12.25.2012
THE PROBLEM
Centuries of prophets had looked ahead – telling of God's promise of redemption – telling of not the possibility, but the actuality of God sending one who would redeem – save – change the fate not just of Israel, but of the world.
The people of Israel had always had a unique view of themselves and their God. Through the generations, they understood that they had been chosen by God – the God, the One and Only, Creator of the Universe, True God above all Gods, King of All Kings. This God has singled out and selected Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, their ancestors – and, by the way, he singled out and selected Sarah, and Rebecca, and Rachel as well. Without the women, the men would have quickly been forgotten.
These people Israel, saw history, world events, as being controlled by this One God. If things went well for them, things would go well for the world. If things went poorly for them, things went poorly for the world.
The problem, any time human beings feel as though they have been singled out for a special purpose, they tend to begin lose focus on that purpose and begin focusing only on themselves. We are a chosen people . . . we are special in the midst of the nations . . . and so the ideas tend to go.
The problem that leads from this problem is that when we begin to focus on ourselves instead of on the God who has called us, we tend to lose sight of our purpose, and just lose out in general. We begin to think that God's interest is in helping us, saving us, and only us.
What God means as a promise to redeem, we begin to think of as a promise to restore worldly greatness. He wants to make us great. A promise to restore a relationship with humankind becomes expectations that are self-serving, and self-interpreted.
THE PROMISE
This was the Light come into the world . . . This was the Prince of Peace, the Mighty Counselor - - this was the Anointed one – the Messiah – the Christ – the king after David's throne – the one that so many waited for.
Jeshua was actually a fairly common name in first century – people were hungry for God to save. Joshua – Jesus – God saves – a reminder that they were waiting.
While Jesus' birth was expected, the reality of it was not what people had planned for. Other would-be messiahs had come leading rebellions – trying to restore Israel as a nation.
So imagine the scene:
We're in the stable . . well, let's just stop right there. A stable? Most likely a dug-out cave behind a home where livestock and the donkeys of guests might have stayed. As Adam Hamilton puts it, in the 1st century equivalent of a modern day parking garage.
How is this fitting of the start of a rebellion. Show us a scene that is a bit more grand – the birth of a son to a regional governor – perhaps a military general, or at least a leading merchant. We know that no one without some power base is not going to get far.
Starting out the story of God's rebellion in a simple stable is not the way to begin!
Add insult to injury – put this expected child – the holy one, in a feed trough. Not a comfortable bed, not a warm room, not even a modicum of indication that we're going to try to keep things clean.
Set aside the location – his parents – A poor, migrant carpenter and his young wife. Transients. Probably took the two pennies he did have to rub together just to make the journey with his wife to Bethlehem. What kind of unstable, uncertain foundation is this for someone to be considered the King of kings?
And then there are the shepherds – seriously? These are the ones we want to herald in a king? Shepherds were the lowest on the socio-economic scale – they were not the ones you would go to in a pinch. They smelled like sheep, they were out all night, and they normally were responsible for someone else's sheep.
Perhaps one of the most shocking things is that the gospels wish for us to see them as witnesses to a story that we want people to believe. If we wanted to gather people together in the court of public opinion, we were want to gether those that were most trustworthy – those seen as most reliable in the community – most likely for other people to believe. Enough of this story stands to question – why can we have more upstanding witnesses to the event?
THE PURPOSE
But then again, maybe that was the point. God's purpose was not to come and re-establish an earthly kingdom – as in the time of Saul, and David, and Solomon. In fact – remembering back on those 'great times,' should be a reminder that God did not want a king, but Israel wanted a king. Establishing the line of Kings in Israel was actually one of the dividing points between Israel's history, and God's desire for Israel. Perhaps not having this child become an earthy king, in part, was God's way of re-establishing not an earthly kingdom, but one where He, God, in Jesus, is now ruling.
Perhaps that was the point – maybe God didn't want palaces and wealth and power. All of these things would have been distractions. Human beings tend to build ourselves great collections of possessions, tend to desire more prestige, and always want just a little bit more. God wasn't going to begin the greatest part of his story based on the temporary foundation of the human power grid. Wealth and power and prestige are shifting things – built by human culture, fear, and inhumanity - - not based in love, and joy, and peace, and hope.
And this was the point – Maybe God wanted Jesus to have these humble, transient, hand-to-mouth kinds of people because they understood humility. They understood what it was to rely on God. God wasn't just a nice thing to do when you had time, God was the very life-giving, essential to every day survival. The Grace and Blessings of God are not in the physical, world-wealthy accumulation of things, but rather in the undying belief that we will have what we need for tomorrow because we are loved by a God who provides. Firm faith in God is rooted more in our lack of things, than in an abundance of the unnecessary. Joseph and Mary were likely not able to offer comforts and conveniences, but rather faith, hope, and the love in This Amazing Grace.
And maybe this was the point – the shepherds were invited to be witness to this event for the exact same reason that it didn't surprise them. The angels were a surprise – the light and the praising of God – and the unexpected presence of a heavenly messenger – these were a surprise. But chances are, you didn't need to explain to the shepherds where their place in the world was. Most likely, the ones at the bottom know that they are there. And yet, none of them stop on their flight to Bethlehem and say – "Whoa guys, let's think this through – why would God send angels to us?" They didn't leave the stable and go get others who were more reputable to come and see.
There was something about the scene – the praising angels, the loving mother, the watchful father – there was something that just told them, "This is it!" Something about the situation helped them not only believe, but also to be overjoyed in sharing this with others. God events don't require earthly witnesses to make them true. God uses the witnesses that are present to extend the message of what he is doing – showing his Grace and Love to the world, not just the culturally and socially elite, or acceptable.
We don't know the specific time of Jesus' birth, or the shepherd's visit, or how long they stayed. Did they leave the stable in the middle of the night? Just as dawn broke? We don't know – but we do know that as they left, they ran. They shouted. They told everyone that they saw the good news – the best news. Their witness wasn't based on pedigree or political corrected-ness. They were credentialed through their presence in the birthing suite of God.
And this is the point. When we hear the story of the birth of Christ, we open ourselves up to recognizing the depth of God's love. He willingly leave himself vulnerable as a child – without allowing for any assistance from the start.
As God called the people of Israel to be his people, established not for their own benefit, but for the purpose of redeeming the world, he calls us now – sending Jesus to help us hear – to be his people, his redemptive agents – bringing the kingdom of the Christmas babe to reality through the love, joy, peace and hope that could only be seen in the humbleness and purity of the scene by the manger.
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