Sunday, December 22, 2024

Fourth Sunday of Advent
Micah 5:2-5a
Psalm 80:1-7
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45 (46-56)

Turn us again, God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

Bigger is not necessarily better.

It seems like most people go for the big boxes. I suppose they think that the big box will be something extra special like electronics or kitchen appliances. That might just be true, but then again, the gift might just be a gag wrapped in an extra-large box. Bigger is not necessarily better. As a matter of fact, at one party the big box contained a package of hemorrhoid ointment. A small package might just have something that glitters like gold or jewels.

In today’s Old Testament lesson, the prophet Micah foretells the coming of the Messiah. He points to a rather strange place, the very small town of Bethlehem. Though Bethlehem was the birthplace of David and was the site of the tomb of Rachel, it was relatively unimportant when Jesus was born. Bethlehem was not the seat of kings. The people expected the king to be born in a palace and Bethlehem had no palace. The seat of the king was in Jerusalem.

But the One born in Bethlehem was greater; He was the King Israel who was promised from ancient times. Bethlehem was the birthplace of the Everlasting, the eternal One. Though His family would suffer a time of separation, a time of exile, He would return and be the Shepherd for whom they waited. In Him they would abide.

We once lived in a very small town. It was so small that the first time we drove down Main Street, my daughter said, “Main Street is a dirt road!” The town was almost a suburb of a big city, and it was often easier to just say that’s where we lived because no one had ever heard of our town. Though there was growth, with lots of new houses and businesses, that small town will always be small. It remains unique but has been swallowed up by the ever-growing big city.

Our small town would never be famous or a place of great importance; we never expect anyone of consequence to be born there. Yet, you never know when someone from a small town might become a celebrity or even president. Something great can come out of a small box. That’s what happened to little Bethlehem: within her walls the Messiah was born as was promised through the prophets.

Bethlehem is still not very big, and though it is not a suburb of Jerusalem, it is so close that it sometimes seems as though it is being swallowed up by the city. What makes Bethlehem different than our small tow is that we will always remember the city because of its place in the story of Jesus. Something very big came out of that small town. Among its landmarks is one of the oldest churches and one of Christianity’s most holy sites. Out of Bethlehem came a child who grew into the One who came to dwell with us so that we might dwell with God. Bigger is not necessarily better, for in the little town of Bethlehem the Savior was born.

You might have gotten an invitation to a party for this season, whether it is a gift exchange, an office party, a family gathering, or an open house at a friend’s house. Invitations use an abbreviated form of communication, giving only the most important information, answering only the necessary questions. Who? What? Where? When? Why? We try to make our invitations as attractive as possible, so that our guests will want to come. We promise fun, good food, and fellowship, adding a bit of glitz and glamour to the invitation to guarantee that we’ll have at least a few people come to be with us.

Our scriptures for this week are like an invitation. In Micah we learn where the party will take place: in Bethlehem. Bethlehem seems like an odd choice for the party, after all it was a nowhere town. Jerusalem was not so far away, wouldn’t that have been the better choice? Though Bethlehem was a humble place, it was the City of David, the city of bread. It was in Bethlehem that God’s promises would be fulfilled – the Bread of Life, the Son of David. Micah also tells us that the party will begin when the woman in labor gives birth.

The scriptures give us several answers to the question, “Who?” Mary cordially invites us to the birth of her son, whom Elizabeth tells us is Lord. God, Savior, the Mighty One is the Host, according to Mary. The psalmist recognizes the Shepherd of Israel and the Lord God of hosts. Notice how the characters, even God, are described in lowly terms. Mary is humble; Elizabeth feels unworthy of being in the presence of the mother of her Lord. God is described as the Good Shepherd, a rather unusual identity considering the shepherds were the lowest of the low in the culture of the day.

With this invitation we learn that God does not do things the way we might do them. We add glitz and glitter to everything, going bigger which must be better. We get caught up in the hustle and bustle, rich food and expensive presents in big boxes. God turns everything upside down, choosing the lowly and humble above the grand and privileged.

