This morning I came across new words by John Campbell for a well-known carol tune “Good Christians all, rejoice”. Here are the words:
Augustus on his Roman throne,
Seemed Lord of all, divine, alone;
Yet he knew not what God had planned:
One who’d take the world in hand.
Only shepherds heard the song:
The world’s upturned to right its wrong,
God’s at work in this, God’s at work in this.
King Herod in Jerusalem
Was blind to God’s great stratagem;
Only distant, doubtful seers
Notice as the star appears;
Yet this tyrant’s killing spree
Will not prevent what has to be.
God is on the move, God is on the move.
And still today, the pow’rs that be
Can miss their chance to set folk free;
‘Nobodies’ may hear God’s call,
Work for peace, with Christ stand tall.
Should we, also, go with you,
Seek love and justice all life through,
Christmas is for us, Christmas is for us.
At the time I am writing this, we are four weeks into the conflict in Gaza. It struck me how little has changed since Jesus’ time. These words are based on the two ‘kings’ who appear in the two birth narratives in the gospels. Augustus, the Roman Emperor, who calls for a census so that he can find out how many people he has power over and King Herod who is so insecure and threatened that he has all the Jewish baby boys killed as he fears a newborn may be the cause of a revolution against him.
Two thousand years later and there are still violent squabbles over that small area of land. Insecurities and possessive jealousy leading to the massacre of innocent children. Amongst all the carnage, it’s the ordinary people, rich or poor, who learn the true message from God.
The Powers that be are failing, as I write this, to get hostages released, to set folk free. Yet I am impressed with ordinary people ‘nobodies’, especially those who have lost everything, including their young families, who are getting together – often with those who are from the ‘other side’ who have faced similar losses – to work for peace. Those who you would expect to be the most bitter and battered are better able to show forgiveness and tentatively begin to move on.
This is the true message of Christmas. God’s Son was innocent and went through horrific suffering for us, that we might have hope and peace for the future. People can do cruel acts; Life can be incredibly unfair. We represent God on earth. It’s up to us. We must stand up for justice and show God’s love all over the world. As we approach the Christmas season: Christmas is for us.