Patrick Comerford
On the Eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me … ‘eleven pipers piping, ten lords a-leaping, nine ladies dancing, eight maids a-milking, seven swans a-swimming, six geese a-laying, five golden rings, four colly birds, three French hens, two turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree’.
We are still in the season of Christmas, which is a 40-day season that lasts not until Epiphany (6 January), which some parishes may celebrate tomorrow, but until Candlemas or the Feast of the Presentation (2 February).
If the threatened snowstorm holds off this morning I may get to the Greek Café (Το Στεκι Μασ, ‘Our Place’) which is hosted by the Greek Orthodox Community in Stony Stratford every first Saturday of the month from 10:30 to 3 pm in the Swinfen Harris Church Hall beside the Orthodox Church on London Road. But, before today begins, I am taking some quiet time this morning to give thanks, to reflect, to pray and to read in these ways:
1, today’s Gospel reading;
2, a short reflection;
3, a prayer from the USPG prayer diary;
4, the Collects and Post-Communion prayer of the day.
John 1: 35-42 (NRSVA):
35 The next day John again was standing with two of his disciples, 36 and as he watched Jesus walk by, he exclaimed, ‘Look, here is the Lamb of God!’ 37 The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Jesus. 38 When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ 39 He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. 40 One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (which is translated Anointed) 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).
‘Eleven pipers piping’ … a lone piper busking at Waverley Bridge in Edinburgh (Photograph: Patrick Comerford)Today’s Reflection:
The Christian interpretation of the song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ often sees the 11 pipers piping as figurative representations of the 11 faithful disciples, counting out Judas: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot and Jude.
It is interesting that when artists depict the pipers piping they seem to opt for Scottish pipers or pipers in military bands, but never draw on the pipes of church organs.
In this morning’s Gospel reading at the Eucharist (John 1: 35-42), immediately after his baptism by Saint John the Baptist in the River Jordan, Christ begins calling his first disciples. First, he calls Andrew and Simon Peter. Andrew is called first, but before responding to the call to follow Christ, he goes back and fetches his brother Simon and brings him to Jesus.
Andrew and Peter are brothers, but their names indicate the early differences and divisions within the Church. Andrew’s name is Greek ('Ανδρέας, Andreas), meaning ‘manly’ or ‘valorous,’ while Peter’s original name, Simon (שמעון, Shimon) is so obviously Jewish, meaning ‘hearing’.
It is the same again later in this chapter with Philip and Nathanael: Philip is a strong Greek name – everyone in the region knew Philip of Macedon was the father of Alexander the Great; Nathanael’s name is a Hebrew compound meaning ‘the Gift of God.’
It is as though we are being reminded from the very beginning, with the story of the call of the disciples, the diversity and divisions are part of the essential fabric of the Church. They are woven into that fabric, even in the names that show that the disciples represent both Jews and Greeks, the Hebrew-speakers and those who are culturally Hellenised.
In reacting to those false divisions in the early Church, the Apostle Paul tells us: ‘There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus’ (Galatians 3: 28; see Colossians 3: 11).
Christ’s call came to the first disciples as a diverse group of people, from diverse backgrounds, often – as with Philip and Nathanael – when they were least expecting it. But they responded to that call faithfully: Andrew went and fetched Simon Peter; Philip found Nathanael.
There are challenging times ahead in this new year, but this Gospel reading also offers us some challenges:
How do we recover the vision of the Church as a place of refuge and a celebration of diversity and difference that reflects our hopes for the kingdom of God?
Are we inspired with enough infectious enthusiasm to want to be like Andrew who goes back for Peter, Philip who goes back for Nathanael?
In the Kingdom of God, diversity and difference are not just a matter of tolerance, they are part of the very nature of Christ’s will for the Church.
In the Church, no brother – or sister – should be left behind because of diversity or difference.
How do we move beyond the tolerance of diversity to respect for diversity and then on to the point of rejoicing in diversity as a gift in the Church, so that truly, as the Apostle Paul tells us: ‘There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus’?
Today’s Prayers (Saturday 4 January 2025):
The theme this week in ‘Pray With the World Church’, the Prayer Diary of the Anglican mission agency USPG (United Society Partners in the Gospel), has been ‘We Believe, We Belong: Nicene Creed’. This theme was introduced last Sunday by Dr Paulo Ueti, Theological Advisor and Regional Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean, USPG.
The USPG Prayer Diary today (Saturday 4 January 2025) invites us to pray:
Father, in a time of climate crisis, may we act boldly and compassionately, living out the faith we proclaim by caring for your world. As we affirm our belief in Christ, let our actions reflect His love for all of creation.
The Collect:
Almighty God,
who wonderfully created us in your own image
and yet more wonderfully restored us
through your Son Jesus Christ:
grant that, as he came to share in our humanity,
so we may share the life of his divinity;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
Heavenly Father,
whose blessed Son shared at Nazareth the life of an earthly home:
help your Church to live as one family,
united in love and obedience,
and bring us all at last to our home in heaven;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Additional Collect:
God in Trinity,
eternal unity of perfect love:
gather the nations to be one family,
and draw us into your holy life
through the birth of Emmanuel,
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Collect on the Eve of Christmas II:
Almighty God,
in the birth of your Son
you have poured on us the new light of your incarnate Word,
and shown us the fullness of your love:
help us to walk in his light and dwell in his love
that we may know the fullness of his joy;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Yesterday’s Reflection
Continued Tomorrow
A traditional icon of the Twelve Apostles: Andrew is in the middle of icon as the first-called of the Twelve; Peter is second from the left in the front row, facing the Apostle Paul; Philip and Nathanael (Bartholomew) are in the middle row, first and second from the leftScripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
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