Sabbath, December 24, 2011
So on Christmas Eve 2000 years ago, the
baby was about to be born, the baby who would grow up to change the
world.
That's how great things begin. They
start so small you hardly notice.
Who would have thought in 1968, that
the nerdy teenagers Bill Gates and Paul Allen would start a company
that would change the entire world through their computer software?
How could anyone have known that the
little computer designed by two young adults, Steve Jobs and Steve
Wozniak would transform the way people interacted with technology?
Such tiny beginnings. Such transforming
power.
The Angel Gabriel, told Mary the baby
kicking inside her was a boy. She was to give him the name, Jesus.
“He will be great,” the angel said, “He will be called the Son
of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of his father
David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom
will never end.” (Luke 1:26-33).
Joseph, too, had been alerted that this
was no ordinary pregnancy. The angel told him, “She is pregnant by
the Holy Spirit. Name the baby, Jesus, because he will save his
people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:23).
So just like Bill and Paul and Steve
and Steve, Jesus started small. God started small in his strategy for
transforming the world. God started small, tiny, really. But God's
plans projected astonishing power.
Here's how the prophet Isaiah saw it:
For unto us a
child is born
to us a son is
given.
And the government
will be on his shoulders
and he will be
called
Wonderful,
Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting
Father,
Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of
his government and peace
there will be no
end.
Isaiah 9:6-7
We start with a baby. A sleeping,
nursing, pooping, peeing little, tiny human being. And we end up with
someone capable of ruling the world. And not just capable. We end up
with someone who is going to do it. The baby will take the throne.
And because he is on the throne, the world will be suffused with
peace.
Every national leader portrays himself
as a benefactor. “My people love me,” they insist. Gaddafi
boasted his people would die for him. Then reality set in and he was
killed and dishonored. Kim Jong-il, the leader of North Korea died
this week. Under his leadership, millions of his people starved to
death. His nation's economy shrank. His nation withered. Only people
under the control of his propaganda machine mourned his passing. In
truth, there was nothing to lament. It was good riddance. What took
you so long to disappear?
What a contrast to Vaclav Havel. He
died and was widely mourned by people inside and outside his country.
By people who had opposed him politically and people who had been his
allies.
What made the difference? Primarily
this: For Gaddafi and Kim Jong-il the highest objective was the
preservation and enhancement of their power. For Havel, the highest
objectives were freedom and the rule of law. Havel used power to
benefit his people. Kim Jong-il used his people to preserve his
personal access to power.
The birth of the baby 2000 years ago
was a dramatic statement about God's relationship with power.
Unto us a child is
born
And the government
will be on his shoulders
and he will be
called
Wonderful,
Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting
Father,
Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of
his government and peace
there will be no
end.
Who is it that is going to call this
baby-grown-to-be-a-ruler all these wonderful names? The people will,
the people whose lives are touched by his rule. People who are fully
informed, people who are free to say what they think, people who are
free from the manipulation of propaganda, people in touch with
reality.
The deeper and broader Jesus' rule
extends, the richer and sweeter will be the peace.
No wonder we celebrate his birth. It
was such a tiny beginning. It has flourished into such a magnificent
tree. A tree of life. A tree of blessing.
This story presents a welcome to all of
us to participate with God in heaven's power play.
2000 years ago God dramatically stepped
into human history in the person of a little baby. And every time a
baby is born, God steps again into the world. And we have the
opportunity to cooperate with God in swelling the kingdom of heaven.
Many of us are parents or grandparents.
Or aunts or uncles. Or brothers or sisters. We have the privilege and
responsibility to touch the life of a growing human being. We can
help another human being grow into the Mighty One God destines them
to be.
This is the instinct behind giving
gifts. In our giving we are paying forward the grace God has poured
into our lives. We are acting out the grace of God.
This is the wisdom that lies behind the
lights people hang on their houses. In the dark heart of winter, the
light shines. In the dark heart of evil, of pain and suffering, in
the heart of the kingdom of coldness and death, light shines and will
not be quenched.
The truth that fuels our triumphant
music is the good news that the baby wins. Goodness and sweetness
ultimately will outlast and outshine the darkness.
So Merry Christmas. The baby is born.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment