Radio broadcast: 23rd December: Advent 4: Theme: the humiliation of God
Carol: O come, O come Emmanuel
Introduction
Well here we are at the end of
Advent. Christmas just around the
corner. The waiting is nearly
over. O come Emmanuel-it sounds impatient,
like we want God to get on with it and arrive.
It also sounds grand and majestic-like a royal parade, some sort of
grand entry. Emmanuel shall come to
thee O Israel.
But I want to move away from such
noble ideas and talk for a minute about humiliation. Now that's a painful subject.
No one in their right mind wants to experience public humiliation. It's not something we look forward to. We might look forward to a night out on the
town or a visit to a football match.
But surely not humiliation.
The modern tabloids delight in
public humiliation. Naughty vicar
called in sex romp. Famous actress
caught in boozy binge. Former Cabinet
minister in jail or on rape charge.
Sniggers and tut tuts all round.
One famous actress I heard of who was caught in a compromising act said
she felt like killing herself. She felt
so embarrassed, so humiliated.
I can relate to this. The last place in the race at school. The Valentine's Day cards discovered by
everyone and laughed at. The telling
off in front of a crowd. But this kind
of humiliation is tame compared to what happens in war-people paraded, beaten,
killed in public.
Being humiliated is a terrible
thing. But the amazing thing is that in
a world where people do horrendous things to one another, these humiliated ones
are much more like God than those who inflict the painful humiliations. God the all-powerful chooses to turn down
the grand entrance and become a humiliated one, born in a lowly cattle shed.
Carol: Once in Royal David's city
He came down to earth from heaven,
who is God and Lord of all. The
universe is 22 million light years wide.
Listen to the amazing way in which the Jesus who brought it into being is
described in one of Paul’s letters.
Reading: Colossians 1:15-20
So how low did he go? How humiliated did the one who is before all
things and in whom all things hold together become? The next reading is a description of the ultimate humiliation possible.
Reading: Luke 23:33-43
Carol: I cannot tell why he whom angels worship
Talk: Often we are told that God is all powerful, or knowing and
omnipresent. He makes Superman look
pathetic. But God, the Christian God,
has spoken to us in humiliation. He has
chosen the path of vulnerability.
A true story is told of a missionary teaching in Africa. Before Christmas, he had been telling his native students how Christians, as an expression of their joy, gave each other presents on Christ's birthday.
On Christmas morning, one of the natives brought the missionary a
seashell of lustrous beauty. When asked where he had discovered such an
extraordinary shell, the native said he had walked many miles to a certain bay,
the only spot where such shells could be found.
“I think it was wonderful of you to travel so far to get this lovely
gift for me,” the teacher exclaimed.
His eyes brightening, the native replied, “Long walk, part of gift.”
It was a long walk for Jesus from being the Lord of all things, the
cosmic master, to the humiliation of the cross. It was a long walk from the majesty of God's presence to the
humiliation of becoming a helpless baby.
But that is all part of the gift.
I don't know about you, but it isn't the way I would have shown up. I don't like humiliation. I don't want to be vulnerable. I don't like pain. I want to look good. I
want people to admire me. I want to be
popular. How would I have turned
up? Let's be honest. Probably a bit like Superman. I would have sped around the planet two or
three times. Perhaps I would have
lifted up Big Ben with one finger.
Hey! Look at me! I'm God!
I'm big time.
What if God was one of us? A
human being? Vulnerable? Humiliated?
It's so crazy, it must be true.
It’s part of the gift, part of what he thinks we are worth.
Carol - if time: thou didst leave thy throne
Prayers
Let us pray. At this time of great strife, we pray for
your world. For the broken, the
humiliated, the destitute. Our hearts
cry out for those in Afghanistan. May
your kingdom of love come to them.
We pray for our town, our neighbourhood. Move into our lives. Touch the parts which we would rather
avoid. Give our leaders the courage to
embrace difficult decisions of justice.
May your kingdom of love come to them.
And we pray this Christmas for
those who have little or nothing.
Homeless, addicted, abandoned, frightened, lonely. God if we could see you in just one
person. Give us compassion and a spirit
of hospitality. May your kingdom of
love come to them.
Song: And so this is Christmas - John Lennon