Wednesday 14 January 2026
 

Tuesday 13 January 2026
 

Monday 12 January 2026
 

 
Today’s service is led by the Revd Dr John McNeil Scott

 
Introduction

Good morning, good afternoon and Happy New Year! My name is John McNeil Scott and I serve the United Reformed Church in my work as Principal of the Scottish College.  Our college is based in Glasgow and seeks to help the church through the learning we provide and promote.  Together we form ministers, worship leaders, elder and members for service to God in the church and beyond. Thank you for this opportunity of sharing worship with you.

Call to Worship

Here, in the depths of winter, just eleven days into a new year, we gather seeking light. Here, in these dark January days, when Christmas joy seems already distant, we remember a moment by the river.  The heavens opened. The Spirit descended. A voice spoke: “This is my beloved.”  We gather to worship the God who breaks through, who speaks into darkness, who begins something new. Let us worship God together.

Hymn     Great is Thy Faithfulness 
Thomas O Chisholm (1866-1960) © 1923, renewal 1951 Hope Publishing  One Licence No. # A-734713
 
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
there is no shadow of turning with thee;
thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not,
as thou hast been thou for ever wilt be.

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided –
great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Summer and winter, and spring-time and harvest,
sun, moon and stars in their courses above,
join with all nature in manifold witness
to thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided –
great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
all I have needed thy hand hath provided –
great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!
 
Prayers of Approach and Confession

God of new beginnings,
we come to you in these still early days of a new year,
seeking direction, hoping for renewal, resolved to new beginnings.
The lights have come down, the celebrations have ended,
and we find ourselves in winter’s darkness,
wondering what this year will bring.

We remember Jesus at the Jordan: the water cold, the sky opening,
your Spirit descending like a gentle dove,
your voice declaring love and purpose.

We remember that Jesus’ ministry began –
not with fanfare and angels, but with water and waiting,
with obedience and courage, with the beginning of a journey.

God of the journey, we confess that we often prefer certainty to seeking,
answers to questions, arrival to pilgrimage faithfulness.

We confess that we have not always been gentle.
We have not always been patient,
We have not always been persevering when we should be,
and have not always ceased when it was the right thing.
We have not stood with other lives 
when they wavered in the wind of struggle.
Our pocketed hands resting, 
not lending our strength to those barely holding on.

We confess that we have wanted to know ends from beginnings,
to have everything settled, when you call us to walk by faith,
to say with Jesus, “Let it be so for now,” and to trust the unfolding path.

Forgive us, God of Jordan water.
Meet us in this season of darkness and cold.
Speak your word of love over our lives.
Help us to begin again.

Through Christ, who shows us the way.
Amen.

Declaration of Forgiveness

Hear the good news: God says, “I have called you; I have taken you by the hand.” In these dark days, God’s light shines. In this new year, God makes all things new. In Christ, we are forgiven and freed to begin again. Thanks be to God! Amen.

Hymn     Breathe on Me, Breath of God 
Edwin Hatch (1835-89) Puiblic Domain Sung at St Lawrence Church, Chorley, and used with their kind permission.

Breathe on me, Breath of God
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure;
until with thee I will one will,
to do and to endure.

Breathe on me, Breath of God,
till I am wholly thine;
until this earthly part of me
glows with thy fire divine.

Breathe on me, Breath of God:
so shall I never die,
but live with thee the perfect life
of thine eternity.
 
Prayer for Illumination

Living God,
as your Spirit descended at the Jordan,
descend upon us now.

Open our ears to hear your word,
open our hearts to receive your truth,
open our lives to the journey ahead.

Speak to us through these ancient words,
and help us to recognise your voice today.
Through Christ, our guide and companion.
Amen.

Reading     Isaiah 42:1-9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth, and the coastlands wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

Hymn     Be thou my Vision
Rob tu mo bhoile, a Comdi cride, Anonymous Irish translated by Eleanor H Hull (1860-1935) Public Domain, BBC Songs of Praise

Be thou my vision, O god of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom and thou my true word,
Be thou ever with me and I with thee, Lord;
Be thou my great Father and I thy true child
Be thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one.

