Although we may think that the biggest news events in the world have all occurred in the last generation, all of them seem to pale into insignificance in the light of the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ. If you have ever dared to imagine a news event that could possibly overshadow the landing of the first man on the moon, then God’s announcement that He was about to set foot on earth certainly fits into that category.

Of course, if modern advertising agencies had been given the brief for this event they would have bombarded us with constant thirty-second promotions on TV and plastered posters on  billboards all around the world. The newspapers would have run feature ads and radio talk back hosts would have discussed it for weeks.

However, when God sent His Son as the savior of the world, the Bible records it in a most understated way. As Luke tells the story, it takes place in the most unlikely circumstances. One scholar wasn’t exaggerating when he said, “the story of the Virgin Birth is about an astounding happening taking place in a ‘nobody’, in a ‘nothing town’, in the middle of nowhere.”

Why would someone make such an observation? The answer to that question is found in the fact that the angel Gabriel made a special appearance to a thirteen or fourteen year old girl called Mary in a town called Nazareth. Not only was Mary very young by our standards, but she came from an entirely forgettable location. Nazareth is hardly known in pre-Christian writings. The only reason we even know about it is because Jesus grew up there. It was a rundown, half-way stop between the ports of Tyre and Sidon, and Nathaniel wasn’t kidding when he said to Phillip, “Nazareth? Can anything good come out of that hole?” Nazareth was hardly a blue-ribbon Jewish electorate, having been overrun by Gentiles and Romans in previous centuries.  Martin Luther understood Luke’s point in mentioning Mary and Nazareth when he said, “God might have gone to Jerusalem and picked out the high priest’s daughter who was fair and rich… But God preferred a lowly maid from a mean town.”

Why does Luke focus on the fact that Mary was a common girl in an unknown town?  Surely his point is that God comes to needy sinners – people who know that they are weak and have nothing to boast about. Neither Mary nor Nazareth had anything to commend them. Yet Nazareth was a place where needy people lived, and God, in his infinite wisdom, sent Jesus to such a place to confound the wisdom of this world.

]]> http://ashfieldpresbyterian.org.au/2009/01/28/picture-gallery/feed/ 0 http://ashfieldpresbyterian.org.au/2008/12/03/welcome/ http://ashfieldpresbyterian.org.au/2008/12/03/welcome/#comments Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:39:37 +0000 Admin http://ashfieldpresbyterian.org.au/?p=15 Sundays are special at Ashfield.

We would love to have you visit us at Ashfield Presbyterian Church on a Sunday morning or evening for one of our Services. The church family comes together to meet God.

We focus on Jesus Christ, particularly His death for our sins, His rising from the dead, and what He’s still doing in the world. We come to listen to God’s Word, and to respond to Him in prayer and praise.

But there’s a second focus too. We come to encourage one another in our life of faith. Being a Christian is not always easy in today’s world. Our beliefs are always under challenge. And God’s call to serve Him is often a tough assignment.

So we come to listen to one another and encourage each other. As we meet, especially over coffee or tea after the Service, we build friendships and encourage one another to grow in our relationship with Jesus.

The Preaching Of The Word.

“My son, if sinners entice you do not give in to them. If they say, ‘Come along with us’ … do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths.” (Proverbs 1:10, 11, 15)

Peer pressure is something everyone faces regardless of age. Here in the book of Proverbs Solomon warns young people in particular of its subtle influence and power over us. But it is not only young people who need to be warned about peer pressure. Older and wiser heads can succumb to it too.

Albert Speer was a German intellectual who became Hitler’s armaments minister in the Third Reich. Speer was not your typical Nazi. He seems to have been lured into the Nazi Party by Hitler’s impressive rhetoric and the sight of others being drawn to him. He felt that he was on the verge of some gigantic and alluring force which he wanted to be part of. He joined the party and, on his own admission, switched off all his critical faculties: “I denied my past … My inclination to be relieved of having to think, particularly about unpleasant facts, helped to sway the balance.”

But it was Speer’s desire for acceptance that proved to be his undoing. Invited into the inner circle of senior Nazi officialdom, Speer enjoyed the privileges of being part of the inner ring. He tells of how once Hitler gave him his own dinner jacket to wear with the gold badge of the Fuhrer’s sovereignty on it. “Here, wear this for a while!” he said. Evidently Speer enjoyed the experience and reveled in being part of such a powerful and privileged group. Sucked into the higher echelons of Nazism, he felt it was impossible to escape even though he witnessed all its contradictions and violence.

Why did Speer get sucked into Nazism? For the same reason that you and I allow ourselves to come under the influence of others: peer pressure, or as the Bible puts it, “the fear of man.” True, we can be avowed worshippers of the Lord; but it’s also possible to have an underlying fear of what others may know about us or may be able to do to us.

The ‘fear of man’ can express itself in many different ways. Some people are genuinely afraid of others and believe that they have power to injure them. Others hold someone in awe because of some special ability or influence that he or she may have. Frequently we allow people to control or master us. Others of us just have a special longing to be needed, which at its heart is ‘the fear of man’.

Jesus says that the only way to conquer the fear of man is to drive it out by a greater love and fear for God. This is how we beat peer pressure.

God has blessed Ashfield Presbyterian with many talented and gifted singers and musicians. Music at Ashfield ranges from traditional Wesley style hymns found in the Rejoice hymn book to more contemporary songs from publishers such as  Emu Music Australia.