Today’s psalm is a cry for God’s help. The psalmist recognized that the circumstances of God’s people were brought on by their disobedience to God’s word and will. Yet the psalmist had confidence that God would fulfill His promises to His people. He would answer and turn back to them. He would raise them up and shine His face upon them. In their darkest hour, He would come to save them.

This week we are invited to that moment. It is not a moment of glory as we might expect, but instead it is a moment of pain in a stable in Bethlehem as a child is born. The invitation is not for the rich and the powerful, but for the poor and lowly. We are invited to kneel before a manger, but to ultimately to stand at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. We will never find salvation in something glitzy, but in the shine of God’s face. It won’t be found in a palace, but in the manger. It won’t be found in the glow of candlelight or Christmas lights, but in the shadow of the cross.

We hang up decorations, we bake, we buy presents. We do so many things to make our world a little nicer, even if it is for just a short period of time. Every year we hear people talking about how busy it is and how far behind they are in preparation. I can’t believe that Christmas is next week! Some of my friends are not putting up all their decorations because it is so much trouble for so little enjoyment. Others skip decorating because they are going to be out of town. “Why bother when we won’t even be here to enjoy it?” We always have an open house on the second Saturday of December, so I rush to get it all done by then. This year we are blessed to have company coming for Christmas, so I’ve happily enjoyed the preparations knowing that they will be enjoyed by all.

I once had a friend who completed all her preparation but was a little depressed about it all. She didn’t know why she went to the trouble because she was going to be alone. I understood, it is so much work. It didn’t help that even her immediate family didn’t care. They didn’t mind the decorations but wouldn’t have missed it if it had not happened. So many people, it seems, have been changing from their old way of doing things, to doing something new.

For many, this new way is simpler, less hectic, more focused. They realized that the old way was void of meaning, void of truth, void of heart. This might be true, especially when you look at that one house in the neighborhood that has so many blow-up decorations on the front lawn that you can’t even see it all. I think in many ways we need bright lights and Christmas overload because our world seems so distressed. We need a little joy.

Christmas displays began early this year, as if people just needed a little Christmas “NOW.” Yet, so much of our celebration has become very shallow. I understand why so many are concerned that we celebrate the birth of our Savior with materialism, greed, exhaustion, and overindulgence. That’s what Charlie Brown saw in “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Instead of living and celebrating the joy of the season and the glow of God’s grace, Charlie Brown saw the materialism all around him and was depressed by it all. He tried to direct the Christmas pageant but seemed to fail at every turn. His friends acted greedy, demanding, and rude. The television show was created in 1965; not much has changed in nearly sixty years.

When we realize that the way we are celebrating Christmas has nothing to do with what the season is all about, we turn around and try something new. We set aside the old ways because they no longer work. That’s why Jesus came in the first place. In today’s epistle lesson, the writer of Hebrews shows us that Jesus came because the old way no longer worked. It was impossible for us to become righteous by obeying the Law, so Jesus did what was necessary to make all things new. The old offerings did nothing to bring forgiveness, but Christ was born and willingly faced the cross, doing God’s will for our sake.

The Christmas story is sweet and wonderful until we realize that Jesus was born to die. It is easier to keep the manger and cross separate. Yet, it was for the cross that Jesus was born and for our sake He came to die. In His act of obedience, Jesus abolished that which came before and made everything better. We might wonder why anyone would bother to do such a gracious thing, but for Jesus it was a total submission to God’s will and purpose for His life.

We are called to do the same, to live as Christ lived. We are called to willingly obey the will and purpose that God has ordained for our life. We aren’t meant to suffer the pain of the cross in the way that Christ suffered, yet we are meant to follow in His footsteps, living in the shadow of the cross and in the light of His glory. Though they may seem very different, they are the very same thing, for it is in the cross that Christ is glorified, and it is there we find our peace. And as Linus said, “That’s what it is all about, Charlie Brown.”