Be thou my breastplate, my sword for the fight
Be thou my whole armour, be thou my true might,
Be  Thou my soul’s shelter, be thou my strong tower,
O raise thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.
 
High King of heaven, thou heaven’s bright Sun,
O grant me it’s joys after victory is won;
Great Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be thou my vision, O Ruler of all.
 
Reading     St Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so for now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Sermon

Let It Be So For Now

We’re eleven days into a new year. The Christmas decorations are packed away. The festive glow has faded, and we find ourselves in the heart of winter—cold mornings, dark evenings, the long stretch of January ahead. Some of us made resolutions. Some of us wondered what this year might bring. Most of us probably feel we’re still finding our footing.

And here we are, at the Jordan River with Jesus, just at the beginning of his ministry. This is his first public act. And it’s an interesting one, isn’t it? He doesn’t start by preaching a sermon or performing a miracle. He starts by wading into cold river water to be baptized.

John is understandably confused. “I need to be baptized by you,” he says, and “do you come to me?” It’s a reasonable question. Why would Jesus need baptism? Traditional theology has wrestled with this—if John’s baptism is about repentance and forgiveness, and Jesus is without sin, what’s happening here?

All of this makes this a strange gospel episode. On the one hand, the gospel writer thought it important enough to begin the story of Jesus’ ministry right here. And thought to record John’s puzzlement. But the gospel writer fails to give an authoritative reading of the significance of the events so carefully described, the “why”.

And the church has puzzled ever since, and still does. However, there are two answers given. One comes in the sign that broke into Jesus’ awareness, added by Matthew. That Jesus saw or sensed God’s Spirit as “something like a dove”. And a voice was heard: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased, “ which inaugurates Jesus’ ministry. But still doesn’t answer the “why”.

And for the second answer… for the second answer Jesus simply says: “Let it be so for now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.”

What a phrase for the beginning of a new year! Let it be so for now. There’s something wonderfully undogmatic about it, something refreshingly humble in its withholding. Because Jesus isn’t offering an elaborated theology of his own baptism. The claims – both open and oblique – that he would make to messiahship would come later in his life, after his disciples and the world had seen him up close. Jesus is stepping into the river Jordan because it’s the next faithful step, because this is where the journey begins. Because this is the point of connection between what has been and what is to come.

And for both answers, so far so good.

But let’s see if we can go a little further even than Jesus did. Let’s look at what Matthew might be trying to do. Matthew weaves a new gospel garment for the Jesus story, using re-purposed scriptural memory and the circumstances of that day.

So first, there’s John himself. Matthew’s been clear about who John is – he stands in the line of the prophets. He wears Elijah’s clothing. He quotes Isaiah: “Prepare the way of the Lord.” John is the voice crying in the wilderness, calling Israel back to God. His baptism is part of that prophetic tradition – offering a ritual washing that signifies repentance, a turning around, a fresh start with God.

So when Jesus comes to be baptized, he’s not coming as someone who needs to repent. He’s coming to stand with Israel in this moment of renewal. He’s identifying himself with the people John is calling back to God. It’s an act of solidarity, not personal need.

But there’s more going on. Look at what happens when Jesus comes up from the water. “The heavens were opened.” That language should ring bells for anyone who knows their Hebrew scriptures. Isaiah cried out, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down!” Isaiah was longing for God to break through, to act decisively, to set things right. For the heavens to be shut was to experience God’s absence. For them to open was to experience God’s presence and power breaking into the world.

So when Matthew says the heavens opened at Jesus’ baptism, he’s telling us something crucial: God is breaking through. The long wait is over. And something new is beginning.

And then the Spirit descends “like a dove,” we are told. The dove isn’t just a gentle symbol. In Genesis, when the Spirit of God hovers over the waters of creation, the Hebrew word is the same one used for a bird hovering over its nest. And after the flood, it’s a dove that brings back evidence that the waters have receded, that new life is possible, that creation can begin again. So when the Spirit descends like a dove at Jesus’ baptism, Matthew is linking this moment to creation itself – something is being created, recreated, in the Jesus story.

