We are near the end of the road. We have had three words already: Readiness, Repentance, and Restoration. The road goes ever, ever on (in Tolkien’s phrase), but the road also has a destination. The destination of our road is the revelation of God’s presence in our lives. God came to earth in the first advent; God will return in the last advent. As we wait for Christmas, God reveals God’s self to us again. We open ourselves to God, the baby born in Bethlehem.
2 Samuel 7
What is this revelation? That God is with us, Immanuel. The whole point of Christmas is that, whatever the situation around us, God is with us. How does the passage from 2 Samuel 7 show us this revelation? David became king of Israel in a troubled and difficult time. The Israelites – today, we would say “the Israelis” – were surrounded by people who were stronger than they were, and they faced the continual threat of being subjugated or even exterminated. Saul had tried to force back their enemies, with limited success. David picked up where Saul left off, and he was successful, making Israel strong and united, the pre-eminent power in the region.
When he felt secure, David began to reflect on their condition. “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.” Then God spoke to David and told him that he should not be the one to build God “a house of cedar”. Instead, God makes several promises concerning the future security of the Israelites. These promises stand in tension with the history that follows, in which Israel rebels against God and is eventually carried off into exile. This tension gives the promises a final fulfillment at the end of time: God will indeed give God’s people final and ultimate security in the perfect Reign of God that comes with “the New Heavens and the New Earth” (compare Isaiah 65 and 66 and Revelation 21 and 22). The “already … not yet” of God’s Reign.
Then God gives the Messianic promise that concerns us most clearly: “Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me; your throne shall be established forever.” The House of David is established in the coming of the Son of David. The Jews anticipated this figure, the Son of David, the Anointed One whose advent would set God’s people free forever. Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah. This prophecy in 2 Samuel points us to the passage in Luke 1.
Luke 1
Roughly a thousand years later, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Messianic expectation was high in Israel of her day. The exile to Babylon was ancient history. The Seleucid Empire, which replaced Babylon and its heir Persia, controlled the Jewish homeland for a time. Under the Maccabees, 160 years earlier, the Jews had achieved independence again, but that tenuous freedom was swallowed up by the Roman Empire about 60 years before the events in Luke 1.
Freedom from foreign domination was still a living memory. They expected the Messiah to come and throw out their Roman rulers, fulfilling the prophecies that they read regularly in the synagogue. Then Gabriel appeared to Mary: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” Naturally, Mary’s heart and mind turned to the promises of David’s Kingdom restored. Throughout Jesus’ lifetime, he worked to reshape the people’s expectation of a political Messiah. He came to establish God’s Reign, but what that meant was something they did not yet understand.
In this setting, Mary responded to Gabriel’s
promise: “‘I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.” She
embraced the promise and became the Messiah’s “earthly sanctuary”. Then she
sings the Magnificat, “Mary’s Song”, modelled on Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2.
We see the theme that God lifts up the humble and puts down the proud. We see
the theme that the poor are filled with good things and the rich are sent away
with nothing. The whole song reminds us of the letter to the church in Laodicea
(Revelation 3): “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a
thing.’ But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and
naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so that you can
become rich; and white clothes to wear, so that you can cover your shameful
nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so that you can see.”
In Mary’s mind, then, the salvation she expected was social and political, but the core of her song, the salvation she sings of, is something deeper. God came into the people’s lives in Israel to be with them; God comes into our lives in the same way. “God with us.” Immanuel. The beginning of salvation is the realisation that we cannot save ourselves in any meaningful sense of the word. We really are “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked”. We depend on God for everything, and we have nothing in and of ourselves.
Synthesis
We bring these passages together and ask, “What is
God’s revelation to us today?” The answer is fairly straightforward: God is
with us. God “establishes our house.” Our future is in God’s hands and our
safety is found in God. All of this comes through the person of Jesus, the baby
born of Mary. He is our Saviour. He is the one caring for us. He is the one
revealed as “God with us”.
