If there is any time of the year when we would wish to be free from politics, surely it is Christmas. Just for a few days we can forget about the political impasse in Northern Ireland, the intricacies and impossibilities of an agreed response to Brexit, and even the most devastating and unfair of political regimes in the troubled parts of our world.
And yet, the first Christmas is pervaded and even moulded by the world of politics. The nativity story in Luke’s Gospel begins in the seat of power in the Roman Empire: ‘In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world….’. And everyone went to their own town to register’. A decision made by distant politicians in Rome leads to a pregnant Mary and her husband–to–be Joseph, making the 90–mile journey to Joseph’s hometown of Bethlehem. There is no public transport, no NHS to take care of Mary and the newborn child, and not even a B&B to book in to. And yet, amazingly, our God is in total control of the situation in ways we can only see with hindsight, as he brings about the fulfilment of prophecy and the birth of the Saviour of the world.
But, even then, the world of politics – in this case very cruel politics – continues to feature. St Matthew tells us: ‘After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judaea, during the time of King Herod, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem….’. They had come to see the one who was born to be ‘king of the Jews’. That didn’t please King Herod, who was certain that he was the only king of the Jews! He determined to do everything in his power to remove this challenge to his authority, right down to killing all the young male children in the vicinity of Bethlehem. But even with that, he could not get rid of Jesus.
Political systems and regimes come and go. They may at times be frustrating, challenging, demanding and even threatening. But the message of Christmas is that the God of the Universe is not out of control. His purposes still move forward, and the power of love, incarnate in that little and vulnerable babe of Bethlehem is that only thing that is truly lasting and eternal.
Pray for our rulers and politicians this Christmas, that they may know that thy are only servants of the King of Kings, and that they are here, not for their own sake, but for the sake of the whole community, and pray that, this coming year, God would bring us all to a place of peace and flourishing.
Bishop Harold Miller of Down and Dromore
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