This year the Fourth Week of Advent is five days long. Thursday evening is Christmas Eve and Friday, Christmas.
Perhaps we can use these days to try to heighten our awareness of whatever is going on in our lives these days, and how that can bring us to Christmas. Some examples might help.
So many of us experience the ironic reality that Christmas can be the most lonely time of our lives. Some of these “mixed feelings” or “sad feelings” are difficult to recognize or name.
- For some . . . the Christmas we will celebrate this year pales in comparison to wonderful Christmases of our past - perhaps because we were younger or more “innocent” then, perhaps because some of our loved ones who were central to our Christmas are no longer living or not where I am, perhaps because the burdens and struggles of my life or the changes in our world and the war have robbed this Christmas of something that was there before.
- For some . . . Christmas will be just another day. Unable to get out and go to church to be with a faith community, and without family or friends to be with, Christmas will be a day we are tempted to ignore.
- For some . . . Christmas inevitably means family conflicts. Facing the days ahead, whether it be the last few remaining parties, or conflicting demands of family and friends, or the friend or relative who drinks too much, or maybe it is us that will drink too much – using this season is an easy excuse.
- For some . . . Christmas challenges us with terrible financial burdens. Children today become victims of the gross commercial exploitation of the day. For those of us struggling to make ends meet on a day to day basis, feeling the cultural pressure of buying for our children or grandchildren things which we can't afford, can lead us to put more debt on the credit card in ways that simply push us further and further behind.
- Some . . . might be really looking forward to Christmas, and not be aware of these struggles with Christmas, yet feel that, in spite of our best efforts to make Advent different this year, there is still something missing, and we still feel unready for Christmas.
- For all of us . . . the story behind these days can draw us in, and invite us to bring our lives to the mystery of how Jesus came into this world and why. Our best preparation for the Holy Night ahead and the Joyful Morning to follow is for us to reflect upon how he came. He came in the midst of scandal and conflict. He came in poverty. He was rejected before he was born. He was born in a feed trough. He was hunted down. And he grew up in obscurity.
Come, Lord Jesus. Come and visit your people.
We await your coming. Come, O Lord.
Now . . . think quietly and seriously about the reason for it all. We are not there yet . . . we have some serious thinking and praying to do first.
We know that December 25th is not the date of Jesus’ actual birth – in fact we have learned that date was chosen as a way to cover up a pagan festival of winter solstice. But does the date really matter? Isn’t it the event we are really focused on?
The author reminds us “it is not easy to be Christian at Christmastime. We often find ourselves out-of-step with the rest of the world. It is through this realization that we need to remind ourselves that Christianity is NOT about conforming to the world, but about transforming the world. We should often ask ourselves . . . “Am I doing this because I am a follower of Christ OR am I doing it because it’s what everyone else does?
Micah 5:2-5a
The author reminds us that there is a very human tendency to be impressed with grandeur. Even when Jesus led his disciples up to Jerusalem, they were overwhelmed by the size and magnificence of buildings – they were far beyond anything they had ever seen in Galilee.
We are often easily blown away by power and pomp and prestige – does power go with goodness or wealth equal virtue?
The Old Testament gives us God’s perspective as spoken by Micah:
As for you, Bethlehem or Ephrathah,
Though you are the least significant of Judah’s forces,
One who is to be a ruler in Israel on my behalf will come out from you (Micah 5:2).
This is but one passage of many where we see God choosing the weak rather than the strong, the small rather than the large, the unknown instead of the famous.
It appears that the early Christians began to read the Hebrew Scriptures that lit up passages never noticed before. Once they looked with their eyes opened to the life of Jesus they found verses that told them that God worked and would work through the small and insignificant.
So, Micah bids us to pay close attention to Bethlehem and Ephrathah, the “least significant,” to recognize and welcome a King whose birth lies far from the grandeur of Jerusalem or Rome.
The lives of those in Bethlehem scarcely mattered to Herod – which is why the magi found Jesus but Herod never did.
