Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

Luke 2:34-35

On Sunday, the X Factor winner, Joe McElderry finally got his number one spot with his single The Climb. The week before, there had been a colossal chart battle between McElderry and Rage Against The Machine. Or so it might seem to some. To most people, what emerged was a battle against the X Factor’s domination of the Christmas chart over the last few years. Every year since its inception, the X Factor has claimed the Christmas number one spot, and many felt that it was about time that it was challenged. The X Factor seems to attract strong feelings like that. Millions of people tune in every week, and hang off every word the media says about the contestants and the show. Millions more think it is a cynical money making scheme that does no one any good with the exception of Simon Cowell, who gets richer and richer.

Jesus often attracts strong opinions too. To many billions of people through time, he is the Son of God, the Messiah and the saviour of the world. To millions of others, he has been a positive influence on the world, but not a deity himself. To many millions of other people, Jesus is a bad influence on the world, who draws people away from the joys of living and into a dangerous cultish existence. As Christians, we will have encountered people who actively condemn our faith, question it, and believe that the world would be a better place without Christianity. Simeon, who as we have seen, was extraordinarily perceptive, recognised this. He knew that Jesus would attract opposition, when he stated that Jesus would be “a sign that will be spoken against.” He also understood that whilst Jesus would bring salvation to many, he would also bring about the fall of many as well. He knew that those who accepted Jesus would be saved, whilst those who rejected him would be rejected in turn by God. Through Jesus, the inner thoughts and feelings of all people would be exposed to God.

We will encounter opposition as Christians. People will mock us and belittle us, and some may even persecute us, because people often have strong views about our faith. We must ensure that we hold firm to our faith, however, and do not let those who oppose us weaken our own relationship with God. After all, if Jesus will cause the “rising and falling of many,” we want to ensure that we are in the risers, and not the fallers!

A light for revelation to the Gentiles

“Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”

Luke 2:29-32

A year or so ago, I had to berate one of my Sixth Form students for displaying a rather high level of ignorance of current affairs. I was astounded that someone who was supposed to be very intelligent could have so little awareness of what was happening in the world around him. I was even more astounded, though, when he remarked that he was a public school boy, and was supposed to be ignorant. Unfortunately, during my short career teaching history in independent schools, I have often come across pupils who believe themselves to be better than everyone else, simply because their parents chose to pay for their education.

By the time of Jesus’ coming, there were quite deep divisions in some areas between the Jewish people and the non-Jews, known as the Gentiles. The Jewish people, after all, were God’s chosen people. Unfortunately, a small minority believed that this made them better than other people. It is therefore surprising to find this statement from Simeon when Jesus attended the temple with his parents. Simeon states that God’s salvation is not just for glory to the Jews – the people of Israel – but is also a light for revelation to the Gentiles. Simeon understands the magnificence of God’s salvation plan; anyone can now how forgiveness and be saved, not simply the Jews.

Some Christians around the world have Jewish roots, but many of us do not. We have much to be thankful for, therefore. God, through Jesus brings salvation to anyone who accepts Jesus as their saviour. Forgiveness is not reserved for a special group, but is open to all. This is reason for praise indeed!

The hope of Simeon

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ.

Luke 2:25-26

When I was a child, I used to get very excited about Christmas – or, more specifically, unwrapping my presents on Christmas Day! That said, I don’t think I could ever get as excited as my brother, Nathan. He always got extremely excited, and would hardly sleep a wink on Christmas night. In fact, even though he is now 28, he’s still much the same! Whilst it might have seemed to Nathan that Christmas would never arrive, though, it was always pretty much a certainty; December would come, then the weeks and days would tick by until, finally, it was December 25th.

I wonder if Simeon felt the same way about the arrival of the Christ. He had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would see the birth of the messiah. I am sure that he was very excited at the prospect of seeing for himself the one whom God had promised for hundreds of years. Even though time was rolling on, with the days becoming weeks, the weeks becoming months, and the months becoming years, I am sure that Simeon never lost hope that one day God would fulfil his promise. As a righteous and devout man, he would have trusted God implicitly, and been overjoyed at the promise made to him. He lived his life according to God’s standards, knowing that one day mankind would be saved by God’s messiah.

Simeon was full of hope. Sometimes I think we can lose our hope. We forget that we are promised that one day Jesus will return, and that he will judge the living and the dead. If we were as hopeful as Simeon, if we were as righteous and devout as him, we would ensure that every aspect of our lives glorified God. I wonder if our lives mirror Simeon’s? Maybe we should reflect on Simeon and his hope today.

The shepherds glorify and praise God

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:20

Last year, when I was in America, I visited Niagara Falls. In fact, I actually visited Niagara Falls twice – once on a holiday to New York with my friend Clive, and once on a holiday to Canada with my fiancee Claire! It was one of the most incredible places I have ever visited. When I arrived in the US town of Niagara Falls late one evening, I did wonder what all the fuss was about, as the town itself is not very nice. The next day, however, when we saw the Falls themselves, they took my breath away. The sight of so much water thundering over the edge of the cliff, coupled with the stunning scenery and the fast flowing Niagara River is simply awe inspiring. Everytime I have the opportunity to tell people about Niagara Falls, I have done just that. Indeed, that’s what I’m doing now!

