Be Still And Know

Psalm 120:1-2 I love the psalms because they span the full range of human experience. Some are full of praise and worship, but others burst out with anger and disappointment. However you are feeling, there are psalms that will be just right for you, because God meets us where we are. We don’t need to pretend to be something that we are not. We can come to him with our struggles, fears, passions and hopes and know that he will understand us completely. I’ve had the privilege of visiting a number of Benedictine monasteries in this country and in France.  I have been thrilled to live as part of their worshipping communities for a few days of retreat. Every day there are eight times of worship, and you need to know that I didn’t attend them all! Each week all of the 150 psalms are read or sung and that seems to me a wonderful rhythm of life. What has often struck me is the ruthless honesty of the psalmists. They hid nothing when they came into God’s presence. They told him exactly how they were feeling and used l

Luke 2:37-38 In this part of Luke’s Gospel, our eyes are focused on Jesus and his young parents. A new day had dawned, full of hope for the future. But it is important that it was two old people, Simeon and Anna, who recognised the significance of his birth. They had lived so close to God that they were ready for this moment. Age can change people in very different ways. Anna had only been married for seven years before her husband died. She was now an old woman and had been a widow for many decades. She could have become cynical with the passing of time, but her life was clearly focused on God. She spent her days in the Temple worshipping God, and that meant that she was spiritually alert and quick to see what he was doing. In this beautiful moment she came alongside Simeon as he spoke with Mary and Joseph and joined in the celebration. There were, at the time of Jesus’ birth, godly people known as ‘The quiet in the land’ who devoted their lives to prayer, waiting patiently for God to come. Simeon and Anna w

Luke 2:28-31 Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God, saying, “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised. I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.” Simeon was an old man who had spent years waiting for this moment. When he saw the baby Jesus, he recognised that this was the one who had been the focus of his prayers for all that time. The Messiah had finally come. Simeon had clearly lived a good life; Luke described him as being “righteous and devout” which tells us that he had been committed to God and lived in the right way towards the people around him. Now, as his life ebbed away, he found fulfilment in holding Jesus in his arms and praising God. Simeon’s prayer is known by its Latin name as the Nunc Dimittis. It is used by many churches as part of their evening worship and also at funeral services. This makes sense, because here was a man who had come to the end of his days at peace because of the Lord. In Jesus, he knew he was seeing

Luke 2:21 'Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.' Three ceremonies took place after the birth of Jesus, just as they did for every Jewish baby boy. Firstly, he was circumcised. This practice dates right back to the time of Abraham and was a sign of the covenant between God and his people. It was absolutely essential for every Jewish boy to be circumcised. A failure to do so was believed to lead to the extinction of the soul and the denial of a share in the life to come. It was such an important ceremony that it could take place on any day of the week, including the Sabbath. Secondly, the Jews believed that every firstborn male, whether human or cattle, was sacred to God. They belonged to him and so needed to be bought back at a price. This cost five shekels and could not be paid sooner than 31 days after the birth of the child. The third ceremony was the purification of the mother. In Jewish law, a woman who had

Luke 2:21 'Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.' My wife Sue and I have three children and I well recall the long conversations about names which took place before they were born. We talked about names that had been important in the family, biblical names and others that we simply liked. The naming of Jesus was a very different matter. This was the name that Gabriel gave to Mary when she had first been informed of her miraculous pregnancy. Jesus was actually a very popular boy’s name at the time and was a shortened form of Joshua which means “the Lord saves”. Because most people only had one name, they were often also known by the place from which they came or the name of their father. So Jesus was variously known as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus, the son of Joseph. There may have been many children in Nazareth with the name Jesus, but only one who had come to bring salvation. In Jesus the name was completely fulfil

Luke 2:18-19 'All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often.' The birth of Jesus was greeted by people in very different ways. The shepherds were thrilled that they had been given front row seats for this wonderful occasion. It was the last thing that they would ever have believed would happen to them. Having seen the baby, just as the angel had promised, they rushed back to their village with the news. The people were astonished. But Mary’s reaction was very different. She had had nine months to prepare for this remarkable moment but, even so, she had a lot of adjusting to do. Not only was her way of life completely changed (just as it is for any parent after the birth of their child) but she also needed to reflect on the awesome implications of bringing up the Saviour of the world. It’s no wonder that, in Luke’s thoughtful words, “she kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often”. I’m sure she did! People s

