Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 6th January 2008 by Rev. Kwok Nai Wang. The scripture readings that day were Isaiah 60:1-7 and Matthew 2:1-18.


The entire Western Church which owes its origins to the Latin Church follows the Gregorian calendar. According to it, Christmas is fixed on the 25th of December every year. However, to the Eastern Orthodox or the Byzantine Church, since it follows the Julian Calendar, it celebrates Christmas on the 6th of January.

The Roman Catholic Church and all Protestant Churches that I am familiar with, KUC included, follow the Western tradition. So our 12 days of Christmas fall between December 25 to January 5.

To-day is the second Sunday after Christmas. Since it is January 6, so it also marks the beginning of the season of Epiphany. The Greek word “epiphaneia” literally means “to manifest” or “to show forth”. The tradition was that baby Jesus was born a Jew. Yet Jesus was not only the Jewish Messiah, He is the Saviour of all humankind. So the Jews who had received the good news of Jesus’ birth were charged with the responsibility to show forth this good news to the gentile world. It is precisely because of this the Latin Church in the fourth century simulated Epiphany with the three wise men from the East who came to Bethlehem to worship the holy infant and then to relate this good news to the non-Jewish world.

The Nativity scene we were shown or taught was really a fusion of two very different traditions. Luke’s account (Lk 2:1-20) told us it was only the shepherds – the simple folks in those days – who were told by the angels about the good news of Jesus’ birth and they were the first bunch of people and perhaps the only to come to the manger to praise God. But the account in Matthew (Mt 2:1-12) told only the story about the visit of the wisemen from the East or the Gentile world. They believed baby Jesus was to be the future King. So they took the trouble to come from afar and offered expensive gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Our Sunday School led us to believe the two happened at the same time: the shepherds came first to worship baby Jesus. This is to be followed by the “three kings from the Orient”.

We also were led to believe the birth of Jesus brought joy and peace to this world. It is mainly because most churches decided to read only Mt. 2:1-12, i.e. the visit of the Magi; and not the merciless killings ordered by Herod – the King of Judea in Mt. 2:13-18 which is an integral part of the story regarding the birth of Jesus. A great many parents were wailing and loud lamentation for the loss of their children as a result of Jesus’ birth. Joseph and Mary were forced to bring their baby Jesus to flee Egypt in order to escape Herod’s massacre.

So the birth of Jesus was not really that peaceful and joyful. It uncovered in no uncertain terms the human nature of self-centeredness and greed. People are obsessed with how to become more powerful. The people already in powerful positions invariably would try their best to hold on their power; and even devise ways to increase their power. Along the way, they would not hesitate to get rid of the people who might threaten their positions.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, so says Lord Acton. Three weeks ago we read from the Gospels about how Herod, not King Herod, but one of the King’s nephews who became the Governor of Galilee, put Jesus’ forerunner. John the Baptist into prison and eventually beheaded him. This Herod, the King of Judea, was afraid that when Jesus grew up, Jesus might threaten his kingship. Since the wise men did not come back to tell him where was baby Jesus, “he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.” (Mt 2:16). What a great tragedy!

Human pride and jealousy are the major causes of all-evil. We are all very familiar with the Second Fall story in Genesis – Cain killed his brother Abel because of jealousy and hate.

Jesus Christ came precisely because he wanted to save people from this kind of self-destruction. According to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus was born in a manger because there was no room for the family in the inn. The people who visited baby Jesus were the shepherds, the common folks at the time. Jesus grew up as a carpenter’s son. During his ministry of three years, according to the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus “went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity” (9:35 c.f. 4:23). Eventually, he was put on a cross to die. It must be the most humiliating and painful way to die. Throughout his life, Jesus lived a life of utter humility. Apostle Paul was most impressed by Jesus’ humility. According to Paul, it was Jesus’ humility which changed the human destiny. This was what Paul said, “One man’s offence brought condemnation to all humanity and one man’s good or humble act has brought justification to life to all humanity. Just as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience are many to be made upright.” (Rom 5:18-19).

To-day people, Christians included, tend to put a great deal of icing and trimmings on Christmas. We go to Christmas parties, exchange gifts, sing beautiful Christmas carols… As a result we fail to see the real meaning of Christmas.

