. A different kind of peace plan.

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests" (Luke 2:14, NIV).

  How is it that God in infinite wisdom should send a son as a helpless one in a lowly place to challenge the power and consequences of sin in the fallen world?  Would not God’s deliberate gift of love to intervene with peace, surely be met with violence?  Could the outcome of such a plan with its rejection of lofty credentials and its limited access to power possibly result in anything but failure?  Centuries had come and gone with the power of armies and weaponry being the prevailing guarantor of borders, culture and change along with the position of heritage as a close associate in that controlling ability to reign.  How could a tiny baby now lying in a manger initiate any process of change?  Even if he could rise from this meager beginning, how could he ever hope to muster the position to challenge the weight of these age old realities?   Yes, there are exceptions of the small and weak securing the extra unbelievable strength, the special circumstance and even finding the unexpected cowardice of the seemingly invincible to win an occasional victory but in the vastness of countless battles in history,  Yet, it does not seem like a reasonable or victorious plan to send an offering of peace to combat the violence of sin and death.  God’s plan might seem illogical to humankind but it would change the world forever.

   

     The way of violence come early, even against the threat of the tiny undiscovered king, as hundreds were killed to silence the one unfound.  Violence usually reacts in two ways; it overreaches and maims the many in the pursuit of the intended as Herod did or it strikes one to affect many as the Sanhedrin did.  Thus it struck to end the son’s life on a cross by one of most vicious of history’s brutal acts of cruelty, and in an ironic twist it affected many with a different result.

   

    God in sending His son to be born on earth chose this peaceful entrance in a humble place to bring a different reality to the world.  Now by the son’s death, no one would now be denied the birthright, with all persons gaining access to godly heritage the same way.  Furthermore the weakest would be the strongest in their guaranteed transcendence beyond the power of all violence because of the resurrection of the sacrificial and liberating Son.  Improbable to the world; The Incarnation begins in the womb of a virgin who believes and who later treasures it all in her heart, pondering the angels, her husband support, the shepherds, the promise, the place and the baby she delivered and laid in a manger. 

     Peace came as Jesus was born there and it was victorious over sin on the cross, gaining the power to destroy forever violence and death as the Christ rose again granting peace with God to all who believe. God’s indescribable favor came on that Christmas night and the peace His Son secured and secures for evermore, now rests on all people everywhere.  No wonder the angels could not keep quiet as they proclaimed “Glory to God in the highest” as the begotten Son entered this world setting in motion God’s ultimate and victorious peace plan.  For Jesus Christ is not a peace written in words on parchment with ink but a living peace freely granted to all who would believe for now and for eternity, The peace of Christ passes all understanding because His peace secured in His grace ends all the amenity and strife from our sin and striving granting us peace all our days on earth flowing in peace in His presence forever.  Thanks, be to God.

“For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.  He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups.  Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death” (Ephesians 2:14-16, NLT).

Suggested Reading … Ephesians 2

God's gift to all the world.

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,  to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary” (Luke 1:26-27, ESV).

  She was a young girl, a virgin when the angel appeared to her.  She wonders about the details of the child that she was to carry and asks how this “Son of the Most High” will come in her body but she accepts in perfect trust the assurances of the Word delivered by an angel.  What is remarkable about her response; is the fact that her simple trusting faith is drastically different then the response of Zachariah the father of John the Baptist on his visit by an angel just earlier in the same gospel.  Zachariah doubts.  Mary believes.  Mary asks, “How will this be …” and Zachariah asks, “How shall I know this?”  Mary looks ahead with an expectation and wonder at God’s power while Zachariah looks at the impossibility of the event happening given the circumstances.  Mary was not a religious priest but her faith dwarfs Zachariah’s lack of belief even if he seems the more the logical choice of the exemplar.  Zachariah is quieted of all possible speech by the hand of God while Mary by answering, “Behold I am a servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” is noted for her faith. A living faith in a mighty God that would evidence itself a short time later in her beautiful and powerful proclamation, recorded for the ages as “The Magnificat.” Joseph was unsure in response to his situation with Mary, but after his encounter with an angel, he simply does what the angel directed him to do.  Elizabeth gives direct credit to God for His favor when she realizes a miracle has happened.   What do these interactions between the realms of God’s provision of sovereign grace and those He wishes to involve in the implementation of His plan, bring to the Christmas story?  What are the lessons of the contrasts in faith that we see here in the lives of Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and Zachariah?

 

     God’s divine incarnation plan which is sometimes called “The Christmas Story” with all its twists and turns radiates grace.  God’s grace cannot be held up by the lack of faith of one of the participants or by any other action or inaction.  Since God is the Creator of the universe … all that is created including all the human beings and of all nations is melded and moved in His grace to be used for His purposes.  God can use the accepting or the unbelieving and even the hostile to bring about His purposes.  On the other hand; that Mary is chosen shows God’s omniscient knowledge as to His intimate familiarity of all His children.  Mary was specially chosen for a role of honor by God Himself.  Still the story is not about the people such as Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth and Zachariah but the incarnation event of God coming in human form that brings salvation. 

     It was that event, the birth of Jesus as a baby where God delivered His only begotten Son in a fullness of grace unseen before on the created earth, that the world would be saved. God’s amazing grace that would lead to the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ to redeem all sinners who would believe in Him, even for those that might doubt at first, those that believe in an instant and for those who had waited for centuries for their salvation to come as a Messiah for all nations.  In the Incarnation, God delivers in the presence of His Son, the fulfilled promise of favor, peace and grace to all.  We often talk of how Jesus freely offers salvation to the poor or the rich but the inclusiveness of the gospel extends beyond monetary conditions or social classes to include all persons for all time.  No one is left out.  Anyone who believes and would desire the gift found in the Christmas story will not be excluded from salvation through the Son.  The gift is the Son and in the Son is the salvation of the world. The salvation of the world is the real message in the event that happened so long ago in a stable in the town of Bethlehem so long ago.