And then the voice. “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” If you know your scriptures, you hear two texts colliding here. Psalm 2: “You are my son; today I have begotten you” – the psalm of royal enthronement. And Isaiah 42, which we have just heard: “Here is my servant, in whom my soul delights” – the first of Isaiah’s songs about God’s servant who will bring justice to the nations.

So, in that one sentence, God is declaring Jesus to be both the king – the anointed one, the messiah – and the servant – the one who will bring justice not through power and force, but through gentleness and persistence. The one who will not break the bruised reed, or quench the dimly burning wick.

This is what Jesus is stepping into at the Jordan. Not just, not even primarily, a personal spiritual experience, but a calling, a commissioning, a cosmic moment when heaven and earth touch and God’s purposes take human form.

And here’s the thing: Jesus steps into it without knowing, we must imagine, exactly how it will all unfold. “Let it be so for now,” he says. He’s willing to begin by doing, by acting – the explaining can come later, the full unravelling of meaning for another day.

That’s instructive for us, isn’t it? Isaiah’s vision of the servant speaks directly to our moment. “A bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.” How many of us in church feel like bruised reeds right now? How many of us are flickering flames, barely holding on? For one thing, the holidays can be hard. New year’s resolutions made in hope can feel to be ebbing away. Darkness presses in.

For another thing, church life can be a struggle. Living in community in these times is not easy. Maintain community in these times is difficult.
And if this is true for us in our small lives, and if this is true for us in our churches, how much more so when we look at the events that have unfolded and still unfold in the wide world beyond. We are a people sometimes frightened to look at the news. And when we look at it we see bruised reeds and dimply burning wicks all around.

God’s way, Isaiah tells us, is gentle with our struggles. The servant doesn’t demand strength we don’t have. Doesn’t require that we be unbroken before we’re useful. Doesn’t insist that we burn brightly before we’re worth tending.

And yet – and this is crucial – and yet the servant is also called to “faithfully bring forth justice.” Not just to be gentle, but to work persistently for what’s right. “He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth.”

This is the balance Jesus embodies. Gentle with the struggling. Persistent in the seeking of justice. Humble. But fierce against the powerful. Committed to taking the next faithful step.

The voice that speaks over Jesus at his baptism – “This is my Beloved” – speaks over us too. In our baptisms, whether we remember them or not, we were claimed by that same love. Not because we were strong or certain or unbroken. But because God chooses to love us, to call us, and to work through us.

And like Jesus, we’re called to a life of both gentleness and justice. We’re called to be tender with bruised reeds – including ourselves. We’re called to tend flickering flames – in our own hearts and in others. And we’re called to work persistently for justice, for light, for what Isaiah calls “opening the eyes of the blind” and “bringing prisoners from the dungeon.”
That work doesn’t require certainty. It requires willingness. It requires showing up. It requires taking the next step even when we can’t see the horizon.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Now we see in a mirror, dimly.” We don’t see clearly. Our understanding is always partial, always provisional. And that’s okay. That is not failure; that’s the human condition. We’re learning as we go. Our faith unfolds over time. What we understand now will deepen and shift as we walk the path.

The point isn’t to have everything figured out. The point is to begin. Or, having begun, To continue. To keep walking.

Jesus stepped into the Jordan, and the heavens opened. The Spirit came. God’s voice spoke love and calling, and Jesus began his ministry – a ministry of gentle, persistent justice. A ministry that would heal and challenge, comfort and disturb, bring light into darkness.

That same Spirit is with us. That same calling speaks over our lives. We are beloved; we are called; we are sent to be gentle with the struggling and persistent in seeking justice.

