Unwrapping Christmas Part II

“And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” (Luke 2:20).

She saw it. The glances. The deriding sneers. Whispers not whispered. She looked up to the man swaying on the camel, his robes displaying wealth despite the travel dust. Was he aware? The beggar at the gate even looked askance at their grand retinue. “Gentile pigs.” She, a Gentile slave girl, ducked closer to her master’s shadow as if she could gain protection from the heat of the stares. Stares that razed even their riches and grandeur to the dust.

Passersby stopped and discussed. What were they doing there? Foreigners. Pagans. Magi, a job forbidden in the Bible. Their predecessors, the enemies of Daniel and all faithful Jews. Not welcome. Enemies. Dark scowls.

"Star in the East" by Brian Jekel

Surprise that they were there. But greater surprise: God smiled on them in a star. The little Gentile slave girl (three counts against her in Jewish eyes) was smiled upon and welcomed. They are part of the Christmas story—something we’ve heard so many times we lose the shock of God writing them into the story. The least expected are invited.  

                *             *             *

Another night. Another nothing. Another nobody. The boy kicked another stone. Watching nothing. The only sound was the sheep’s quiet grazing murmur. Nothing to talk about with his family. Already said all. Nothing more. He glanced up at his father, grey haired, wrinkled by the wind and sun. Twenty years from now, he’d look the same. Shepherding was his future; shepherding was him. Nothing more.

No surprise. But surprise: God broke in on the humdrum nothingness. Angels of radiant light, messengers of glory to a group of blue collar workers.

                *             *             *

The unexpected rich. The unexpected prostitute. The unexpected nobody. To them the Christ child was revealed. It was the wise, the learned, the studied Pharisees who did not know the day of their visitation, the day of God’s theophany in Jesus Christ (Lk. 19:44; see note 1). It is a theme I’ve heard many times before—God goes to the poor. But take a moment. Do I really believe that? Do I live like that?

If I believe that, it means there is no black sheep of the family, no person too broken, no marriage too far gone, no heart too hard that the Spirit cannot touch. Yes—there are black sheep and hearts that are too hard for us to reach. But that is us. God is the God of sending stars to hated Middle Eastern magi and leaders. God is the God of sending the brightest army of glorious angels to the most common nobodies. God is the God who heals the ones that doctors gave up on years ago (Mark 5:25-34).

Our experience, our familiarity with the Christmas story, causes us to lose hope. But unwrap the gift of hope, of childlike expectation again. Not a futile wish or a conjure-it-up-yourself hope. We sometimes feel like if we just believed harder, or if we were more optimistic, or if we had a better perspective then maybe.... But don’t look at yourself or your own ability. Look to Christ, and that wonder will flow naturally out of your vision of him. Christ gives hope—in his person but also in the manner of his coming. God’s Spirit is powerful enough. God’s love is great enough. God’s surprises are enough. Even when logic, reason, circumstances, experience, the world all ridicule hopeful expectation, we have a God who shows up to do the impossible (Mat. 19:27; Lk. 1:37; Lk. 18:27).

 ***How are you discouraged? Losing hope? Giving up? How does Christ speak into that? Ask him to encourage you and to give you that childlike expectation in him!

It also means that if I believe that, I will see myself in a new light. I will unwrap the gift of weakness. Who am I? I am the magi, an outsider and enemy of God. I am the shepherd boy, the nobody. I am the prostitute, caught in spiritual adultery. I am the foolish, weak, low, despised, a nothing, the poor in spirit, for it is these who God calls (1 Cor. 1:26-31; Mat. 5:3). It is the unexpected that God shows up, and sometimes I can begin to feel that I was expected, deserving. Good grades. Good girl. Talented. Gifted. I try hard.

But, oh my Jesus, all these are gifts from you. Forgive me for how I boast in other things than you. Forgive me for how hard it is sometimes to accept my own weakness. For all that I have is yours, and for you. I go to church and I weep because I am reminded of who I really was—nothing, nobody, despised. And I am reminded of who I really am now—crowned in Christ. May I never, ever, ever forget how weak and nobody I am, so that I will ever boast in Christ, for his grace in me was not without effect (1 Cor. 1:26-31; Eph. 2:8-9; 1 Cor. 15:9-10).

Unwrap the gift of weakness—and unwrap the gift of secure joy. For if all I have is not from me but from the God of all power, what can rob me? My standing before him is secure in Christ, as secure as the eternal God eternally timelessly-loved-loves-will-love his eternal Son. Unwrap the gift of glory, for then Christ gets all the praise.

"The Promise" by Morgan Weistling

***How do you see yourself? How do you approach God? Do you find yourself having difficulty living in your weakness--why?

***Do you see yourself as one of the unexpected? How does that bring joy?

***And there are two sides; I’ve concentrated on the side of weakness. But in Christ then, we have the kingdom of God, we are given his authority and his power. How does that speak to you as well? How do you live in the tension of the two—our inherent weakness and our alien authority of Christ?

Christ reaches to the darkest corners, reveals himself to the unexpected at unexpected times. This is our God. No darkness in your life or in a loved one’s life is too dark for Christ the Morning Star. No one is too far away, even the foreign wise man for Christ the King of the World. No situation is too hopeless for Christ the Hope of Glory. We, in our weakness, are his for his glory. Unwrap hope, weakness, joy, and glory.

NOTE

(1) The Greek word for “visitation” in Luke 19:44 is the same word in the Greek Septuagint (so I’ve been told) for God’s appearing. Jesus is making it clear that he himself is God visiting.