This straightforward truth is revealed in a startling way, taking us away from what David expected and from what Mary expected. We have referred to this movement before, especially last Sunday as we talked about the way that John the Baptist came baptizing. When the investigating team from the Pharisees asked him who he was, John said that he was a voice preparing the way for the Messiah, who was one of the people around them. The people around them included many who were marginal to society. That is the sideways move we want to explore further this morning.
Salvation from the Margins
We can overstate the case that Jesus comes from the
margins. He was the son of a carpenter, and as such may have had some status in
Nazareth. [Exactly what “carpenter means is open to discussion. At the least,
we can say that Jesus was probably trained in a craft that involved building,
perhaps with stone and using some wood. In any case, it did not involve high
social status but was also not at the bottom of the social ladder.] He was able
to gather a group of disciples, and people regularly referred to him as rabbi –
teacher – a sign of respect.
The descriptions around Mary’s song reinforce this
mixed picture. On the one hand, Mary was related to Elizabeth, who was married
to the priest, Zacharias. Jesus was at least related to the priests, who had
significant religious status in Jerusalem. On the other hand, he lived in
Galilee, where no one of social importance lived; the important people were all
down in Jerusalem. When we add details from the other birth narratives, the
same mixture emerges. The genealogies make it clear that Jesus comes from the
line of King David, well worth noting. But when Joseph and Mary travel to be
included in the census (Luke 2), they cannot even find a room to stay in and
end up in a stable. In Matthew’s account, when Jesus is born, nobody seems to
notice until wise men (magi) come from the East looking for him.
Mary’s song itself makes the low status of Jesus
explicit: “And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in
God my Saviour, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. … He
has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud
in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has
lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent
the rich away empty.” Our questions come to an end. Jesus came as an outsider
to save outsiders. Jesus identified with the marginalized to save marginalized
people. Jesus – Immanuel – God with us comes as a weak and helpless baby to
save weak and helpless people.
Working it Out
What does this mean for us this advent season? What do we do with the information that God brings salvation by appearing with us in the margins of our lives? I try to get at these ideas with the “Going Deeper Questions”, especially these three:
· In what sense might we say that we are still on the road, even after we arrive, even after we receive the revelation of God’s presence with us?
· What does it mean to live with the presence of God in the continuing troubles and events of our lives?
· What does it mean to experience “God with us” this Advent Season in 2020?
I won’t try to answer these questions fully now. We
need something to talk about during “Going Deeper”! I will, however, begin the
process of answering by considering especially the presence of God, “Immanuel”,
in our troubles. Last week, Lee spoke about the difficulty of being on the road
during the pandemic. As we talked about this reality during the Zoom Sunday
School class, it occurred to me that the pandemic has marginalized all of us.
We have all become home bound, and we all experience a sense of being pushed to
the edge of our existence.
Many of us have not really suffered; we have stable
incomes and warm homes, so we are not suffering in the way that some are, who
have no fixed address. But all of us have discovered the reality that we are
not in control of what is happening to us. One of our friends, mother of a
young child, commented that she never expected to see the pandemic influence
her child’s social development so radically. Another friend counted the number
of acquaintances who have died from the coronavirus: Twelve. We know people who
are struggling to keep their business open until the pandemic is over. A month
ago, when the positivity rate hit 40% in Steinbach, we were out of control, and
we could not hide that truth from ourselves or from anyone else.
We respond to all of this in at least two ways. On the one hand, we take steps to reduce the spread of the virus. We wear masks and we keep our distance. We wash our hands regularly and we avoid gathering in large crowds. Christmas Dinner will look a lot different this year as we join family members virtually. Lois and I are considering how to do our annual “white elephant” gift exchange when the various members of her family of origin are in five different places (more, when you add the children). We do all this because the best medical advice we receive recommends it. We do our part.
On the other hand, at the same time as we seek to avoid the physical effect of the virus, we allow it to do its spiritual work in us. By showing us how helpless we are, it does no more than remind us of what has always been true. We may think of someone who suddenly discovers that he has heart disease and becomes aware of his own limitations (that’s me, in case you don’t get the reference), or we may think of someone who realises that the structural problems that bind our society are intractable – unsolvable by human effort. In every case, we embrace our helplessness and seek God’s presence within the problems of our lives.
