Sunday, December 20, 2020

Fourth Sunday of Advent
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16
Psalm 89:1-5 [19-26]
Romans 16:25-27
Luke 1:26-38

For nothing spoken by God is impossible.

“Believe in the science” is a phrase we hear often these days. I am by no means a science denier, but I have to admit that I am at times a skeptic. It isn’t that I reject scientific findings, but I have noted that those findings can change from day to day. There was a time in history when the world was flat, according to the scientists, but we know today that it is a big round object floating in an incredibly large universe. One day coffee is not good for you, but the next day there are health benefits. Weather science has gotten better, but even now the meteorologists change their forecasts over and over again until the event is finished when they can finally tell us what happened. We have been told for ten months that masks are the key to stopping the pandemic, and yet there are at least a dozen studies from respected scientific sources that prove otherwise.

The problem with science is that for every problem there are a dozen theories and a dozen scientists who have proof their theory is the right one. While we should listen to science, we have to remember that science is not always reliable because it changes with new information and people will only report the science that fits their point of view. When they say that we should “believe in the science,” they are asking us to accept something as true or feel sure that it is the truth. It might be the truth today, but tomorrow we may discover something proves the exact opposite. Should we believe in science?

Again, this is not a question of rejecting science, but of how much confidence we put into it. After all, science would tell us that we should not believe what we know about the Christmas story.

There is so much about Christmas that is hard to believe, none more so than the Virgin birth. How is it that God would use a young girl as a vessel for the salvation of the world? How could God select her to bear the flesh of the Savior? God’s ways are higher and greater than our ways; it is beyond our scope to fully understand His purpose and His plan. One of the most incredible things about Christmas is that it is a time of the miraculous, a time to believe in what cannot be. The Savior Immanuel, God with us, is born in Bethlehem. No wonder it is such a time of joy.

Yet, there are many that want to explain away the miraculous. They give science more credence than the Word of God. They diminish the impossible by making it possible through natural means. Take, for instance, the crossing of the Red Sea; some have suggested scientific explanations for the parting of the water such as an earthquake or the tides. They refuse to accept that it was God who made it happen. Even if there are natural explanations, we have faith that God made it happen at just the right moment, causing the ground to be dry enough for carts, and ending it at exactly the right moment when the Israelites were on land and Pharaoh’s army was in the danger zone.

Christmas is no different. What was that star that led the wise men? Was it a comet or some other astronomical body? Was Mary a virgin, or can the language explain away the miracle? We don’t like mysteries because we have so much more scientific knowledge. We have sent rockets into space to take pictures of the heavens; we can see the universe in ways that the people of Jesus’ day could not even imagine. As for the birth of Jesus, we know a virgin birth is impossible. Even Mary knew that human reproduction required sex because she asked “How can this be?” She wanted to know how God would prevail over nature.

He is able.

The story of John the Baptist is no less miraculous. John’s parents, Elizabeth and Zechariah, were very old. Zechariah received the promise that John would be born while he was ministering in the temple and he was struck dumb by the angel who’d been sent to give the message because he doubted the angel’s word. At John’s birth, when Zechariah obediently gave him the name John, despite the questions from family and friends, Zechariah’s voice returned. It might not seem so miraculous with today’s modern medicine, but for a barren woman of advanced age in Elizabeth’s day to have a child was impossible. Yet, God is able to do this thing, too.

The Jews were expecting a Messiah. They were waiting for the good news that God’s promises were fulfilled in a mighty king who would lead them into another golden age. They knew the promises and expected them for themselves. Paul, however, saw that there was a mystery in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He saw that God was working miracles in people who were not of Israel. He saw Gentiles being moved by the Holy Spirit into faith, active faith. It wasn’t just a confession of the mouth, but it was a movement of spirit and flesh that was changing the world. One person’s testimony led to a community gathering together to praise God. That praise was testimony for others who joined along in the song. The scriptures tell us that hundreds, even thousands, came to believe just on the word of one or two witnesses. This seems impossible to us, especially when we think about the differences in culture between the apostles and the gentiles. Yet, God is able to do this thing.

Why is God worthy of praise? Because He is able to bring the obedience of faith through the words offered by those He has called to share the Gospel. He is able to give strength to His people to face extraordinary odds, to do the impossible, to tell stories that are unbelievable and yet true. The purpose of the Gospel is not only the salvation of those lost in the darkness, but to bring the obedience of faith to those who hear the message. God is able to make His hand move in the lives of those who were never expected to hear or understand the Gospel message. God gives us the strength to continue taking that message into the world. This is the obedience of faith, living an active life of praising God by sharing His Gospel, and His heart, with those we least expect will hear.