We don’t have to do it perfectly. We just have to do it faithfully.
As we stand in the still early days of this new year, in the depths of winter, we can learn from Jesus at the Jordan. We can begin where we are. We can be gentle with ourselves and others. We can work for justice and light, humbly and persistently. We can trust that God’s Spirit goes with us.
The heavens opened at the Jordan. They open still. God breaks through. God speaks love. God calls us forward.

Let us walk this path together, you and I. In our lives and in the places we are set –  gently and persistently, trusting that God’s light shines even in the darkness – especially in the dark days.
Amen.

Hymn     Take My Life and Let It Be
Frances R Havergal (1836–1879) public domain sung by the Cherubim Singers of St Andrew’s Kirk, Chennai and used with their kind permission.
 
Take my life, and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to thee;
Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, & let them move
At the impulse of thy love;
Take my feet, and let them be
Swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing
Always, only, for my King;
Take my lips, and let them be
Filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold;
Take my intellect, and use
Every power as thou shalt choose.

Affirmation of Faith

We believe in God,
the maker of heaven and earth,
who speaks into darkness,
who breathes life into all creation,
who calls us by name.

We believe in Jesus,
the one who shows us the way,
who walked the path of faithfulness,
who said “let it be so” and trusted the journey,
who teaches us how to live with compassion and courage.

We believe in the Holy Spirit,
gentle as a dove,
who descends upon our lives,
who sustains us in darkness,
who empowers us for justice and love.

We believe we are called to journey,
to grow, to question, to seek,
to be gentle with the struggling,
to work for light in darkness,
to say “let it be so for now” and trust the unfolding way.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Intercessions

God of light-in-darkness,
we pray in these winter days
for all who struggle to see the way ahead.

For those beginning this new year with fear or sorrow,
for those whose hope is dim,
for those who feel alone in the darkness.
Open the heavens, O God.
Let your light shine.

For bruised reeds barely holding on,
for flickering flames about to go out,
for all who wonder if they have the strength to continue.
Gentle God, be near.
Tend what is fragile with care.

For our world, where darkness often seems to prevail,
where justice is delayed and the vulnerable suffer,
where prisoners remain trapped and the blind stumble.
God of justice, work through us.
Make us persistent in seeking light.

For our church and all communities of faith,
learning to walk by faith rather than certainty,
seeking to follow Jesus’ example of compassion,
finding our way as we go.
Spirit of God, guide us.
Give us courage for the journey.

For ourselves, eleven days into this new year,
still finding our footing, still seeking direction,
hoping to grow, to learn, to become more loving.
Voice of blessing, speak over our lives.
Remind us that we are beloved.

God of beginnings,
you meet us where we are.
Give us strength for today
and trust for tomorrow.

We pray in the name of Jesus,
who taught us to pray together:

Our Father…

Offertory

Jesus came to the Jordan not with answers but with willingness,
not with certainty but with faithfulness.
He showed us how to give ourselves to God’s purposes.
We offer our gifts in that same spirit.

God of grace, you have given us so much —
life and breath, the example of Jesus, your Spirit to guide us.
Accept these gifts we bring, symbols of our commitment to the journey,
and to follow where you lead.
Use them, and use us, for your purposes of justice and love.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Hymn     Lord, for the Years 
Timothy Dudley-Smith (1926-2024) © administered by Oxford University. One Licence No. # A-734713 Performed by Ruth and Joy Everingham and used with their kind permission.

Lord, for the years your love has kept and guided,
urged and inspired us, cheered us on our way,
sought us and saved us, pardoned and provided,
Lord of the years, we bring our thanks today.

Lord, for that word, the word of life which fires us,
speaks to our hearts and sets our souls ablaze,
teaches and trains, rebukes us and inspires us,
Lord of the word, receive your people’s praise.

Lord, for our land, in this our generation,
spirits oppressed by pleasure, wealth and care;
for young and old, for commonwealth and nation,
Lord of our land, be pleased to hear our prayer.

Lord, for our world; when we disown and doubt him,
loveless in strength, and comfortless in pain;
hungry and helpless, lost indeed without him,
Lord of the world, we pray that Christ may reign.

