The Collect for the Sunday after Christmas Day
Almighty God, Who has given us Your Only Begotten Son to take our nature upon Him and as at this time to be born of a pure Virgin; Grant the we being regenerate, and made Your Children by adoption and Grace, may daily be renewed by Your Holy Spirit; through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit ever one God, for evermore. Amen.
The Epistle, Galatians 4:1-7
4 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world.
4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. 6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
The Holy Gospel of St Matthew 1:18-25
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about:
His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Bishop Ian’s Thoughts
Today’s Epistle Reading is taken from St Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians Chapter 4, Verses 1-7.
In this portion of his Epistle, St Paul continues his teaching to counter those members of the Galatian Church who were urging new believers that to become a full Christian, a convert must accept the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus, and also keep the Law of Moses, including circumcision.
St Paul opens this passage by using an analogy which contrasted the relationship between Jews, who kept the Law of Moses, and the sons and daughters of the Lord Jesus.
According to St Paul the adherents of the Jewish faith are like immature heirs, while Christians have reached the age of understanding and responsibility.
St Paul emphasizes the practical difference between a slave and an heir to an estate:
“4 What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate.
2 The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father.”
If the heir is underage then he is little different to a slave, in that he is not free to deal with the land and goods of his inheritance as he wishes. The heir is subject to limitations imposed on him by his father, and is supervised by guardians and trustees, who are to enforce those rules and standards until the heir reaches the age of understanding and responsibility, at which time he can competently manage his inheritance.
It is most important to note in Verse 2 that the phrase “until the time set by his father” is used by St Paul to indicate that the heir does not necessarily have to wait for the death of his father to inherit part, or all, of the estate. The father may have put in place legal, and transitional arrangements, so as to allow the heir to progressively take control of his estate.
St Paul then tells the Galatians that when they were not fully grounded, and hence “underage” (not well versed and mature in the Christian Faith) they were under the control of the Law of Moses in the case of Jewish Converts to Christianity, and under the elemental, and pagan spiritual forces of the world, in the case of Gentile Converts to Christianity.
The elemental spirits forces of the world refer to the basic driving forces that ruled in the Pagan world. These forces were superstition, fear, greed, lust, force of arms, together with the natural forces of sun, wind fire and flood, any of which could decimate an earthly kingdom.
St Paul then declares God’s Salvation from these controlling influences:
“3 So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world.”
“4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.”
The Lord Jesus was born under the same obligation to God’s Law as any other human being.
The miraculous difference was that the Lord Jesus was born without original sin, inherited from the first man, Adam.
The Lord Jesus was not the son of Adam, but the only Begotten Son of God.
Being God in flesh, the Lord Jesus committed no actual sin during his earthly life.
The Lord Jesus kept every Law of God throughout all His Life. He did what no other man was capable of doing.
On the Cross of Calvary the Lord Jesus shed His Precious Blood, dying in our place, thus paying the price, demanded by our Holy God, for our sins.
The Lord Jesus’ Perfect Righteousness is given to us by Grace. Through Faith in His Perfect Work, and such Faith being engendered by the Mighty Holy Spirit, we are clothed in The Lord Jesus’ Perfect Righteousness for all Eternity.
This is the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Through the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus, all Christian believers have become the adopted Sons and Daughters of God, and as such, are heirs to God’s Eternal Kingdom.
St Paul confirms our adoption:
“6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”
The term “Abba” is an intimate term of endearment, between a child and a father, and literally translates to our modern term “Dad.”
This style of intimate greeting was familiar to St Paul and all the Apostles as it was the term that the Lord Jesus used to speak to His Heavenly Father in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night of His arrest, as recorded in the Holy Gospel of St Mark Chapter14, Verses 35-36:
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
May we always give God thanks for His Grace, and that we have the confidence to come before our Heavenly Father, through Faith in the Holy Gospel of the Lord Jesus, as His adopted Sons and Daughters. May we always express to our Heavenly Father our inmost thoughts, doubts, and problems, and may we always ask for His Divine Help and Guidance, through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen.
Today’s Holy Gospel Reading is taken from the Holy Gospel of St Matthew Chapter 1, Verses 18-25.
