Reflection

Among the late Sir Arthur C Clarke’s many stories, one of the most thought provoking is his 1953 novel Childhood’s End, in which he explores people’s reactions to discovering that the human race has reached an evolutionary dead end and there will be no more births. The final generation of children is so unlike their parents psychologically that they have to be separated from them for their own protection. The adults react in different ways: some more emotional, some more rational; and readers are left to ponder how they themselves might react to such a situation.

Children are born in almost every imaginable human situation: from the safety and security of a well-resourced hospital or comfortable home, to the precariousness and danger of a natural disaster area or war zone. Luke’s Gospel describes Jesus’ own birth as taking place in far from ideal circumstances. Whatever the situation, however, we can choose to celebrate the birth of any child as a renewal of hope; a divine promise that – no matter how badly we may have messed up our own lives, the lives of others and even the planet as a whole – God has not given up on us, either as individuals or as a species.

This response can be understood as an aspect of faith in God’s ultimate omnipotence: not the simplistic notion that ‘God can do anything’, which leads us into endless arguments about why bad things happen, but the trust that no matter how bad things become, God’s purposes for us are never finally defeated. Sin and death never have the last word against love and life.

Luke is believed to have been a doctor, and today’s Gospel reading suggests that he had thought deeply about childbirth. Joseph and Mary bring Jesus to the Temple with hearts full of gratitude for his safe delivery and full of hope for his life. The response they receive from Anna and Simeon affirms their joy and thankfulness, and goes further to assert that Jesus will be the one through whom God brings redemption to Jerusalem – whose very name means ‘Vision of Peace’ – and salvation to Jew and Gentile alike. But Mary is also warned that this will be no quick fix, no easy ride.

If we truly want a better future for the world’s children, we have to be ready to embrace the sacrifices which that future requires.

 

Prayer

Loving God,
you never give up on us,
but renew your purposes in the birth of every child;
help us by your Holy Spirit
to present ourselves to you afresh,
as your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ was presented to you in the Temple,
and make us willing to embrace the cost of walking with him
on the path that leads us and all your children
to peace, justice and joy.
Amen.

 

Robert Beard is a freelance writer and Church of England priest.

 

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