What would it be like for you if your best friend or your spouse or your child didn't speak to you for 4 days? What about 4 weeks or months or even years? We don't like to think about that. In this social culture of texting, e-mails, Facebook, etc., we can't imagine being out of contact with anyone for a long period of time. Now imagine that you are an Israelite. In our Bibles after the end of Malachi there may be a blank page or a page that says "New Testament" then you move on to Matthew 1. For the Israelites, after the last prophet spoke there were 400 (FOUR HUNDRED) years of silence. No one heard from God. There was no letter, no phone call, no text, nothing, nada, zilch. Many thought, maybe God died. I thought we were the chosen ones, they may have said. Did God change His mind? Is He angry or frustrated or apathetic? What about all those promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Do they still apply? What about the favored son, David? I know we've had this pattern of following God and then doing our own thing. We survived the captivities but even in all those God still spoke. Although we had forgotten Him, somehow He never, ever forgot us. Can you imagine a son going to his father and asking, "Hey dad, have you ever heard from God?" "No, son, I haven't." "What about granddad? Did he hear from God?" "No, son, my father never heard from Him either. Son, there is no one in our family who can remember hearing from God. I think that maybe He's just given up." "But dad, what about the prophecies? What about Messiah?" "I don't know, son. I just don't know." "Dad?" "Yea, son." "If I heard from God, how would I recognize His voice?' "Again, son, I don't know." We are talking about generation after generation after generation. Year after year, decade after decade, score after score, century after century. Not one word. Not a whisper. Not even a sigh. Even a sigh could have been deafening. Then when God did decide to speak it was at the busiest time of the year. NO, not Christmas. It was TAX time. There was no "JOY TO THE WORLD" here. Not only was it tax time but you couldn't even just mail them in or better yet send them electronically. You had to go back to your family's hometown. There were so many people coming and going. It was the epitome of a really bad family reunion. In all the chaos, God choose to break His silence. Was God dead? No, He came as a newborn. The silence was broken with a baby's cry. The cry that His mom and earthly dad were the first to hear. With the cacophony of the census and the tax paying, who would notice another baby's cry? God is not dead, see Him, hear Him in an infant's cry. God was not angry either. John tells us that "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." He was full of grace, God's unmerited favor, and truth. And the truth is heard in the angel's message to the shepherds. “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord." They needed good news that would bring great joy. We need good news that brings great joy. Personalize it. ...a Savior has been born to YOU, (INSERT YOUR NAME). To you and for you. God spoke saying not only have I not forgotten you, I am going to save you so that "where I am there you may be also." Even His name, Jesus, means "Savior". So regardless of what this Christmas season brings you. Your first Christmas as a couple, your first Christmas without being a couple. Your first Christmas without a job. Your first Christmas having to go to your mom's house and then your dad's because of divorce. That stinks. Your first Christmas with a newborn. Your first Christmas without your child. Your first Christmas serving your country in another country. Wherever you may be, Jesus became flesh and,as The Message says, "moved into the neighborhood." Your neighborhood. My neighborhood. And His gifts are great joy, grace, truth, salvation, peace and so much more. All we have to do is accept His gifts. So go ahead and rip open that present. Don't worry about the bow or the paper. It's the best gift of all. The coolest thing is you don't have to wait 'til December 25th to receive His gift. It's available anytime.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
No comments:
Post a Comment