Life and Light Came Down

 John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

God knows how slow we are to get it.  John, writing many years after the other Gospel writers, zooms out from the couple in the stable to a heavenly perspective to show us what it looks like from God's viewpoint. He was sending His Son with life and light into our dark world to show us the way back to Him. He had been watching for centuries, fully concerned with His creation, seeing the darkness spread and the curse of sin take its toll.  He was giving the light and night we needed, watching to see how He would be received. His impact was and still is greater than any meteor, and is yet what was needed then is now needed all the more. 

Glory to God for His Gift!

Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest,
    and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

This army of angels announces not war, but peace.  God is sending His Ambassador, this Baby, to offer terms of peace with God.  He is His glory, His plan.  Lest we get the wrong idea about this phrase "with whom he is pleased," the idea is not that man has been so good God is sending them rewards, but that God is offering a gracious gift because He is good and loving and giving.  It also implies that not everyone will receive this gift. He is being offered to those who will lovingly receive Him and accept Him as God's offer of peace.  

All Signs Point to Christ

Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

Signs are interesting things - in life and in scripture.  Often people demanded signs: like the Israelites, Pharoah and his magicians, and the religious leaders in Jesus' day.  But when God chose to give signs - especially about His Savior/Deliverer/Messiah, they were clear and somewhat startling. Everyone was looking for a great powerful leader to arise and save the day; God sent a Baby - in of all places, a lowly manger.  This became the talk of the town, and the world. Who would have thought? Thankfully, that is the way God works: in far more wonderful ways than we could imagine. But He also points the way, gives the signs, and they point to Christ as the Way. 

Not a Hallmark Movie...

Luke 2:8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

In the West, we have very much romanticized the Incarnation account into a warm, fuzzy movie.  It was not. It was hard reality. The shepherds were working the midnight shift, facing the dangers of thieves and wild animals. They were scared to death by something even more overwhelming: the glory of the Lord and the shining messenger who interrupted their quiet lives. They were "sore" afraid: their fear hurt - they "feared a great fear!" With all that, this messenger better have something good to say - and he did. His announcement off Good News is what they needed to hear, what we need to hear. It was not a sugar-coated message: "you guys need a Savior," and He's here. Thankfully, this is a live action thriller, and not some romantic comedy.

Not a Random Act

 

Matthew 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us) 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus..

As we watch the Incarnation of Christ unfold, we find very importantly that it was not some thrown-together plan. God had been working on it before man could remember.  It was so important - so necessary, that nothing was left to "chance." Salvation hung in the balance. Though humans had to be in the plan for it to be effective, we wonder even at the involvement of Joseph and Mary. But God allowed it and even insisted on it.  In short, God knows what He is doing and purposely does it for our good. What Good News it is that Immanuel has come!

No Ordinary Joe

Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Joseph is a very interesting character in the incarnation narrative. At first glance one might think he was a helpless pawn in the plot, just being used for convenience.  But he actually had a very active role to play. He had choices; he had character; he had compassion; he was a man who considered what he was doing.  He chose to follow the Lord's basic commands as well as the specific ones given through the angel. He took care of Mary and Jesus to the best of his ability. He willingly served God and waited for His will.  God calls on us to follow in suit. Our calling will not be the specific one he had here, but it us just as important for our lives and the lives of those around us. 

Is There Room?

Luke 2:6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

We looked yesterday at Joseph and his willingness to accept God's plan above his own, which allowed him to be a part of the most wonderful event in human history: the incarnation of Christ.  These next two verses focus more on Mary and her new Child.  This was most likely not how she envisioned her first taste of motherhood - banned to the barn because of the crowd inside.  It was in a sense the first taste of rejection she and the Child would experience in this adventure. It also sets the tone for His lifetime of ministry: many would find no room for Him in their schedules, their lives, their hearts. Advent forces us to ask that question: "Is there room in my life for Him?" If not, there will be no room for us in His house.

Fitting Our Plans with God's Plan

 

Luke 2: 1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.

Joseph planned on marrying Mary. He loved her and wanted her as wife.  It involved a lot of planning on his part: arranging the marriage with her family, going back to prepare a place for them, and making this unwanted trek to Bethlehem to register, pay taxes, and let the empire know who they were and where they lived.  It was a lot.  Things did not turn out to be easy: explaining how Mary came to be with child, making this hard journey hear her delivery date, getting them all home safely and keeping them so.  But Joseph realized something we need to remember: we are not to fit God's plan into our plan; we are to keep our plans in line with His. He owns the story, and He makes it all turn out the way it ought to be. 

God Does This Kind of Thing...

 Luke 1:34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.”

God thinks outside the box because He is outside the box.  He is creative.  Not only can we look around us to see the wonders of His creative hand; we can look at human and biblical history to be amazed.  When we ask ourselves (and God): "How could this happen?", He is able to direct us to points in the past, and the present, which remind us He can and He does.  Mary was amazed but not so amazed she could not nor would not believe. Her faith led to action. She submitted to God's will, and she went on to visit Elizabeth. The incarnation is amazing in all its details, but not impossible. God can, He wants to, and He does. 

The Hope of Peace

 Micah 5:

1 Now muster your troops, O daughter of troops;
    siege is laid against us;
with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, 

whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
    when she who is in labor has given birth;
then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great
    to the ends of the earth. 

5 And he shall be their peace.

Some of the greatest messages of hope for the coming of the Messiah came when Israel was going through some really hard times - usually suffering at the hands of their enemies. God gives us hope in the hardest of times.  The end goal, which we are to appropriate in the moment as well, is ultimately peace. He is truly present with us now, pointing us to the time of ultimate peace.

The Full Picture of the Incarnation...

Isaiah 53:11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
    make many to be accounted righteous,
    and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many,
    and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,
because he poured out his soul to death
    and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
    and makes intercession for the transgressors.

As we celebrate Advent, we cannot separate the coming of the Baby from what He came to accomplish. Isaiah gives us both ends of the spectrum.  God sent His Son, His Servant, to suffer and die for our transgressions - to bear our sin. That purpose was not frustrated; He accomplished what He came to do: make many righteous, bringing us into relationship with God.  He was born to die, come back to life, and bring us life.  May we never disconnect the two. 

Hope in the Darkness!

 

Isaiah 9:6 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
    to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

The land of Judah was in bad shape.  Things looked okay economically, but spiritually it was a disaster. Enemies surrounded them and their King refused to listen to God or His prophets.  There was a darkness in the land and wars never seemed to end. Where would they find hope to go on?  God pointed them to the promise of a Son.  No matter how bad things may seem personally, socially, or relationally, God does have a plan, and that plan is His Son - His wonderful, wise and willing-to-suffer-and-die-for us Son. Take heart! There is HOPE this advent, and His name is Jesus.