Lord, for ourselves; in living power remake us, 
self on the cross and Christ upon the throne;
past put behind us, for the future take us,
Lord of our lives, to live for Christ alone.

Blessing

Go now into these dark days of winter
knowing that God’s light shines.

Go as beloved children, willing to journey,
To take the next faithful step, be gentle with the struggling,
work persistently for justice and light.

And may the blessing of God —
the Maker who calls us,
the Christ who shows us the way,
and the Spirit who sustains us —
be with you now and for every day to come.
Amen.

St Matthew 13: 1 – 23

That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore.  Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed.  As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.  Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow.  But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.  Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.  Whoever has ears, let them hear.” The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.  Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
    you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
For this people’s heart has become calloused;
    they hardly hear with their ears,
    and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
    hear with their ears,
    understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.  For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

“Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy.  But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away.  The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Reflection

In the Church where I grew up and came to faith, there was a large youth group. An amazing bunch of young people. Several of them had Damascus Road types of experience and others of us came to faith more gradually. We each wrote encouraging words in the front and back covers of our Bibles. For many of us, if not all, these were our first Bibles.

Fast forward several years and I am preparing a service as a young lay preacher and the text for the Sunday is this very text from Matthew’s Gospel. As I was getting my commentaries from the bookshelf I noticed my first Bible that I had stopped using as it was falling apart. I took it off the shelf and read through the comments people had written from the youth group. I remembered the times and the people fondly. Before placing it back on the book shelf I counted the number of people who were still attending church and who still professed a Christian faith., Sadly of the 15 or so that I grew up with, only 3 of us who were still professing Christians.

I often think of that Bible and those people when I read this Parable of the Sower. It saddens me that people I grew up with and loved no longer profess faith. That hasn’t stopped me praying for them and hoping that one day they will come back to Christian faith.

In ministry, I have enjoyed leading Alpha Courses and Christianity Explored courses, where I have seen people’s faith grow as together we learn what it means to be followers of Christ. And for me the church plays an important part as we help each other grow in our faith. May our churches be places where people’s faith can grow and their trust in Christ deepen.

Prayer

Loving God, 
thank you that you are the Sower. 
May the seed of faith land on fertile ground 
so that all may grow strong roots into good soil. 
May those whose faith is fragile know that you, 
their heavenly Father, love them. 
May your church, in all its locations, 
be places where faith is nurtured and grows. 
In the name of Christ 
and in the power and presence of the Holy Spirit,
Amen. 

St Matthew 12: 46 – 50

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him.  Someone toldrea him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”  Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother no and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Reflection

This may seem a harsh, almost rude response to his family, but let’s look at the context.

Matthew puts this incident at the end of three chapters in which he has been recounting the mission work of Jesus and the twelve disciples to whom he gave authority, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, curing disease and sickness and casting out unclean spirits, in the cities and villages of Galilee.  Many people were healed, and there were welcoming crowds, but also scathing unbelief, accusations that Jesus was demon possessed, aggressive questioning, and conspiracy to kill him. 

So, when Jesus was busy giving incisive responses in a house full of this mixture, and someone told him his mother and brothers were outside wanting to speak to him, he took the opportunity to contrast the opposing Pharisees with his disciples, and declare the key message: “Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”  Then Matthew turns to parables about being receptive to the word of the kingdom, and doing the fruitful work of the kingdom.  At the end of that chapter, more will be said about Jesus’s family.

This message also shows that Jesus’s sense of family extends potentially to everyone globally.  Matthew’s Gospel is the one that records: (10:6) the twelve disciples were sent initially to the lost sheep of the house of Israel – the 12 tribes descended from Jacob/Israel; (12:14-21), when the Pharisees conspired to destroy him, Jesus turned to the many, fulfilling the prophecy to proclaim justice to the Gentiles – the other nations/cultures (ways of life together); (28:19-20) the great commission, from the Greek can be put like this – Disciple all nations/cultures, baptising them into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe my commandments (my Father’s will).