There was a show called “Cash in the Attic” that came out of England. The object of the show was for a family to search through their home for objects that could be sold at auction to earn enough money for a special family project. One family wanted to have a party, another wished to purchase some goats, another wanted to renovate an ancient bathroom.

One woman on the show had been a servant at Sandringham, Queen Elizabeth’s country home. The royal family always spends Christmas at Sandringham and they visit there at other times of the year. It is a favorite field trip for school groups and site for tourists to visit. We went a few times, enjoying the tours and tea in their shop.

The host of the show asked about her work and any experiences she had with the royal family. She told a story about a moment with Prince William when he was young. She thought no one could see her while she played peek-a-boo with the child. She suddenly realized that someone was watching her from behind and turned to see Prince Charles. He was very gracious as she curtsied and greeted him. It was a memorable moment for her, and the story reminds us that despite their extraordinary position in the world they are ordinary people.

Prince William now grown with children of his own and it is hard for us to imagine that he was once a little boy who liked to pay peek-a-boo with the household staff. He has been trained to be a man of power in this world and will probably wear the crown of a king some day. He will sit on a throne much like David’s.

David was a man of power and authority. He was the ruler of Israel during a golden age when they were a strong, independent nation. By God’s hand and under David’s care they established their place in the world, laying down roots in the Promised Land. David is among the greatest of biblical characters, placed on a pedestal by numerous faith traditions. Yet, David was an ordinary shepherd when God called him to serve. He was the youngest of his house; there was nothing exceptional about him. But God does not see His people from a human point of view. He knows hearts and He gifts according to His purpose.

The obstacles to establishing a strong and independent kingdom were overcome under David’s rule by God’s hand. With a city in which to live, a palace for the king and roots being planted by the people, Israel was finally settling down into a golden age of peace and security. David was greatly blessed, and since he was a man who sought after God’s heart, it is natural for him to want to give God an offering of thanksgiving and praise. For David, whose life had been characterized by upheaval, the security of a place to live is the most logical gift. David finally had a home thanks to God and he thought God should not be living in a tent. He thought God deserved a home, too.

David’s heart was in the right place, but he was thinking like a man. God sent Samuel to show him how His kingdom works. It is not for David to provide a home for God. God does not need a home. He commanded the tent which traveled with the people, and when the time was right He would command the building of a permanent structure. But the timing had to be according to God’s plan. And the design would be according to His purpose. David could not choose to build God a house. Instead, God had a house to build for David.

Advent has always been a time of reflection as we wait the coming of the Christ. It was used as a time of penitence during the ancient days of the church, ending with baptism at Christmas. It is natural to wonder about our purpose as we think about how we have failed. What is God calling us to do? What does He want us to accomplish as we wait? We never expect it to be extraordinary, because we are ordinary people. Yet, all those whom we have lifted onto the pedestals of faith were not exceptional. They were just like us, but God called them to something greater. It is God’s work, not ours, that makes the miracles in this world.

Now to Him who is able... nothing is impossible. These two phrases are found separately in today’s lectionary; the first part is from Romans, the second from the Gospel. Yet, they seem to go together. Paul told the Romans that God is able to save them by the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the angel told Mary that the impossible news she just heard was possible because it came from God. He is able to do the impossible.

When Mary asked how it could be, the angel Gabriel gave her an answer, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore also the holy one who is born from you will be called the Son of God.” This is not an answer that a modern scientist or intellectual will accept; after all there is really no explanation. But Mary didn’t need that kind of answer. She accepted the word of the angel and willingly submitted herself to God. It was enough for her to believe in Him.

Is it enough for us today? Are we willing to accept the Word we’ve been given through the scriptures by those who lived the stories and heard the promises with their own ears? Even the scriptures have been doubted and explained away by those who try to make it say what they want it to say. Surely Mary could not have been a virgin, science tells us that, so they twist the language of the scriptures to say she was simply a young girl and reject the miraculous story of the virgin birth.

I don’t reject science. I am thankful for all the incredible things we have been able to do because of the scientific advancements of humanity over thousands of years. Perhaps we’ve gone too far with some things; we have tried to play God. However, don’t we all enjoy the technological and medical advancements that have made life easier and longer for us? I also don’t reject modern scholarship and the advancements that have been made in biblical understanding. Language changes, new information is discovered, we learn to see the ancient world through a more powerful lens. In many cases, these new points of view have helped to make clear confusing and misunderstood biblical texts.

