St. Jude’s Church
The Second Sunday after Christmas Day, Year B
03 January 2021
The God who makes us smile
The Collect: O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of Him who humbled Himself to share our humanity, Your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reflection:On this the second Sunday after Christmas Day and the Sunday before the Feast of the Epiphany, we are reminded that Christmas must never be celebrated as a one-day event. In truth, Christmas happens every single moment and every single day of our lives. And so, we are called to find ways of celebrating the reality that God Himself is with us and in us every day – God is Emmanuel, with us all the time.
The season of Christmas provides more than enough evidence that God has intervened in human history in order to save us. We see around us, in rich and poor countries, the effects of poverty, greed, dishonesty in ourselves and in many of our public leaders. There is poverty of pocket, and there is poverty of spirit, neither of which is good for our world and our existence. How do we choose to become an effective part of the solution rather than the problem? As believers who celebrate Christmas, and who call Him Emmanuel, we look to God from whom our help comes, and commit to living out on a daily basis all that the Child and the Mother of Christ reveal to us. To believe and live this, is to participate in the saving acts of Christ.
Bob Marley in the song, “Smile, you are in Jamaica,” sings, “We’re gonna help our people, help them right; Oh, Lord, help us tonight! Cast away that evil spell; Throw some water in the well, And smile!”
And so, our never-ending task as believers is to participate in ongoing repentance and courageous acts to help liberate the world from the effects of sin. Our never-ending task as believers is to, “cast away that evil spell.” One way in which we are called to do this is to remind our people that poverty is no excuse for us to be less than our best selves. We remember that the Son of God was born in a manger, in poverty; however, Jesus lived a life that was pleasing to God. Jesus, the gift of Christmas, made God smile and so should we.
Our role as Christians, calls us to, “help our people, help them right.” The COVID-19 journey is a perfect opportunity to help our people, in Jamaica and the world over. Christmas calls us to be people of peace, people who help to save others, people who are a gift to the world, and people who show that God is with us all the time – the God who makes us smile.
Meditation: Smile, reveal God’s love, Emmanuel, peace, justice, repentance, hope, blessings, salvation, images of God, children of God, Christmas is forever.
Prayer:Smile on us, O loving God, that we may be the agents of Your peace, and love.Amen.
St. Jude’s Church
Stony Hill
Anglican Diocese of Jamaica and The Cayman Islands
03 January 2021