The prophet Isaiah sees a new vocation for Israel.  Having been the servant of God, Israel is now also to become the light of the nations. But what does that mean in practice?  Does it mean that the remarkable perseverance of Israel will be held up for the nations to see and admire?  Will the nations at last pay attention to the tiny nation of Israel because it is now clear that they have the might of God on their side?  These sectarian thoughts do not cohere with all else th

In a few moments’ time, you will see me put a drop of water into the chalice of wine.  The chalice and the wine come from us: the metalworker made a beautiful piece from raw materials for our ceremonial; the winemaker patiently turned his cultivated grapes into drink.  The chalice of wine is the best we can do by ourselves: it is the result of human industry and endeavour.  In it we find aspiration and ambition.  We can admire the chalice of wine as something noble which our

Would that a sign as clear as a star were given more often.  Would that we too would draw the right conclusions about its significance. We can envy the Magi: they saw Christ face-to-face; they met the Blessed Virgin.  Such is their place in salvation history; this is what they were chosen to do.  And we might wish it was our place too. But we have been chosen for other things.  The Magi have such firm conviction, such a good read on the heavens.  Could we not have the same o

Of the four dreams that St Joseph had during Jesus’ infancy, three of them are about Herod's family.  We know about the first of these, the dream in which Joseph is encouraged to take his pregnant betrothed as his wife.  In the face of a face-saving divorce, God intervenes to give Jesus an adoptive, earthly father in Joseph.  The other three dreams are about Herod the Great or his son Herod Archelaus.  And so, we are given to compare Herod's family with Joseph's. Herod the Gr

The strange thing about celebrating Christmas in a parish rather than a private home is that all of the big cupboards are empty.  The Advent wreath has been out all month.  We are burning through the candles at a cool summer’s rate.  And now the Nativity set is out too. So, our cupboards are bare because all God’s gifts to you are out on display. I hope you have a lovely nativity set at home.  Our family one was always up on a bench: low enough to see, high enough to be out

The name which Joseph will give his adopted son and heir is indeed promising.  The name of Jesus is promising for those who want the nation of Israel to come out from the shadows and stand apart.  The name Jesus is simply Joshua, which comes to us via Greek and Latin.  If you pronounce and translate the name Joshua for 2000 years, you get “Jesus”.  By the first century, “Yeshua” was an acceptable shortened form of “Yehoshua”, which does indeed mean The LORD saves. Our Jesus h

The Baptist’s question from prison speaks to his prophet’s faith: the one for whom John is waiting is no less than the Christ of God, whom he believes will clearly identify himself.  That is a justifiable position.  All through his life with his own parents and then in the wilderness as hermit and master of disciples, John has been expecting the Christ.  His natural gifts and the Holy Spirit’s presence in his life have led him to this crucial point: this may be the Christ. Jo

“Swords into ploughshares and spears into sickles” is such a familiar trope as to be cliché.  But times when the Hebrew people prepared for war were indeed many, lengthy, and varied.  Abraham had a standing army, which he used in Genesis 14 to rescue his kidnapped nephew, Lot.  Joshua gave his men three whole days to gather sufficient provisions for their next great campaign.  And the Maccabees’ rebellion was able to organise itself to such a degree that they retook the walle

Of all the things that the Good Thief could want, the one thing he asks for is Christ's Kingdom.  He didn't ask for a reprieve or redemption from his present fate; nor was his freedom or some privilege in mind.  He simply asks to be remembered by Christ when his Kingdom is established.  That is, even in the depths of his own suffering, the Good Thief nonetheless has sight of the eternal Kingdom.  That’s where we need to get to: no misadventure or misery should block out for u