When we look around, our world is pretty much the same as the one 2,000 years ago. Wars and armed conflicts, hatred and self-deceit take place in every corner of the world: the incessant wars and terrorist acts in Palestine, Pakistan, Iraq, Afghanistan… tribal wars in many parts of Africa… Senseless killings take place beyond the war zones. They happen in Australia, in Germany, in the campuses in U.S.A., and even in our city.

A former colleague of mine reported about her recent fact finding mission in the Philippines regarding the countless extra-judicial executions of human rights activists, journalists and priests. It was horrid. Not too long ago, I myself was in Mysot, a Thai-Myanmar border town and got some first hand information about the plight of the refugees especially the ill-treatment of many women and children. While more and more people in this world are getting richer and richer, there are even more people who have fallen into the trap of abject poverty. Millions of people like our African brothers are displaced.

This world is in Chaos. The human disorder as described in Genesis 3-11 never ceased. It continues up to this day. As a matter of fact these chaotic situations have become even more complex and intensified. Human beings have gone astray. We have turned against God and are separated from God.

What is the meaning of Christmas in this disorderly world? How is Jesus’ birth affect us?

Every Christmas reminds us and confronts us with utter harsh realities. But at the same time we must not forget that God is still our God. God still cares! He cares enough to come into this world, suffered and died for us so that we have the possibility to reunite with God and be once again in God’s created order as described in Genesis 1 and 2.

Order in the midst of disorder. Perhaps this is the message of Christmas.

About 35 years ago, a friend of mine gave me a Christmas gift. It was a record entitled, “Silent Night and the 8 o’clock CBS evening news”. While the anchor person gave us the headline news, mostly about the U.S. war in Vietnam, the background music was Franz Gruber’s” “Stille Nacht, heilege Nacht” or “Silent Night, Holy Night”. As I listened to it, it gave me a deep impression about what Paul said, “the Peace of God which passes all understanding…” (Phil 4:7) was present.

Yes, in every Christmas we face the same harsh realities. Bethlehem where Jesus was born has no peace. Our world is far from a safe and secure place to live. This is mainly due to the fact that we do not care for each other as God has commanded us to do. Robert Kennedy, a former U.S. Senator (1964-68), better known as President John F. Kennedy’s brother and attorney general once said,

“What we need is not division, is not hatred, is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom and compassion toward one another, and a sense of justice towards those who suffer.”

We have to look beyond the harsh realities we face day in and day out in this world. Only in this shall we find and experience God’s love.

Some 15 years ago, I was on a plane back to Hong Kong from Osaka, Japan. It rained very, very hard. Sitting on that JAL plane, I worried whether the plane could take off at all. However very soon it did. After a while it flew through the rainstorm and the clouds, the plane was in the blue sky.

This is always true with our life. The sad fact is that we often allow many things to block us so that we would not be able to experience God’s love, much less to be in full communion with Him.

But through the message of Christmas we know God has come to us. Emmanuel, God is with us.

Just like the shepherds and the wise men, God has called us to be His messengers, to proclaim the message of hope:

“Arise, Shine; for your light has come
And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold darkness shall cover the earth
And thick darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise upon you
And His glory will be seen upon you.”
(Is 60:1-2, NRSV)

We, the church, are a community of God’s faithful. As such we are God’s servants in the world.

Year in and year out, in every Christmas, God has summoned or even pleaded with us to be peace-makers. The peace we strive for is not only the peace between nations, between races, between people who follow different religions and ideologies; not only the peace with our loved ones and within our hearts; but in particular our peace with God. It is in assuming this awesome task that we may and can see and experience God’s love.

To-day is also the first Sunday in 2008. It is the beginning of a New Year. We do not know what is in store for each and every one of us in the year ahead. It may be a custom for many of us to make a wish on New Year day; to renew our minds and our hearts. But whatever we do let us not build our wish and our hope on shaky grounds. Just remember the golden verse we cited throughout the past Advent season which is taken from the last verse of Isaiah 40:

“Those who trust in the Lord
Shall renew their strength,
They shall mount up with wings like eagles;
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.”

Have a wonder-filled New Year. God’s blessings be richly upon you and your loved ones throughout 2008.