Prayer
 
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be praised, may your kingdom come,
may your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Please give us today the food we need.
Forgive us our sins against your will,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Don’t let us fall to selfish temptation.
Deliver us from evil forces.
For yours is the kingdom, the power and the glory for ever.

St Matthew 12: 38 – 45

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”
He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.  The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here.  The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.  Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

Reflection

I recall reading a comment that one of the more mystical sounding aspects of British life was the recitation of the football results on television and radio on a Saturday teatime.  Alongside some fairly straightforward names of clubs are some more exotic sounding others: Oldland Abbotonians, Hereford Pegasus, Whitehawk, Heart of Midlothian, Queen of the South.  Today’s passage has a similar effect on my brain.  Jesus is talking in some sort of code, referring here to a rather mysterious sounding, ‘Queen of the South’ – here is a reference to the Queen of Sheba who is recorded as visiting King Solomon in 1 Kings.  (The football club based in Dumfries got its moniker as a result of a 19th century election campaign.)

Pharisees and others wanted to see a sign from Jesus.  The Church tends to be somewhat dismissive of these requests made of Jesus reading them as a critique from those asking.  The Gospels, though, are full of signs:  miracles, Jesus teaching people with simple, yet soul piercing, stories.  Signs are something that the human mind likes as many of us prefer a bit of evidence with our beliefs.  The tricky thing though is that we are all subject to confirmation bias where we are more likely to seek and accept evidence that supports what we think already.  Perhaps this was Jesus’ issue with those asking for a sign.  They weren’t engaging with open hearts and minds but with a particular agenda that they wanted or needed to confirm.  

Jesus is scathing here.  The Queen of the South will rise at the judgement and condemn the generation too.  She knew wisdom when she encountered it and Jesus is saying that he had not noticed much of that in his time.   We ponder our own need to look for signs.  Signs of God’s presence among us.  Signs of a world getting better or worse.  Signs that God’s kingdom is indeed breaking in among us.  

Prayer

Holy One, 
like many before us 
we notice our own need for signs.  
Give us the gift of discernment
that we may see where your 
Holy Spirit is moving 
in our midst
and in ourselves.  
In Jesus’ name.  Amen.  

 
We return to where we left off in Matthew’s Gospel before Christmas.
 
St Matthew 12: 22 – 37
 
Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.  If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?  And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges.  But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house. “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”
 
Reflection
 
During moments of sensory overload, an autistic person may self-regulate by closing their eyes, rocking (or stimming), or withdrawing.  They may not be able to say why or even speak. Helping reduce the sensory overload (decreasing noise or visual stimuli) or even just quietly being near can be a way to help.  Each autistic person is different and has different strategies.

Autistic people are not demon-possessed.  However, they are sometimes mislabelled as “trouble-makers,” “benefit scroungers,” and “problems” to be “fixed.”  They can find themselves excluded from education, work, and community.  Because of the labelling and exclusion, I see similarities with the man in today’s reading.
 
By his actions, Jesus says “welcome.”  He comes and sits alongside the person until they are able to look up and communicate again.  Throughout this gospel, Jesus demonstrates the overflowing welcome of God.
 
This group of Pharisees assumes Jesus must be working with demonic forces, as he has been including some folks labelled as “excluded.”  Jesus corrects them.  To assume Jesus is working with demonic forces is mislabelling the work of the Holy Spirit and her inclusion of folks into God’s kin-dom community.  This mislabelling shuts people off from God’s method to include people.  Is this the unforgivable sin?
 
Tom Wright likens the “unforgivable sin” to a bottle of poisoned water.  You are thirsty, and yet you put poison in the last available bottle of water.  Your actions render the last of the water undrinkable.  There is no hope for you or anyone else now.
 
Jesus, the living water, came to offer forgiveness and new life.  Yet these Pharisees declare his water undrinkable by saying he is working with Beelzebul.  As long as they continue this way, they are committing the unforgivable sin, as they have poisoned the source of forgiveness for others and for themselves.
 
