24th March 2023 - Unlikely People

One of the great privileges of going to church is to meet elderly saints, the kind who have walked with Jesus for so much of their life that it seems to shine through on their faces. This is how I picture Simeon and Anna, two devout prophets who yearned to see the coming of the Messiah. Anna is described as ‘very old’ at ‘eighty-four’, and she’d enjoyed only seven years of marriage before becoming a widow (vv36–37). She spent her years worshipping ‘night and day, fasting and praying’ (v37). God told Simeon he would see the Messiah in his lifetime (v26). 

Unfortunate residents of Slough are forever blighted by the infamous poem by John Betjeman, which suggests that the town is so awful it should be razed to the ground. Though literary critics say it’s a protest poem against industrialisation, nevertheless, several mayors of Slough have objected to it. 

Do evil people live longer lives? Former president Robert Mugabe, initially celebrated as a progressive anti-colonialist ruler of Zimbabwe, committed genocide against approximately 20,000 Ndebele people. Social scientist Rhoda E. Howard-Hassmann wrote there was ‘clear evidence that Mugabe was guilty of crimes against humanity’,* and Uganda-born John Sentamu criticised his ‘unjust and brutal regime’.** Mugabe lived to the ripe old age of 95. 

Christmas can be a joyful time with church and family, full of happiness. However, it can also be a painful time, full of loneliness and sorrow. If we have endured grief, loss, or trauma during the year, this will be the time we feel it acutely. If we have had painful Christmases in the past, it’s hard to celebrate without those memories casting shadows on the present. 

Despite the Magi having to stop in at Jerusalem and ask for directions to Bethlehem, they didn’t actually need that information. God was the one who ended up leading them. They had seen the star originally when Jesus was born, charted the approximate location, and ended up in Jerusalem. 

A theologian once asked her class for biblical metaphors for waiting. The men spoke first and listed growing plants, harvesting and farming. The theologian nodded but kept asking for more suggestions. Finally, a woman spoke up. ‘Pregnancy,’ she said, and cited Romans 8:22, which describes all of creation in labour pains. The men looked at her in astonishment. That metaphor would never have occurred to them. 

The long wait for a Messiah began at the beginning. When Abraham was promised a descendant who would bless all peoples, the world waited for a son. When Moses, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Micah, Hosea and John the Baptist rebuked God’s people for continuing to sin and abandon God’s instructions, the world waited for a saviour from those sins. 

For the avoidance of controversy, pick your own favourite football team, and imagine them playing in a cup final. The fans are yelling, cheering them on in the stands. Just then, it’s announced that the most skilful football player who ever lived (again – you pick!) is coming to play on your team. 

In many parts of the world, it is illegal for Christians to worship God or share their faith. To protect their lives, Christians must meet together covertly. In 2022, Open Doors USA made a list of what it considered the most dangerous countries for Christians to live in. 

In June 2023, two tragedies occurred at sea. Five people died in Titan, a submersible designed to explore the wreckage of the Titanic. Millions of dollars were spent trying to rescue them. Meanwhile, 650 people, mainly women and children, drowned in an overcrowded boat that sank in Greek waters.