Sometimes, you witness things that simply amaze you. The Niagara Falls amazed me. The sight of the new born Jesus must have been such a sight. I’m sure the shepherds could not wait to tell everyone what they had seen! Luke records that their number one priority, however, is not rushing out to tell everyone about what they had seen, but “glorifying and praising God” for the things that they had seen. They recognised the significance of the miracle that they had seen, and the generosity of God in sending his son. Not only that, but they were amazed because everything was exactly as they had been told by the angels, which must have seemed impossible when they had been told!

We often marvel at things that we see or hear. I’m sure that you can think of something which took your breath away recently. How often do we do as the shepherds did, however, and praise God for the amazing things that he has created for us and done for us? Have we glorified God this Christmas as we celebrated Christ’s birth? Do we give thanks for the ways that God works in our lives? Do we praise God for the wonders of his creation that we encounter every day? I know for me the answer to these questions is often ‘no’.

Maybe we should all aim to be a bit more like the shepherds.

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

Luke 2:16-18

It was my fiancee’s birthday recently. Well, she wasn’t my fiancee at that point! To celebrate, I took her to a posh hotel just outside Belfast for afternoon tea. The food was delicious and the views over the lough and the mountains were incredible. What is most memorable about the trip, though, is that I proposed to my girlfriend, and she accepted! As soon as we had decided to get married, we couldn’t wait to tell all our friends and family. We told her parents first, and then I phoned mine. We also made sure that one of the first people we told was the mutual friend who had introduced us. Then, it was a steady stream of text messages, phone calls, emails and Facebook messages to let our other friends know our good news!

When you have good news like that, you want to share it with other people, and to tell anyone who will listen. In today’s verses, we see the shepherds react in a similar way to the birth of Jesus. They had been told about Jesus’ birth by the angels, and then had hurried off to find the baby for themselves. When they got there, they saw that everything was exactly as they had been told. They were so excited at seeing the baby Jesus, and so amazed at what the angels had told them about this child – that he was the saviour, Christ the Lord – that they couldn’t wait to tell everyone about what they had seen. They were bursting with excitement, and had to share the news. The people who the shepherds told were, themselves, amazed at the news.

So often in our present age we can get dispassionate about our beliefs; we say that we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but we don’t seem to get excited by the fact. We celebrate Jesus’ birth, but don’t really seem to grasp the significance of this world changing event. So, as we celebrate Christmas today, I pray that we would all get excited about the big news of Christ’s birth, and that we would be desperate to tell everyone we meet about Jesus.

A very happy Christmas to you!

Glory to God in the highest

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.”

Luke 2:13-14

Earlier this week, I spent a few days in the Algarve in Portugal. It was a good, restful break, which was much needed after a busy few months at work! It also a bit of a change, because, as a musician, I often find myself extremely busy in the weeks running up to Christmas, with lots of church services to play, sometimes events outside church, and perhaps even the occasional wedding. This year, though, things have been a little quieter and more relaxed! This has given me more time in the run up to Christmas to reflect on the true meaning of the festival, the significance of Christ’s birth, and the reasons for the angels’ song in Luke 2.

In today’s verse, the angels, who have just announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, praise God. They are unable to contain their joy at the birth of the promised messiah, such an important part of God’s plan for the world. They give glory to God for the amazing miracle of Christ’s birth. They also recognise the significance of Jesus’ birth for the people of earth; God’s peace, the peace of salvation for all those who choose to accept God’s authority, has come. Those on whom God’s favour rests – those who believe and trust that Jesus is their saviour – need never worry about death again.

The angels encapsulate the true meaning of Christmas in just a few words. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this year, let us reflect on the peace that we can have in Christ. Let’s pray that, like the angels, our joy at Christ’s birth will pour out of us, and that all whom we encounter will learn more of Christ through our example.

A Saviour has been born to you

“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:11

It’s amazing how many doctors I suddenly know. I was remarking on this to my friend Fiona yesterday after we had been for coffee. Fiona, along with a mutual friend, is in her final year at medical school. Claire, my fiancee is also a doctor. Maybe I’ve just reached that age where all of my peers who have been training for the medical profession are being released into the outside world! One of the things about knowing a lot of doctors is that they often talk about medical stuff, most of which goes over my head. Very occasionally, though, they talk about something that I understand – perhaps because I covered it at school in GCSE Biology. The reality may be, of course, that whilst I think I understand what they’re talking about, I might not really grasp the full depth of what they’re saying, because they know much more about this things than I do!

Amongst the first people to visit the new born Jesus were shepherds. They were tending to their sheep in the fields, when they were visited by angels, who told them, “today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke makes it clear that they were afraid when they saw the angels – I think I would have been too if I was in their position! They also no doubt grasp the importance of the baby who had been born; if his birth was heralded by angels, he must be important! As a result, they packed up their things and headed off to see Jesus.

Whether or not they fully grasped the significance of what the angels said remains to be seen. It might have been like me and medical discussions; they thought they understood what the angels were saying, but may not have grasped the full ramifications of what they were told. This baby is not just any old baby, the angels tell us that he is a Saviour – a Saviour who would eventually die for their sins, as well as yours and mine. The baby is also the Christ, the messiah that had been promised through generations by God. Not only that, but he is in fact the Lord, God himself!

When you see pictures of the baby Jesus over the coming days, reflect on the full miracle that took place when Jesus was born. This was no ordinary baby, but a saviour, the messiah – and God himself.