Luke 2:10-11 “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Saviour—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!” The news of the birth of Jesus would have been a shock to the shepherds for many reasons. We know these accounts of Jesus’ birth so well that there isn’t any surprise for us, but we need to remember that, although the prophet Isaiah had spoken clearly about the coming of a Messiah, that was more than 700 years ago for the shepherds. And over the past 400 years there hadn’t been a prophet in the land. There was nothing that led them to believe that this would be the moment of the Messiah’s birth. Add to that the fact that they were shepherds. They were not seen as responsible members of the community and were generally excluded from religious life. They were outsiders and would hardly have expected to be the first people to receive news of Jesus’ birth. You needn’t be surprised that the sudden arrival of an angel

Luke 2:6-7 'And while they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.' The birth of Jesus was such an incredibly important moment in the history of the world that the circumstances of it are deeply shocking. This was no way to welcome the Son of God. But all of this serves to remind us of the love of God in sending his son to be part of our broken and disordered world. Many people have questioned why Joseph took Mary on the journey to Bethlehem. He himself was obliged to go there because his family line came from that town, but it is unlikely that it was necessary for him to take Mary along with him. So why did he take his heavily pregnant wife along with him on the arduous 80-mile journey? It is quite likely that he did so because Joseph knew that the people of Nazareth might cause problems for Mary due to the unusual circumstances o

Luke 2:4 'Because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home.' Jesus was born in the little town of Bethlehem. Even today, it’s not a particularly large town. With a population of around 28,000 people, it is the size of a small market town, but Bethlehem was full of significance. It was here that David was anointed by Samuel after the prophet received instruction from God to visit the town and find a king to replace Saul. God led him to the family of Jesse, where the proud father happily presented his sons. One by one they met with Samuel and, impressive as they were, God didn’t consider them suitable. The prophet had to learn that: “people judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). David was the youngest of these sons and was such an unlikely choice that they hadn’t even bothered to invite him in from the fields where he was watching over the sheep and goats. But as soon as he arrived, he was the one whom the Lord ide

Luke 2:1-3 'At that time the Roman emperor, Augustus, decreed that a census should be taken throughout the Roman Empire. (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.) All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.' A friend of mine once commented that he wasn’t bothered whether the story of Jesus’ birth was historically accurate or not. He was happy to accept it as simply a beautiful story. Dr Luke, who wrote this Gospel, would have profoundly disagreed. For Luke, the historical context of Jesus’ birth was of crucial importance and, as a result, he supplies us with more information than any of the other Gospel writers. It was typical of the Romans to conduct censuses. They liked to have a clear account of what was going on throughout their vast empire. And so Joseph and Mary made the long and arduous journey from Nazareth, in the north of the country, to Joseph’s ancestral home of in Bethlehem, not far from Jerusalem, in the south. The meticulous historica

Luke 1:78-79 “Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.” There is something very exciting about the start of a new day. I love those times when I am up early in the morning, long before most people have got up. The streets are empty, and you feel that you have the place to yourself. But you know that the day is just about to begin and, within a short time, children will be going to school and the streets will be filled with vehicles. A new day is underway. In this wonderful song of praise, Zechariah recognises that, with the coming of the Messiah, a new day is just about to begin. And his son John will be preparing the way for his coming. Jesus’ ministry brought light to the world. For hundreds of years, the Jews had been waiting for this moment. There had not only been no prophet in the land, but they had passed through some times of terrible persecuti

Luke 11:76-77 “And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord. You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.” In his song of praise, Zechariah makes an incredible claim. There had been no prophet in the land for 400 years, but he claimed that his young son would fulfil that role. But, more than that, he declared that John would be preparing the way for the long-promised Messiah who would bring salvation to the world. What an amazing moment this was for Zechariah, the elderly priest, who had long believed that he would never be a father! God had very different plans for him. The importance of John the Baptist was not in himself, but in the one to whom he pointed. His role was to prepare the ground for the coming of the Saviour of the world. The context may be different, but that is precisely our role too. God doesn’t call us to draw attention to ourselves, but to prepare the way for others to meet Jesus.

Luke 1:74-75 'We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear, in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.' The whole Bible speaks about salvation, and that comes to a climax in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. So we need to know what salvation is all about, and these verses make it incredibly clear. God’s intention is that we should live our lives to the full. His desire is to rescue us from our enemies so that we can live in partnership with him, free from fear, sin and anything else that might spoil life. Living with fear totally distorts life. If you are fearful of what others will say and think of you, you will be reluctant to take risks and every day will be a trial. If you are fearful of medical, financial or relationship difficulties, it will lay a heavy burden on you. God doesn’t promise to take all our difficulties away, but he does promise to set us free from fear as we place our lives in his hands. Sin always spoils. It doesn’t have the ability to do a