On this fourth Sunday in Advent, we focus on Mary’s song and look at it in the context of her visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Elizabeth was heavy with child, in her sixth month, by the time Mary met the angel Gabriel. It must have been a particularly difficult pregnancy since she was an elderly woman. When Mary heard the words of the angel, she went immediately to see Elizabeth. Mary, who was betrothed to Joseph, had no reason to believe that she might be pregnant at that moment, except for the words of the angel. She doesn’t seem to doubt the words, she simply asks “How can this be, seeing I am a virgin?” The angel answered that it would happen by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I wonder if this was something Mary could feel as it happened. Was there some physical or visual sign that the Holy Spirit had come? Did she experience a tingling or have a sense of the presence? We don’t really know. We only know that Mary did not question the words of the angel but accepted what had been told to her with a willing obedience to the call of God.

Yet, there must have been some sense of uncertainty in Mary because she quickly departed her home and traveled to see her cousin Elizabeth. We don’t know her motives. She was probably scared and needed time to digest the experience and build the strength she would need to face the persecution that would come when her family and friends discovered her seeming indiscretion. I think she also went because Elizabeth’s pregnancy was the sign that the angel gave her to confirm everything. Mary needed to know that Elizabeth was pregnant. It was too ridiculous to believe without seeing. If Elizabeth was indeed having a baby, then everything the angel said was true. It was real. Then Mary could deal with it all knowing that God is indeed with her. It was then that she could sing her song and praise God for this gift. Without this encounter with Elizabeth, Mary may not have ever had the certainty or the strength to stand up against the struggles she would face with her family and friends.

When Mary greeted Elizabeth, the child in her whom leapt for joy and Elizabeth wondered at how she could be so blessed to have a visit from the mother of her Lord. Mary saw that the words of the angel were true and she burst out in praise to God. Her song is called the Magnificat. Mary sang, “For behold, from now on, all generations will call me blessed. For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.” Mary knew her blessedness was not found in the great things she had done, but in the things that had been done for her by God. She’s not great because she was the mother of Jesus Christ, Son of God, she is remembered because God chose her to be the God-bearer. She is glorified not in her own works or accomplishments, but because God’s hand had touched her life. Though she is remembered for her humble faith, it is because at the moment of upheaval in her life she sang the words of praise about God’s goodness. She glorified God, and in her song we see God’s glory shining right back on her.

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months, probably to help her elderly cousin in those final months of her pregnancy. Mary could do so much for Elizabeth, to allow Elizabeth to stay off her feet and yet still provide for the care of Zechariah. It gave Mary time to pray and to grow accustomed to her situation. It also gave the baby time to grow in her womb until her pregnancy was just becoming visible to the world. It was then that she went back to face her family, her friends and her betrothed. It wouldn’t be easy, but God gave her the strength and courage to walk in faith.

During Advent we take a moment to remember the woman who was chosen to carry the baby Jesus in her womb and then in her arms. She is an incredible example of faith, but we should be careful not to raise Mary to too high a pedestal. There are those who make Mary almost god-like and perfect. She is equated, in some circles, with the goddess of pagan faith.

However, Mary did not need to be perfect to be blessed of God. As a matter of fact, all those chosen by God were imperfect. And the blessing of God does not mean that her life would be perfect. Her life certainly was not pain free. She was just a child when she became pregnant, and she was mistreated as a whore. She gave birth in a cold stable, and then went on the run with her husband and young child to save his life. She deeply loved her son, but at times he seemed to disregard and disrespect her. Think about the stories: He went to the temple, and they could not find him, He told her that it wasn’t time at the wedding in Cana, she went with Jesus’ brothers to talk to Him because they thought He might be crazy. He told her that those listening were His mother and brothers. And then, after all this, Mary watched her Son die a horrible death, executed on the cross.

Mary’s story is not one of a goddess or a woman of sinless perfection. She was a woman, chosen by God to bring the Good News of salvation into the world in the most unique way. She had the rare, single honor of being the one to bear His physical body, but this is not why she is called blessed. She is called blessed because through all these trials, Mary remained humble and faithful to the God she loved.

