sunday. Sometimes it is called the “Reign of Christ” Sunday. It marks the very end of the church calendar. It brings us to the ultimate end of history as we know it, which is the eventual recognition of all of creation that Christ is the ruler of all- that his love triumphs over hate and greed. That he is greater than all the false idols that try to tempt us into their worship- like money, power, and lust. Christ provides the ultimate meaning for our life, and is the ultimate power at the foundation of the universe. God has allowed a certain level of ambiguity to continue until the Day that all creation recognizes Christ as King. That ambiguity allows the question to remain in the air. This means that in our own day there are many possible answers to the question of the ultimate power of the universe and meaning of our lives. So, we are surrounded by alternative beliefs regarding...

  Hebrews Today what I thought we could do is to talk about the book of Hebrews. We often look at a smaller portion of a letter or book, but sometimes it is good to step back and look at the overall book. I thought we would do that today since we have had a number of readings from Hebrews over the weeks. Hebrews is a bit mysterious. We aren’t sure who the author is. There are a number of different theories. The author seems to be a “he” as he refers to himself using masculine grammar (11:32). He seems to have been highly educated based on writing style and vocabulary. He also seems to have known Timothy, who knew Paul. He may have known some of those who heard Jesus and the original disciples. So, he would be considered a second-generation Christian. He believed on the basis of hearing the witnesses of Jesus. The title is the “letter to the Hebrews”, but it doesn’t really follow the letter writing forms of the day. Hebrews seems to be a sermon that was probably written t...