Luke 1:72-73 “He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant— the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.” Zechariah’s beautiful song of worship after the birth of his son, John the Baptist, celebrated the way in which God had led his people in the Old Testament. Fundamental to God’s dealings with his people was his covenant. This was the understanding that underpinned God’s relationship with the people of Israel. The important fact about a covenant is that it is two- way. God made certain promises and expected the people to fulfil their side of the relationship in response. Although he longed for them to live in partnership with him, he never imposed it. Zechariah pointed back to the covenant that God established with Abraham. To show the intense seriousness, God made it with an oath. That might seem strange to us, since we are used to people using oaths in order to appeal to a higher authority. Clearly God is in a completely different position, since he is the h

Luke 1:67-70 Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy: “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. He has sent us a mighty Saviour from the royal line of his servant David, just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.” The birth of John the Baptist was a momentous moment in many ways. John’s mother, Elizabeth, had been astonished to fall pregnant at her advanced age but also had to cope with the shock of a mute husband. When the baby arrived, neighbours and relatives came together to celebrate. The big question was how the child would be named. The crowd of well-wishers expected that he would be called Zechariah, after his father, but Elizabeth had become convinced that his name should be John. Still unable to speak, Zecharian wrote down (to everyone’s surprise): “His name is John.” The great joy for this godly couple was that, in their son John, God’s will would be fulfilled. The promise had been made long ago that a Saviour woul

Luke 1:51-53 'His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.' Mary’s song is nothing less than revolutionary. She recognised that God isn’t in the business of merely rearranging society but turning it upside down. The world, dominated by power and self-interest, isn’t in need of a few tweaks or some fine tuning. It needs to be fundamentally reordered. That was clearly true of Mary’s society, dominated by the highly organised and ruthless Roman Empire, but is no less true today. Within just a few lines, this beautiful song takes us to the heart of Jesus’ ministry. It might have been thought that, since he was a king, Jesus would spend his time with the rich and influential. But right from the start of his ministry, he was surrounded by the poor and marginalised. Jesus’ first visitors were shepherds of all peopl

Luke 1:50 'He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.' Mary’s song gives us, in very few words, an amazing description of God. She sings of the way in which God has blessed her life but then goes on to speak of the way in which he brings his life and salvation to all those who follow him. On two occasions she draws attention to the fact that God is a God of mercy, and we shouldn’t rush past this word. In verse 49 she declares that “the Mighty One is holy”. That is to say, God is totally pure, true and completely separated from anything that is sinful. That’s wonderful – but it presents us with an enormous problem, because we are definitely not any of those things! Hard as we might try, we are a long way from being holy, and that means there is a huge distance between us and God. Only God’s mercy can bridge the gulf. Only his willingness to reach out to us, to be generous and forgiving can enable us to enter into a relationship with him. David knew all about God’s mercy. He was not on

Luke 2:21 'Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.' Three ceremonies took place after the birth of Jesus, just as they did for every Jewish baby boy. Firstly, he was circumcised. This practice dates right back to the time of Abraham and was a sign of the covenant between God and his people. It was absolutely essential for every Jewish boy to be circumcised. A failure to do so was believed to lead to the extinction of the soul and the denial of a share in the life to come. It was such an important ceremony that it could take place on any day of the week, including the Sabbath. Secondly, the Jews believed that every firstborn male, whether human or cattle, was sacred to God. They belonged to him and so needed to be bought back at a price. This cost five shekels and could not be paid sooner than 31 days after the birth of the child. The third ceremony was the purification of the mother. In Jewish law, a woman who had

Luke 1:46-49 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour! For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.” These words of Mary are very similar to the Old Testament prayer of Hannah when she learnt that she was pregnant. It is hardly surprising that Mary used these words. She was a young Jewish girl and in the four-day journey from Nazareth down south to her cousin Elizabeth, she would have had lots of time to reflect. It would have been only natural for her to recall the famous prayer of Hannah. That often happens with scripture. When we face a challenge or a new opportunity, suddenly words from the Bible will come to mind and, ancient as they are, they often express just what we are feeling. There are two things about these verses that strike me. First of all, that Mary was humble. She knew that she was a lowly servant girl. She had only rece

Luke 1:42-45 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honoured, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.” There’s lots of joy in the scriptures surrounding the birth of Jesus. But I love the fact that the first person to leap with joy was John the Baptist while he was still in his mother’s womb! He began his ministry early! John would be the one who paved the way for Jesus 30 years later and this was a beautiful recognition of the significance of his cousin. Joy is consistently a sign of God being at work. When the Holy Spirit is at work in a person’s life, there will always be joy; it is one of the fruits of the Spirit. It naturally and inevitably flows from a life deliberately seeking to live in line with God’s will. Billy Sunday is the wonderful name of an American baseball player