However, too many times we use new knowledge in both science and religion to take way the mystery that is God. We want rational answers to our questions, and quite frankly the whole idea of God is anything but rational when compared to the reality of the world in which we live. This is why it is so easy for non-believers to suggest that God is nothing but a myth, a crutch made up by weak people. If we can’t prove it with physical or logical means, then it must not exist. They say it was ok for people two thousand years ago to believe in angels because they didn’t have the knowledge we have, but now we should not continue to believe in fairy tales.

Our knowledge of the world has certainly changed over the last two thousand years, but God has not changed. While we can now understand Him in new and wonderful ways, He is the same God who sent an angel to Mary to announce that she was the favored one. Mary had enough knowledge to ask “How can this be?” but when the angel answered she submitted willingly to the impossible.

He who is able can do the impossible. Mary was blessed by this most incredible promise. And yet, this blessing was anything but good according to the ways of the world. Mary would struggle her whole life with the consequences of this blessing, including the cross on which He died. Yet, she believed that she had been blessed.

The word “bless” is interesting, especially in our day and age. We think of people who are financially well off as ‘blessed’, but that is not always true. Blessedness is much holier than we make it out to be in our common language. As a matter of fact, as I was doing research on this word, I discovered that the Middle English word from which is comes actually means “to consecrate with blood.”

Someone once told me that “to bless” means “to speak well of.” It can also have something to do with the bestowal of divine favor and good things. God blesses us. This we know is true. Many of the worldly goods and happiness comes with sacrifice, but those blessings are never eternal. We work hard to have what we have and we thank God for everything, but the true blessings come at great cost: the shedding of blood and divine action. The lasting blessing is God’s favor upon us. It is God’s eternal gift of life through His Son, the son He brought through Mary.

Our blessing comes through blood, not only the blood Jesus Christ shed on the cross, but also the blood shed at His birth. Mary was an ordinary woman, not even a woman. She was little more than a child when the angel spoke to her. She was given this most extraordinary purpose, to bring the Savior into the world. This was indeed a blessing. As a matter of fact, Elizabeth said the same. “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!” They were consecrated with blood, blessed by God’s divine favor. And we are blessed forever through them. This is a most extraordinary thing.

God can do the impossible, and it is ok that we don’t always understand. Christmas is a magical time of year. I think, sometimes, that it is easier for us to believe in Santa Claus and flying reindeer than in the story that the King of glory was born to a virgin and laid in a lowly manger. We allow a little mystery in the arrival of our Christmas presents, but we refuse to allow any mystery in our faith. It is an upside down world, isn’t it?

Sadly, sometimes even the magic of Christmas is lost because the burdens we bear are just too hard. We can’t be joyful because we are hurt or angry or lonely. We can’t be generous because we think we have nothing to give. We can’t believe in anything because science and rational thought make faith impossible. There is no Santa Claus, there is no God, there is nothing to believe in. Bah Humbug. This is what happens to those who demand proof of the miraculous; it is impossible, so they refuse to believe.

Mary believed the word of the Lord given to her by Gabriel and she willingly submitted herself to Him. Whether we believe it or not, we are blessed because Mary believed in the impossible.

This is the last Sunday in Advent; Christmas is just around the corner. The children are getting excited about the Santa and families are anxious for reunions. The trees are decorated, the presents are wrapped, and the cookies are baked. The magic of Christmas is making even the humbugs smile. We might argue about the value of those secular Christmas traditions, but in the stories we see a parallel to the faith of Mary. Children believe in the magic of Christmas without proof. Children have the most passionate and precious faith, both in Santa and in Jesus. They are our model for living faith because they do not doubt, they simply believe. Mary was little more than a child when she was faced with the most impossible truths, but she believed. She believed that He who is able will do the impossible.

There are good reasons to believe in the science, to follow the recommendations of those who have studied the world to understand how it works. We should not reject their work because it, too, has been given to us by God to bless our lives. Yet, we are called to believe in something even greater: the impossible Christmas story. We are called to give praise to the God who has blessed us with faith through His Son who lived and died for our eternal salvation. This is a promise that will never fail. It is a belief that will never be overturned with new information or anyone’s point of view.

May God grant us the confidence to trust in His story, praising God for His blessings through Jesus Christ our Lord who is the impossible that was made possible for us.