We have lots to do today that seem terribly important (places to go, packages to wrap, parties to attend) . . . but when we come to our church on Christmas day, God will be there with all the strength and love we will never find elsewhere.
Hebrews 10:5-10
We are given an opportunity to step aside (for a moment) from the rush of celebration around us and focus on the meaning and purpose of the event. What is it all about?
This passage from Hebrews sums it up perfectly . . . “I’ve come to do your will”. After everyone goes on their way . . . the angels, the shepherds, the wise men . . . we are left with baby Jesus who grows into a man who changes all life forever. Jesus has come to do God’s will – to serve God perfectly.
In order to enable Him to do that, God has “prepared a body” for Him. We call it the Incarnation. Other religions are centered on a book or a body of teaching. Christianity is centered on Jesus – God in human flesh.
It is all very well to know the Bible, but it is more important to know Jesus. Only the Incarnation bridges the gap between the divine and the human – enabling us to see and touch a body in which God is fully present among us. To do God’s will a body was necessary.
Before we get any closer to Christmas, we need to remember what the celebration is all about and examine our priorities. Christmas is often an attempt to make things right through gifts and offerings. But what God seeks is not our gifts but ourselves.
Luke 1:39-55
The Bible tells us that “money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). When we consider money important our value system is out of sync with God’s. Jesus cared nothing for money as a possession – Jesus cared about people. We learn that He was often criticized for his choice of personal relationships. He ate with public officials and sinners – He reached out to lepers – He made no distinction between Judeans and Samaritans, Jews and Gentiles.
Today’s reading highlights two obscure women – in a distant corner of the world – who are both expecting babies.
The author asks “if you were God and planned to change the world, whom would you choose?” During a time where the world was ruled by men – wouldn’t you choose a man? In a world ruled by Rome – wouldn’t you choose a Roman? Instead . . . God chose a woman, a Jewish woman, a less important woman, Mary, who became the most important woman in world history – simply because she was God’s choice. God chose her – God said “You are important to me.” She was and is important because God called her – chose her – empowered her.
Mary replied, “He has looked with favor on the low status of his servant. Look! From now on, everyone will consider me highly favored because the might one has done great things for me. Holy is his Name (Luke 1:48-49)
What comes first is: I will be who I will be – not because of power or skills or influence of any kind – but because of what God has done.
Remember we started by talking about God’s value system. If God made one like Mary important – the world’s values are undone: the mighty are put down and the unimportant are lifted up – the hungry are fed and the rich are sent away with their investments suddenly worthless. There is a new order of things – a new value system in the world – only it did not begin with Mary. Remember, God chose a tiny and insignificant people to come to know Him over centuries of time . . . and He chose an unknown young woman in a tiny country town – He chose a few fishermen from a small town – He chose a scorned tax collector.
The Bible tells us about King Herod and the Roman Emperor – not because of their importance but to give us a date reference for God’s actions through two otherwise unknown women – Elizabeth and Mary – through which He changed the history of the world beyond anything a king, an emperor, a politician or a chief executive could ever achieve.
What are God's values in the world? You – not your money, not your talent or any treasure you bring – simply because you are God’s own child – you matter – no more and no less than the two women whose story we read today.
FINAL Assignment for CHRISTMAS DAY:
- In your workbook - please read Christmas Gifts (pages 77 - 87); answer questions on pages 88 - 90.
- Read Closing Prayer on page 92
- For those following along on the blog who do not have a workbook - the Scriptures for Christmas Day are: Isaiah 9:2-7; Titus 2:11-14 and Luke 2:1-20
- The following Scriptures were submitted from the group and placed in our Advent Calendar . . . please include these as part of your daily devotional and quiet time this week of Joy:
- Galatians 3:22
- Psalm 36:5
- Mark 9:23
- James 5:13-16
MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. MAY THE LORD'S LIGHT SHINE BRIGHTLY ON YOU AS YOU CELEBRATE HIS COMING!!!