Thought for the Day
A one-minute read to inspire or challenge. Written by members of the church and updated every few days.
11th December 2024
Incarnation, Rejection and Acceptance.
Whilst Matthew and Luke provide us with two narrative accounts of the Christmas event from widely differing perspectives, it is John who provides a theological exposition focused around three words: Incarnation, Rejection and Acceptance.
So, ‘The word became flesh and dwelt among us and we have seen his glory, the glory which befits the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth’ [1 v 14]. This is the passage that gives us the word Incarnation derived from the Latin carnis meaning of the flesh so as we look at that vulnerable child in Bethlehem’s manger we see the Son of God embodied in human flesh, the God who lives amongst us and who we can fully recognise: Emmanuel has come among us.
That is the good news, but the forthcoming history is there in v 11 ‘He came unto his own but his own would not accept him’. And so this is a story of Rejection which will end with this same embodied Son of God crucified upon a cross. Grace and truth aptly denote Jesus’ ministry of word and action, all that the prophets had spelt out in their teaching about the coming Messiah, but it is that which the compromising leadership in Jerusalem rejects as it kills both grace and truth in securing Jesus’ crucifixion.
Beyond this failure, however, John points to a greater achievement in verse 12, where he speaks of a theology of Acceptance: ‘But to all those who did receive him, who put their trust in him, he gave the right to become the children of God, children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.’ Whilst in Bethlehem a saviour is born, on Calvary the church receives its birth, becoming the new Incarnation as God’s body here on earth, his instrument of truth and grace.
John Briggs
6th December 2024
Ken Stewart’s Thought for 29 November speaks of the passing of musician Peter Wilkinson from Horfield BC. We remember Peter with affection, and admiration for his talent. He directed the music for a Tyndale musical some years ago when I sang in the chorus, and he may have helped us with shows before I came […]
4th December 2024
Each year in December newspapers and magazines tell us what decorations are ‘in’ this time and what are unfashionable and ‘so last year’. Does anyone take any notice? I know no one who throws out their Christmas tree decorations or Christmas table decorations unless they are damaged. For most of us they acquire a value […]
29th November 2024
Today I’m due to take part in a thanksgiving service for the life of a gifted musician who sadly died at the end of last month from a brain tumour. Peter Wilkinson had been organist at Horfield Baptist Church for a number of years before I arrived to be its next minister, and, in truth, […]
27th November 2024
One of the biggest misunderstandings about the Bible is that it’s primarily a set of moral teachings, a manual on how to be good. But much of the Bible hardly exemplifies virtuous living. Take the (humanly speaking) founding parents of God’s chosen people, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, their wives and offspring. Their behaviour […]
22nd November 2024
If I give you a flavour of a Christian Aid email I received this week, maybe it’ll whet your appetite to read the whole article (Why I struggle with hope – Christian Aid)? Campaigner Jess Hall reflects on how heavy one’s heart can be, watching terrible stories of injustice playing out across the world. It […]
20th November 2024
Every year there are two events commemorated in November. On 5th we are reminded of the Gunpowder Plot – and we light bonfires and let off fireworks. Then a few days later, on the 11th we remember those killed in the First World War and the many conflicts since, as we stand in silence for […]
15th November 2024
Are you familiar with how the gospels skip from one short story to another, often leaving the reader hanging…? In a recent morning service, the visiting preacher suggested that when we encounter these abrupt changes in narrative we could ask ourselves, “what happened next?” and use our imagination to fill in the gaps. The lectionary […]
8th November 2024
HOLY LAND: UNHOLY WAR Whilst events in Israel, the West Bank, Gaza and southern Lebanon constantly hit the headlines, we learn little of how leading rabbis are guiding their people in these difficult times. May be this is because in a 2015 Gallup Poll 65% of Israelis described themselves as non-religious or atheist, suggesting that Jewish-ness […]
6th November 2024
In a recent Sunday morning (October 27th), Adrian Howkins preached on the healing of blind Bartimaeus and asked us if we really want to see? I have always found this one of the questions of Jesus that makes me least comfortable. Do I really want to see the state of creation? Do I really want […]