In this portion of his Holy Gospel St Matthew describes the circumstances surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is no surprise that St Matthew immediately declares that the Lord Jesus is the great Messiah:
“18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about:”
The Holy Gospel of St Matthew is aimed at a Jewish readers, or readers who are thoroughly familiar with Jewish customs and worship. Unlike the Holy Gospel of St John wherein St John explains some cultural aspect of the narrative such as in Chapter 7 Verse 2:
“2 But when the Jewish Festival of Tabernacles was near…”
In the above example St John pauses his narrative to inform the reader that the festival of Tabernacles was a Jewish Festival. St Matthew would have omitted the description “Jewish” as his intended readers would have been well familiar with the festival.
St Matthew then gives us a rare glimpse into the character of Joseph, the man that God chose to care and watch over His Holy Son during the early years of the Lord Jesus’ Earthly Life:
"His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit."
Mary was betrothed (pledged) to Joseph. Under Jewish Law a betrothal was viewed as marriage and could only be dissolved by divorce.
When Mary was found to be pregnant, but before God appeared to Joseph in a dream, Joseph would have believed that Mary had been unfaithful, and as a devout Jew who kept the Law of Moses he was obliged to divorce her.
According to the Law of Moses there were two ways a divorce could be granted, firstly, a very public and shameful court proceeding, or secondly, a quiet proceeding whereby a writ of divorce could be handed to the woman in the presence of two witnesses.
St Matthew records the courage and graciousness of St Joseph:
“19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”
God quickly intervened. As St Joseph had considered a quiet divorce, God’s Holy Angel appeared to him, in a dream, and put his mind at rest:
“20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
What St Joseph initially believed to be a sad event, that no doubt made him sorrowful and unhappy, was quickly reversed and St Joseph was filled with great joy and greatly honoured to learn that his fiancée was to be the mother of the Messiah.
St Matthew tells us that the birth of the Lord Jesus fulfilled the promise given to the Great Old Testament Prophet Isaiah:
“22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).”
The actual words of the Prophet Isaiah's prediction is found in the Book of The Prophet Isaiah Chapter 7, Verse 14:
“14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”
St Joseph was faithful and obedient to the command of God and confirmed his betrothal to Mary by taking her into his household as his wife:
“24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”
We are also told that, St Joseph did not have any physical relationship with Mary until after the Lord Jesus was born:
“25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”
The Roman Catholic Church does not accept that Mary had normal relations with her husband and bore other children.
The teaching that Mary was an eternal virgin is adopted to re-enforce their doctrinal position that the Virgin Mary occupies a unique position of intercession, between mankind and the Lord Jesus (she is regarded as The Mediatrix of all graces), within the the Roman Catholic Church.
This intercessory role of the Virgin Mary is supported by other Roman Catholic teaching, claiming that, like the Lord Jesus, the Virgin Mary was born without sin (the Immaculate Conception) and that she never died, as a normal human being dies, but was taken up to Heaven (the Assumption of Mary).
The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the Virgin Mary is the “Queen of Heaven” and is the Mediatrix between mankind and the Lord Jesus Christ, and that His Grace flows to mankind, through her intercession.
I do not believe this teaching, and absolutely refute the validity of any such teaching. To me it is a demonic distortion of the the Holy Gospel, and it is intended to lead people astray from the Truth found in the Lord Jesus.
St Mark records in his Holy Gospel Chapter 6, Verses1-3:
6 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. 2 When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
“Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? 3 Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.”
Also St Matthew records the same circumstance in his Holy Gospel Chapter 13, Verses 53-56:
“53 When Jesus had finished these parables, he moved on from there. 54 Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. 55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
These passages of Holy Scripture are very clear and inform us that the Lord Jesus had a number of siblings. They were, of course the children of Joseph and Mary, and as such, were the Lord Jesus’ half brothers and sisters.
Initially the Lord Jesus’ brothers did not accept him as the Messiah and the Son of God, but later on they all came to believe in Him, and all worked hard to proclaim the Holy Gospel.
The Lord Jesus’ brother, James, became the leader of the Christian Church at Jerusalem and contributed much to the early Church and the proclamation of the Holy Gospel.
May God give us thankful hearts for the gift of the Lord Jesus and those ordinary people who answered God's call, and dedicated their lives to the care and protection of the Holy Son of God so that He could grow to manhood and ultimately become the Holy Saviour of all God’s Chosen People. Amen.
Bishop Ian