- Joined
- Apr 25, 2006
- Messages
- 17,520
26 December 2007
Word on the Web
Luke 2: 8-9
That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened.
As a musician one of my least favourite moments of the day at school was that ritual of lining up to be picked for sports teams. You feel that excruciating experience of people around you getting picked, and you think "Am I invisible?", and then there's the terrible relief when you find you're not in the last two.
Now, as an adult, I sometimes find myself having similar excruciating moments - mainly in music industry situations. You're talking to someone and it dawns on them that you're not 'someone famous' suddenly their eyes start wandering over your shoulder and they make their excuses. Suddenly I became invisible. Our obsession with the 'in crowd' and celebrities permeates most of popular culture today.
The kingdom of God is always subversive and counter-cultural. It seeks to undermine all the facades, safety nets and structures we put in place to keep us from seeking God. The nativity story is profoundly subversive: the Christ in a manger, and now the angel chooses to reveal him/herself (?) to shepherds. Shepherds were non-educated, poor manual workers, working anti-social hours. They were on the fringe of society. They were the nobodies, the invisible people. But God picks them and his glory bathes them in light. How will the Christmas story make you subversive in your society this week?
Dear God, forgive us when we get sucked into the popularity games of the world around us. Help us to value that which you value and to bring something of your glory to the people around us this week. Amen
Written by Sam Chaplin
Word on the Web
Luke 2: 8-9
That night, some shepherds were in the fields nearby watching their sheep. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened.
As a musician one of my least favourite moments of the day at school was that ritual of lining up to be picked for sports teams. You feel that excruciating experience of people around you getting picked, and you think "Am I invisible?", and then there's the terrible relief when you find you're not in the last two.
Now, as an adult, I sometimes find myself having similar excruciating moments - mainly in music industry situations. You're talking to someone and it dawns on them that you're not 'someone famous' suddenly their eyes start wandering over your shoulder and they make their excuses. Suddenly I became invisible. Our obsession with the 'in crowd' and celebrities permeates most of popular culture today.
The kingdom of God is always subversive and counter-cultural. It seeks to undermine all the facades, safety nets and structures we put in place to keep us from seeking God. The nativity story is profoundly subversive: the Christ in a manger, and now the angel chooses to reveal him/herself (?) to shepherds. Shepherds were non-educated, poor manual workers, working anti-social hours. They were on the fringe of society. They were the nobodies, the invisible people. But God picks them and his glory bathes them in light. How will the Christmas story make you subversive in your society this week?
Dear God, forgive us when we get sucked into the popularity games of the world around us. Help us to value that which you value and to bring something of your glory to the people around us this week. Amen
Written by Sam Chaplin