Mary has been raised to a pedestal that is not hers. She has been made by some to be equal to Jesus in virtue claiming it is necessary for Jesus to be perfect. But this rejects the reality that Jesus is also fully human. Mary gave Him that part of His character. She gave Him the flesh and blood, the will that can be tempted, and the heart that can cry out in agony on the cross. God, the divine aspect of His character, gave Him the ability to stay perfect and sinless. In this passage, Mary herself tells of her failings, crying out in thanksgiving to her Savior. If she were perfect, why would she need to be saved?

Mary deserves our respect, not because she is greater than you and me, but because she is just like us. She was specially chosen to bring the Gospel to the world as no one else could, but she is a sinner just like us. There were times her actions as the mother of Jesus made her an obstacle to His ministry. She was a sinner in need of a Savior, just like you and I.

When you read the scriptures, it is obvious that Jesus came for the poor, the sick and the humble, those who need a Savior to change their lives. He did not reject the rich and healthy, but it was those who had a real need that found refuge in the words and actions of Jesus. There are people in this world who call themselves Christian because they find something in the life of Jesus that they want to emulate. They often see Jesus as a friend, as a role model. Yet, when asked about sin and their need for a Savior, they will deny they have any such need. They do not truly understand the reason Jesus came into the world.

Mary knew. Mary knew that Jesus offered a life-changing gift, the gift of forgiveness and eternal life. If a person sees themselves as good, they have no need for forgiveness and salvation. This is why true faith comes to those with a humble heart. It comes to those who recognize their true need, the need for mercy and grace which is found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is not an example of how we are to live in this world; it is the gift of life for those who are dying from their sin. He gives us everything we truly need.

The psalmist asked God to save Israel from her enemies and from His wrath for their sin. “Turn us again, God. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.” There is no salvation apart from God’s presence. God’s people do well when God’s face is shining on them. Though God is never far from us, we tend to turn from Him, to walk away. We turn to others for our help; we sin against God’s Word. The wrath we suffer is deserved.

Try as we might, we can’t restore ourselves to God. We can’t make ourselves righteous enough. We can’t redeem our lives. We can’t do anything to make ourselves worthy of God’s grace, to gain His forgiveness, despite the ways we try. We can’t make God come any closer, even through prayer, because our God is never far. Our petition is not for God to change anything about Himself, but for God to turn us back to Him. “Turn us again, O God.” Mary knew this; she was a humble handmaid of the Lord singing praise to God her Savior.

We are very aware of God’s presence during Advent and Christmas, even in the midst of the glitz and glitter, busy-ness and chaos. Many of the signs are secular, but even those signs point to the baby in the manger for those of us who wait for the Savior. Twinkling lights remind us of the Light, the gifts under our trees remind us of the best gift, and our parties are experiences in hospitality. We are generous not only to those we love, but to strangers as we give to charities serving those in need during this season. Santa Claus might not seem very religious, but his story has a foundation in faith. We can see our God everywhere if we pay attention, in the simple Christmas or Christmas overload, in the big packages and the small. God is with us in the most human ways.

There is so much about the Christmas story that is miraculous and unbelievable: the virgin birth, the star in the east, the visit of the wise men. So many prophecies were fulfilled, prophecies that were given to us by the people of the Old Testament. The child was born in Bethlehem. Rachel cried out as Herod slaughtered the children of Bethlehem. The most miraculous part of the entire Nativity is the faith of those whom God chose to participate. Mary believed. Joseph believed. Elizabeth and Zechariah believed. The wise men believed. The shepherds believed. God spoke and they did whatever God told them to do.

It wasn’t easy for any of them, but they all believed God and did what God told them to do. They had hope that these miraculous things were happening to fulfill His promises. The responded with faith and saw that Jesus is the eternal establishment of all the promises of God made to the covenant community by those who came before them. Mary and the others were not chosen because they were holy. They were made holy because they were chosen, and they believed. God gave us this story and calls us to believe, too. Whether we simplify our Christmas or pick the big boxes, God calls us to believe in Jesus. That little child born in the little town of Bethlehem is the greatest gift which has ever been given to us, and He is the source of the faith that makes our lives holy. He turns us to the God who causes His face to shine on us so that we will be saved.