Conclusion
A story from a friend’s missionary experience
illustrates what I’m trying to describe. John and Anne (pseudonyms) went to
Peru 60 or so years ago to work with the Quechua people in the Andes. The
people of the village that they moved to had never seen “white” people before,
and at first they refused to believe that John and Anne were really people at
all. This young couple fresh from the U.K. were so pale that the people thought
they were ghosts.
John and Anne tried to describe what they were doing
– “We have come to tell you the stories of God” – but nobody would listen. Why
would you listen to ghosts? As the weeks passed without any progress, John
tried different approaches; none worked. They were ghosts and didn’t matter to
the people of the village. Then John decided to try something. He decided to
build a hut for them to live in, like the huts that the people of the village
built. The people took long straight poles and planted them in a circle in the
ground, then filled in the space between the poles with mud and leaves and so
on. Add a roof and a door, and you have a place to live.
He went out to find some straight trees to cut down and use for their hut. He found them quite quickly, surprisingly nearby. But when he started to chop them down with his axe, a stream of small biting ants was knocked out of the tree. They landed on him and started biting fiercely. He ran back through the village to Anne, who helped pick them off his body while the people stood around laughing. The people said, “Well, we know he’s not a ghost. The ants couldn’t bite a ghost. He must be a halfwit! Every child knows that ants infest those trees. Even a child would know not to cut them down!”
Here’s the kicker. The people of the village also
believed that when someone was as they called him “a halfwit”, it was because
God had touched them in the head. You would not expect any wisdom from them,
except when they talked about God. Suddenly, the road was open for John and
Anne to “tell the stories of God”, and the people listened joyfully.
God works in and through our brokenness – whether we think of personal salvation or of God’s work in the structures of society. Salvation comes through brokenness to broken people. If we want God’s salvation, we must embrace our own brokenness. That is good news. That is the good news of Christmas.
Advent Four: Steinbach Mennonite Church
20 December 2020
Focus: On the road to revelation, if we have faith and a willing spirit, God will show us the way. What is this revelation? That God is with us, Immanuel. The whole point of Christmas is precisely that God is with us, whatever we feel like and whatever the situation around us. God’s word to us is, “I am with you; do not be afraid.”
Going Deeper Questions:
· Mary’s Song lifts up the humble and puts down the powerful. How can we be lifted up when we are among the rich to whom she refers?
· David receives the promise of the Messiah when he has successfully defeated Israel’s enemies. How do we bring Mary’s Song and the promise made to David together?
· We have used the image of “on the road” throughout Advent. Sometimes we say, “To journey is better than to arrive.” Now we are arriving. In what sense might we say that we are still on the road, even after we arrive, even after we receive the revelation of God’s presence with us?
· What does it mean to live with the presence of God in the continuing troubles and events of our lives?
· What does it mean to experience “God with us” this Advent Season in 2020?
2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16:
God’s promise to David
7 After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2 he said to Nathan the prophet, ‘Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.’ 3 Nathan replied to the king, ‘Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.’
4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: 5 ‘Go and tell my servant David, “This is what the Lord says: are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’”
8 ‘Now then, tell my servant David, “This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people shall not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies. … 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me; your throne shall be established forever.”’
Luke 1:26-38, 46b-55
The birth of Jesus foretold
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, ‘Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.’
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants for ever; his kingdom will never end.’
34 ‘How will this be,’ Mary asked the angel, ‘since I am a virgin?’ 35 The angel answered, ‘The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.’
38 ‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her. …
Mary’s song
46 And
Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord 47 and my spirit rejoices
in God my Saviour, 48 for he has been mindful of the humble
state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, 49 for
the Mighty One has done great things for me – holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. 52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. 54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants for ever, just as he promised our ancestors.’
No comments:
Post a Comment