Advent Message: God Comes to Unexpected Places
from 12/05/2020 Tallahassee Democrat
by Jack A. Stroman, Guest columnist
It all happened, when nearby shepherds were living in the fields, several miles from Bethlehem, guarding their sheep by night. The Lord’s angel stood before them. The Lord’s glory shone around them and they were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord bringing good news to you.
"You will find a new born baby wrapped snugly lying in a manger". Suddenly, there was a great assembly of heavenly host with the angels praising God and singing: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace".
How odd of God that the message of the birth of Jesus was not given to Herod in his palace in Jerusalem, nor Caesar Augustus on his mighty throne in Rome. You would have thought this message would have first hit the AP wires, along with the great papers in Rome, Athens, Corinth, Alexandria and Jerusalem.
What went wrong with Gabriel’s public relations? The great and important people in the world’s centers of power and politics did not receive advance notice.
Why? Because it was God’s intention to first send to the poor shepherds of the fields, the message of Jesus’ birth.
God comes to unexpected places. These shepherds, who were looking after their lambs, were the first people to arrive at the manger to see the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29).
It all began when Jesus was born in the obscure village of Bethlehem in an out-of-the-way place in the Judean hills. Amid the poverty of this setting Jesus’ birth took place. As a newborn Jesus was placed in a feeding trough among animals in a barn. No elaborate preparations were made for his birth. Jesus was born on the run. He was born to a young couple, Mary and Joseph.
Alan Culpepper writes, “This story of the birth of Christ is a new kind of king. The birth reveals a new world order, a world not under Caesar, but under the direction of God’s design for the redemption for all people. In this world, God’s Word is first to be heard by the humble. There is a place even for shepherds. There is hope for the oppressed and those who heard what God is doing were filled with joy. God has not forgotten us or abandoned us to the brokenness we have created. The Story of Christmas, therefore, is both an announcement of hope and a call for new life.”
The departure of the angels leaves the spotlight on the shepherds.
The prayer that made it happen
When the angel Gabriel first appeared to Mary he said, “Greeting!” Now all of this comes together and culminates in this moment, when an angel stands before her, answering all of her questions, as she and all the angelic host and even God are waiting to see what Mary will do. Will she say yes?
Mary wonders how all of this can happen since she has no relations with a man. She does what Mary normally does in a situation like this. She “ponders” all of these things in her heart. After her struggle she prayed one of the most signification prayers in all of the New Testament. Mary said: “YES, Here I am, the servant of the Lord, let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38).
Now the Messiah will be born —the angel Gabriel left — his task is accomplished.
Magrey deVega writes, “Mary’s single act of obedience was the lynchpin that created a series of faithful actions by everyone else in the birth narrative. Jesus was, therefore, born into a family in which submission to God was in the DNA. Mary exhibited it, Joseph demonstrated it, and Jesus himself eventually embodied it on the cross. When it came to learning obedience, Jesus was born into good earthly stock and it all started with Mary.”
The incarnation — God with us
The incarnation stands as Mary’s greatest achievement, forming the heart of the biblical narrative of deliverance and hope. Through the birth of her child, God is with us, because God entered the real world of flesh and blood. The Word became flesh and dwells among us full of grace and truth. “We affirm this every time we recite the words of the creed, “born of the virgin Mary.”
Biblical scholar, Gail O’ Day recognizes that in John 1:14, the “Word becomes flesh,” is a decisive event in human history. It means that we human beings can see, hear, and know God In ways never before possible. The incarnation means that God chooses to live with us, in the midst of human weakness, confusion and pain. The “Word becoming flesh” is the binding of Jesus to the “everydayness” of our human experience. This is the heart of the Christmas story!
What do the words of Christmas mean to the broken, forsaken, and shattered lives among us? It means that Jesus has come to pick up the broken pieces to make life whole and meaningful. Then all those fears about an uncertain future will give way to hope and peace when Jesus says to you this Advent: “Come to me, ALL who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart, and you will find rest for your souls, my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
The good news on this second Advent Sunday is that the Light of the World is coming. Not because our lives are perfect and our fears are gone. But the Light of the World is coming because God’s promises are true. Come thou long expected Jesus born to set thy people free.