But as I
read the gospel accounts in Matthew and Luke again this Christmas season, I
noticed a few less obvious miracles woven throughout the story:
·
A sign for Zachariah: Zachariah the priest is chosen by lot to
serve in the temple (an opportunity that most likely only happened once in a
priest’s lifetime.) The angel Gabriel appears to him and tells him that his prayer
has been heard. His wife Elizabeth will
have a son in her old age, and they are to name him John. Zachariah asks Gabriel how he can be sure of
this, since he and his wife are old. In
what seems like a punishment, Gabriel tells Zachariah that he will be unable to
speak until the baby (John the Baptist) is born. It does seem to be partly a rebuke, but I also
see that it was a sign – even a gift – to Zachariah and Elizabeth. He asked for a sign and he got one! Each time he tried to speak and couldn’t he
was reminded that this miracle was really happening. The angel had really appeared to him, and
Elizabeth was in fact carrying a child who would go before the Messiah, to make
ready a people prepared for the Lord.
·
Mary and Elizabeth: After telling Mary that she had been chosen
to give birth to God’s Son, the angel Gabriel added that even her relative
Elizabeth was expecting a baby in her old age, because what is impossible with
man is possible with God! So what does
Mary do? She goes to visit the one
person that might just believe her. The
one person who was also growing a miracle in her womb, and when Mary arrives,
the baby in Elizabeth’s belly does somersaults at the sound of Mary’s
voice. And Elizabeth exclaims, “Why am I
so honored that the mother of my Lord would come to me?” What a
gift! These women gave each other the
gifts of friendship and faith, of walking with someone on an unexpected journey,
of being accepted and loved. I’m
convinced that Mary needed that, because we all need that. We need someone in our corner, cheering us
on. We need someone to believe in us,
and we need to know that we are not alone.
·
Joseph’s response to Mary: After Joseph found out that Mary was
pregnant, he decided not to subject her to public disgrace but to divorce her
quietly. Keep in mind that the only
explanation Joseph would have had as to how Mary conceived was that she had
been with another man. He must have felt
betrayed and hurt. I am struck by how
gracious Joseph was. Scripture tells us
that Joseph responded this way because he was a righteous man. He wasn’t self-righteous, like when we think
we are better than someone or condemn them for what they have done. He didn’t want to retaliate or hurt Mary in
response. Because he was righteous, he
was concerned with doing what was right in God’s eyes, not in his own. God is gracious. With God all things are possible, and Joseph
would come to realize that God had done something no one could ever have
imagined – something so impossible and amazing, it would take more signs and
angels and dreams to convince him. But
instead of his heart being hard with self-righteousness, it was tender and
gracious. Tender, gracious hearts are ready to do what’s right in God’s eyes.
·
The manger was a sign:
Luke
2:8-12 And there were shepherds living out in the fields
nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them,
and the glory of
the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause
great joy
for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This
will be a sign to
you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
The manger was not only a make-shift crib for
baby Jesus since there was no room for the little family in the guest house –
it was a sign for the shepherds. It was
how they would recognize the baby when they found him.
16-20 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph,
and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word
concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the
shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and
pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising
God for all the things they had heard and seen, which
were just as they had been told.
And
the manger became a sign to all who heard about the child, and to Mary, who
listened and treasured up all these things in her heart. The shepherds found Jesus just as they had
been told. And every sign and wonder
compelled them to believe.
·
Jesus was born into a troubled world like
ours: Our world seems to be coming
unhinged. I’m almost afraid to turn the
news on in the morning because too often the headlines are filled with mass shootings,
racial violence and terrorist attacks. We
long for safety and peace, but in so many parts of our world there is poverty
and war, violence and evil. Jesus was
born into a hostile, troubled world.
When he was just a baby, his parents fled with him to Egypt because Herod
was killing all the baby boys less than two years old. Can you even imagine? They lived as refugees until Herod died and then
moved to Nazareth. This was a tumultuous
beginning for a new, young family. And
as an adult, Jesus began his ministry amid oppression and corruption. His own cousin, John the Baptist, was beheaded
in prison, his head presented on a platter to Herod Jr.’s wife (who had
requested the brutal murder.)
T
The people were looking for a King, for someone
to deliver them from oppression and make things right. Jesus introduced a kingdom not of this world,
He gave up His life to make us right with God, and He promises a day when
everything will be made right.
The Christmas story – and the Easter story – are filled with
signs and wonders, fulfilled prophesies and rich symbolism, and it’s all for
us. Every detail is given for us, so
that we will be amazed and filled with wonder, and so that, most importantly,
we will believe in the One who came
to rescue us from darkness and bring us back to God.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;
He is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11
2 comments:
Thanks for reminding us that God not only works in big ways but also in the small, almost unnoticeable ways.
Very insightful. Thank you for your gift of writing. Love you.
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