and St PETER’S, QUEENSTOWN
SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
(December 31st) 2023
READINGS
Isaiah 61: 10 – 62: 3
Psalm 148
Gal 4: 4-7
Luke 2: 22-40
When I was a theological student I encountered for the first time a phenomenon called “watch night services.” I have to admit until I paired up (I was going to say “hooked up” but that has all sorts of awkward connotations) – until I paired up with Anne I was never that big on New Year's Eve. In earlier days of course I was just given to any excuse for a wild party, but the ticking over of a clock at midnight on what is usually the 365th day of the year didn’t really strike me as a matter for faith observances. Whether I partied or whether I snored it was just another night before another day.
And then every – I dunno – seven I
guess years New Year’s Eve falls on a Sunday. And you know what? I still see no
liturgical reason to sit up and – should I call it “virtue signal”? – by sitting
in a church praying in what is really no more than an accident of an old calendar.
On Easter morning at around pre dawn,
and preferably pre light, I generally observe an ancient Christian tradition of
lighting a new fire, lighting the paschal candle, blessing the year as it were
in the name of Christ, and processing it (year and candle) into a church, a
darkened church. Part of the blessing of that candle is words that remind us
that Christ the Child of Christmas and the Resurrected One of Easter stands
outside all time and blesses, or hallows all time, makes all time holy.
Amongst the readings set for this day
is a passage from late in the writings of the Isaiahs, focusing on a majestic
amalgamation of God's love of compassion and justice, and the possibilities of
new beginning. These of course are not a January 1st thing. These
are an everyday thing, an every encounter with God thing. And I realise of
course that I am using the same sort of arguments that non liturgical
Christians will use to explain why they don’t like feast days, high days and
holy days set throughout the calendar. I get that, except that I think such
days give us a remarkable opportunity to focus and to learn. So does this day, I guess.
The Isaiah passage speaks of an
expectation charged with energy as endings are observed and new beginnings
witnessed. The Galatians passage, set for this day if we were to read it, speaks
of the remarkable new beginning that is the obedience of Mary, the resultant
birth of Christ and the warm breath of new hope. The comparatively long gospel
passage leads us into the beginnings of a new life, like every new life full of
promise, uncertainty and hope. Although the passage does not reach that far for
this reader it culminates in the remarkable observation that the mother of
Jesus watched her son puzzled, bemused, fascinated, and as one translation put
it “pondered all these things in her heart.”
There will be for me no watch night
service tonight. Depending on my stamina I’ll be snoring peacefully or perhaps
screwing up one last burst of energy to toast another day. But the message that
we must cling to is at least two-fold: tomorrow is another day. Tomorrow is a
day like every tomorrow, already warmed by the footsteps of God. Let’s stride
on.
COLLECT
Saving God, whose son Jesus was
presented in the temple and was acclaimed the glory of Israel and the light of
the nations: grant that in him we may be presented to you and in the world may
reflect his glory, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy
Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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