Labels and exclusion are destructive.  The Holy Spirit’s work in Jesus’ ministry isn’t about masking disabilities.  Jesus comes alongside people, and the Holy Spirit welcomes those labelled “excluded.”
 
Prayer
 
Welcoming God,
help us to see the labels we apply to people, 
including ourselves.  
Help us to come alongside the excluded 
and welcome each other 
into what You are doing among us.
Amen
 

St Matthew 2: 19 – 23
 
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,  ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’  Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.  But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.  There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.’
 
Reflection
 
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany when, traditionally, the Magi are introduced into the birth narratives of Jesus: but have our Carol Services and Nativity Plays waited until today? Probably not. One of the delights of our Christmas celebrations is the attempt to draw together the accounts in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, perhaps noting that Mark and John have no such stories. This conflation prevents us from focusing on the differing accounts in Matthew and Luke and their priorities. I find the discrepancies reassuring – if the story of Jesus was a fiction those promoting it would never have allowed such differences in the record.
 
Luke gives us a detailed timeline for the events starting from Nazareth, blending in Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and Zechariah in Jerusalem and a few months later a journey to Bethlehem, just a few miles from the centre of Jerusalem, because of a census about which we have no other information.
 
Matthew starts in Bethlehem, assuming that this is where the holy family lived in an area ruled over by Herod the Great, who, having heard the message from the Magi, ordered the killing of all the under-threes in and around Bethlehem. Joseph took his family into exile in Egypt. The death of Herod in 4 BC did not bring security as his son Archelaus was no better – so guided by God Joseph, Mary and the young Jesus had to move on again, this time travelling north to a nondescript small town in the Galilean hill country; having grown up in Nazareth Jesus later moved on again, making his base in the hub-town of Capernaum.
 
We live at a time when countless people are on the move in the hope of finding safety and security – the people of Gaza, uprooted again and again by the Israeli government: refugees and economic migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Do those of us who can make our own choices about where we live appreciate what a blessing this is, and do we truly understand the realities of those forced to be on the move time and time again?
 
Prayer
 
Gracious God, so many of us can thank you for the safety and security of our homes: may we recognise this blessing. We hold before you those who have no such security but must move on because of military, political and economic forces over which they have no control: may we remember that they too are our neighbours: Amen.

St Matthew 2: 16 – 18
 
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men.  Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
 
‘A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’
 
Reflection
 
This episode in the Christmas story makes for uncomfortable reading. It is far from unusual for those in power and fearful of losing it to attempt to exercise that power by killing those powerless to retaliate.
 
Herod, according to historians of the period, was particularly unstable, killing his own sons lest they threaten him. Herod may have been particularly angry that the wise men had seen through his insincere words. His reaction is extreme – but so are many other episodes from our recent history.
 
Herod might be the king of the Jews in his own time but Matthew equates him to the traditional oppressor of Israel, Pharoah, ordering the killing of the Hebrew boy babies.
 
The quotation from Jeremiah refers to the weeping of the defeated nations, Israel and Judah, as they are taken into exile.  Matthew placing Rachel at the centre of this sorrowful episode reminds us that Jeremiah’s words speak to all people who have lost children to acts of violence.
 
We too should weep with all who still lose children to acts of war.
 
Jesus was born into a troubled time like ours to show how, if we put the powerless at the centre of our decision making, our world might be totally transformed.
 
God exercises power by sending a vulnerable baby to be alongside all who suffer. God did not spare Jesus from suffering – Jesus escapes for now but ultimately the shadow of death at the hands of oppressive power is present here.
 
May today’s reading remind us how far our society is from God’s kingdom. Yet Jesus assures us that our actions and prayers can make a difference where we are. We are able to stand with Jesus in taking action against those who kill innocent children.

Prayer 

God of justice 
we cry out to you 
where parents weep for their children 
killed as conflict rages.
We confess that power is still exercised 
in ways which are counter to your law,
and we feel powerless to act.
Help us to do more.
Lord, send us your spirit of fire
to light the way to true peace in our world.
That the weeping will turn to joy
as love is victorious through Your Son,
Amen