“For nothing will be impossible with God …” (Luke 1:37, ESV).

Suggested Reading … Luke 1

A humble couple ...

“‘I am the Lord's servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ Then the angel left her.” 

(Luke 1:38, NIV).

  If a great honor was to given to a couple from a community, how would the leaders of that community chose the special couple?  Would the leaders, pick the most successful or the most charismatic of all the couples?  If it were up to the people from a certain city, how would they select the couple to be thus honored?  Would they be different than their community leaders?  Would they look for the most popular, the best dressed or even the best looking couple and give them the honor of being chosen? Or would go completely in the other direction and look for integrity, virtue and character in the couple?   If the couple was to be chosen by a religious group, what criteria would they use to pick the couple to receive this great honor?  Would they pick a couple that was deeply devoted to their church or would they chose the most kind or benevolent in their group?

     

      Why were Joseph and Mary chosen to be the earthly parents of the Christ Child.  All we know is that no one was asked a single question about which couple should be selected for this honor.  Not the leaders, not the common people, nor the religious nor the educated.   It was Almighty God that selected the couple named Joseph and Mary for the honor of being the earthly parents of the Christ Child.

      It seems that Almighty God did not use any of the world’s criteria in choosing this couple.  He did not pick someone from the upper ranks of the successful, the beautiful, the educated or even the charismatic.  He did poll the community or even the religious leaders.  It remains a mystery of sorts as to exactly why they were chosen above all others.  It was a strange and ironic honor they were given.  It was the greatest honor in history but it was clouded in difficulty and problematic in its timing.  It was also hidden from the view of almost all but a select circle of wise men, prophets and family.  Still there are a few hints as to there being chosen.  We see something quite remarkable and rare in the ways Mary and Joseph responded to their selection to be honored as the parents of the Messiah.  They both showed true humility after being selected to be favored by God.  They both acted decisively and faithfully when visited by God’s messengers and stepped into God’s provision and grace.  

      Why Mary and Joseph were chosen to be the parents of the Christ Child remains a mystery held in the secure knowledge and grace of God the Father and Creator of all things. Mary and Joseph were gracious as they were favored by God and were overwhelmed with His mercy and blessing.  That is the message of the Gospel as well, when we receive it.  We cannot really believe that we were favored with such a great gift of salvation and we are humbled and overwhelmed by His mercy and blessing to us.  It is a great gift that has come to us in this Child who was and is the Christ and Savior of the world.  Rejoice in God’s favor upon you and declare the goodness of God to the world around you.

“And Mary said: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for He has been mindful of the humble state of His servant  … for the Mighty One has done great things for me – Holy is His name.”   

(Luke 1:46-49)

Suggested Reading ... Luke 1

The Light for your world ...

“The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; for those that live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine” (Isaiah 9:2, NLT )

    It could be said that the world at the time of Jesus was a time that mighty nation of Israel and the holy city of Jerusalem had lost their way.  They were having a hard time understanding that Jesus was the Messiah and he could release them from their bondage under a foreign government.  The past was troubled and there were few possibilities of hope with many frustrations all around them.  The difficulties of their lives were ever present and the answers were ever illusive. They were stumbling in the darkness of their understanding and unaware that their feeling of heaviness came from their own sinful pride.  It might be said even today: we cannot understand all there is to life, as we struggle with the weight of the past, the difficulties of the present and the uncertainty of the future.  We struggle with the darkness of not understanding the little frustrations in our lives but also with the huge unanswerable questions.  We drift into darkness with our flirtations with sin and pride stumbling to find our way out of those places. We get depressed with our failures, frustrated with our unfulfilled dreams and saddened with our frailties as we face disease and death.  We are staggered by storms in our lives and constantly wish we could see ahead and grasp the future. In some ways our understanding of things seems to be lit with an inadequate faltering light.

     What will Jesus do with all this darkness of unknowning and all of these lingering doubts?  There is a constant inability in all of us to see what is ahead and at the same time there is an endless desiring in us to understand what is behind us, around us and ahead of us.  It is the human condition.  The ancient peoples struggled in the human condition when God sent His Son and it remains a difficulty for us today.

     The Son who was to be the Savior, entered the world as a tiny child in the room fit for animals and this did not seem to be the answer.  On the surface it looks like a most fragile of promises.  Yet this Jesus came as Light and Life.  He would shine in the darkest of moments bringing a new light to the world.  He shines now for all those who will open their eyes to the hope He brings.  He is the One who knows everything and we should trust Him with our past, present and future.  He is the One who could with His voice calm the sea and we can trust Him with our fears.  He is the One who penetrates our darkness and we should look to Him for understanding.  He was and is the Light of the world and in Him all will find a way in our darkness.  He is waiting to shine the light of His presence towards you, behind you, in front of you and all around you.  In that light you find God’s wondrous love that came as baby in a manger and later gave His life as the answer for your sin and mine.  The true light of Christmas isn’t colored and electric but pure and powerful. The light that Jesus Christ brings is able to penetrate the darkness that we all face, providing true answers to every question and a love that heals our greatest pain.  May we always and forever be a people who “see a great light.”

“Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, ‘I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.’” (John 8:12, NLT)

Suggested Reading … John 8