From the Christmas Day lectionary, one of the options (Isaiah 9)…
“9:4 For the yoke of their burden, and the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.
9:5 For all the boots of the tramping warriors and all the garments rolled in blood shall be burned as fuel for the fire.
9:6 For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
As we look forward to celebrating Jesus, and remembering God’s promises to the Israelites which I now see fulfilled in him, maybe it’s worth thinking who now is living under that burden, the rod of the oppressor, who fears the sound of the tramping warriors? There are people on every continent oppressed by occupying forces, or by their own governments, or by violent people who know they can get away with it.
Consider in your own mind
who is oppressed, subject to violence:
think of examples you know about
from anywhere in the world…
…and pray for change.
Last night I watched half of “The Death of Stalin”. I found it too chilling to be funny. Yet I had no problem with the violent bits of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I don’t know why. Maybe the death of Stalin was too close to home. Maybe the behaviours on display were too much like the behaviour of our non-violent, democratic leaders. Maybe it’s because Russian imperialism is still a threat. America got it wrong – the problem with government in Russia was never socialism, it was always imperialism – to say nothing of the occasionally resurfacing habit of killing dissidents (although thankfully now in smaller numbers). Not that either of those tendencies is confined to Russia. Lots of leaders would do it if they could. Plus Russia itself is a brilliant nation in many ways.