The Church by the Bridge - 100 Years of Good News
This week we witnessed an elected leader of a major world country call refuge seekers of another country ‘garbage’ (source accessed 03.12.25 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c208x9v68w3o ) .
This statement flies in the face of our current period – Advent - where we are celebrating the promised arrival of the one that makes blind people see, the lame walk and sets prisoners free as per Luke 4:18. The statement given by this leader also flies in the face of our deepest held biblical beliefs – or should do.
We believe that we are made in the image of God, knitted together in our mother’s womb, all with a purpose in life and children of God.
Jesus, born to Mary in Nazareth – the middle East – did not necessarily look like we might do. He was born to a young teenager in Judah as the fulfilment of God’s promise to the Jews that in that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world (Isaiah 11:10a)
During Jesus’ subsequent earthly ministry, he indeed did not distinguish on outer appearance, background, societal position, faith orthodoxy, gender or social status. ALL were welcome if they came to him.
Jesus never ever uttered despairing generalised remarks about people groups, ethnicity or education.
What Jesus was looking for, were people that recognised him for who He was and surrendered everything to Him. This is why through and with Jesus society changed as people loved our God with all their hearts mind soul and strength, and loved their neighbours as ourselves - just as God demonstrated his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
Clearly God’s unconditional and uncompromising love for all did not go down well everywhere, least of all with the authorities of the time; Jesus Christ, Son of God, was arrested, tortured, trialled and convicted.
He died – not a Christmas story – but then rose from the dead as the firstborn from all the dead – no matter what skin colour, country of residence, background, social status or gender.
We are coming up to the second Sunday of Advent.
Advent is perhaps a reminder of the question of who we allow ourselves to identify with, i.e. who is shaping our identity?
Will it be through the beliefs of this or that political leader who has apparent total disregard for our fellow sister or brother in Christ, or will it be by the One who died for us all?
Perhaps it is a question that we should ponder as we go into this joyous season of Advent, looking forward to the one who came as the light of salvation into this world, a light that gives us hope and assurance in these challenging times.
Wishing you with a heavy, but also a confident-in-Christ heart a reflective and joyous 2nd week of Advent.
Kai