December 25, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY: The Fullness of Time

“An angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds. The glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified. The angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all people. Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born for you. He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’” (Luke 2.9-14)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD (The first day of Christmas):

Let us be reminded that the birth of Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, born of Mary and entrusted to Joseph fulfilling the call of prophecy in the fullness of time, was a sign. It was not merely a sign of “peace on earth, goodwill to all people,” however. As we have learned from our experiences with God in the Old Testament and Christ in the New, peace in the biblical sense does not always match the peace which the world gives. We remember Jesus said those very words when He declared to the remaining disciples in the Upper Room and those who served at table, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” (John 14.27) If we have the peace of Jesus then we shouldn’t be afraid. That makes sense, right? But is that what Jesus was talking about? Was He talking about we would have nothing to fear because there would be “nothing” to fear? Or did He really mean that no matter what was ahead of us, behind us, beside us, above us, below us and all around us we should fear nothing but be at peace with God knowing “…God works all things together for good”? (Romans 8.28) Honestly, this is what Jesus was talking about. Look at what was ahead of Jesus that very night. The completion of “betrayal” by Judas of Kerioth and of Peter (and in actuality of all the disciples who forsook Him that night in the face of danger), the suffering abuse of trial by the Elders of Israel and the Roman Tribunal, the scourging by Roman soldiers, the literal burden of the yoke upon His shoulders, the reality of crucifixion when He was put in place on the standard of Roman justice, the weight of the sins of the world pulling Him down, the momentary abandonment of God His Father in the darkness of the shadow of death, the utter sensation of death as He entered into the redemption service of worship in spirit and in truth and then death itself. In all of that, where was that worldly peace where nothing stood against Him? As long as we are in this world, the peace which the Enemy proposes isn’t peace at all. It is an utter surrender of life without parole into the slavery of sin. The peace which Jesus promises is eternal life and the liberation of the soul from sin and its eternal death penalty. It did not come “peacefully” but as an act of war! With that in mind, I believe Paul wrote to the Christ fellowship in Ephesus, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand [in peace.]” (Ephesians 6.12-13)

Mighty ones of God, when Jesus came (and comes) into the world, that “gentle, quiet moment” which we sing of as a Christmas anthem “Silent Night, Holy Night” is not really so quiet. We have to understand the proclamation by which the angels of the Lord declared that current state of affairs. God was a “force to be reckoned with.” In the days of Isaiah, nations rose against Ahaz the son of Uzziah in order to defeat Israel and control the whole of the region. Ahaz saw the two armies marching against him. He was afraid. He was more afraid of God. When Isaiah commanded him, “Ask God for a sign by which you will be delivered; whether on high or from the greater depths.” (Isaiah 7.10-11) Ahaz replied, however, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.” (Isaiah 7.12) Isaiah replied, and in no uncertain terms, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of My God also? Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will call Him Immanuel [that is: God with us.]” (Isaiah 7.13-14) Because Ahaz refused to obey the Lord’s command, the last straw had been drawn. Israel would be reduced to a remnant. Foreign armies would come in, destroy the Temple, lead the leadership and their families into exile in distant lands and leave Israel in disarray and vulnerable culturally, socially and spiritual. It would be a dark time. But a day was coming when all of that would change. God, in His faithfulness to His people, to all the people of the earth upon whom He desired to offer reconciliation, redemption and renewal, promised to bring that desire to life. It would be a “light shining in the darkness.” Isaiah prophesied it in chapter 9. John wrote it as his literary birth narrative in John, chapter 1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. In Him was life, and that life was the light of all humankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” The magi of Matthew and the shepherds of Luke saw it and knew that a dramatic change was at hand that would impact the entire world. Yes, even Herod saw it after it was brought to his attention by the magi. What was in plain sight was not so plainly visible and even more so less understood. What was understood by Herod was that a change was in the offing. His response was not peaceful either, not as the world would see it and not as God Himself would see it.

Consider the “dramatic and cataclysmic” elements of that “holy night.” Maybe you have seen it before. Maybe it hasn’t dawned on you. Maybe you will not forget it after this as you hear, listen and share the stories of Jesus’ birth as it was anticipated in the Old Testament, recognized in the gospels and looked at its fullness in time which is yet to come. Following John’s description, appropriate since the whole scene had been revealed to him by the Resurrected and Glorified Christ, everything that was and will be created and recreated contains the element of “violence.”

Before the creation of the heavens and the earth, there was nothing but chaos. God disrupted and eliminated that chaos with creation. It was a spiritual battle not of flesh and blood but of powers and principalities and dark forces.

We can go throughout the Old Testament record to see the trail of denial, betrayal, murder, unrighteousness, war, deception and exile.

In this season of celebration as we have moved through Advent and its story into Christmas leading to Epiphany, we experience: the breaking of silence, the disruption of an uneasy calm by angels, the challenges to the token authority, multiple opportunities to fear and be afraid and for anyone who thinks that childbirth itself is a simple passage…think again. I never thought much about what it “feels like” until I shared in the bringing of a life into the world “in that moment.” And yes, it was painful even to me as I had to nearly break ribs to gain leverage to apply pressure to my oldest daughter’s mother as she experienced ever increasing contractions. She suffered from scoliosis and wanted to avoid pain medication as long as possible. The nurse volunteered to give me a break. That last about twenty feet outside the door on the way to relax and drink a cup of coffee. It was there that I was not only called back because the nurse couldn’t do what I had been doing but I could hear the cries of a fourteen year-old girl giving birth in the next room. Her foster mother was doing the best she could but the cries of pain and trauma for a young girl was almost more than she could bear. It demanded the staff’s full attention. I was called back to duty to bring my own daughter into the world. What must it have been like for Mary who was most likely fourteen herself? Were the hands of the carpenter and stone mason sufficient to the task? Was his patience honed by the wood and rock able to smooth the troubled waters of childbirth? Was there anyone else there to comfort and support them apart from the animals in the stable? The cacophony of sounds in that darkness overwhelmed the songs of the angels being sung to the shepherds in the field. The focus on the task at hand did not allow their eyes to see the star that appeared in the heavens above as the angels of the Lord departed and magi began their journey. Yet, in the midst of everything that was happening, when it happened and move on to what was next there was peace. Peace like no other experience could bring apart from the saving grace of God made known in Jesus. Even the temporary cease fire which halted the frontline offenses between mortal enemies because of Christmas could not compare no matter how welcome those moments were. They were all reminders of the fullness of time which is yet to come.

This is the story and message of Christmas. God is not finished…yet! There is still a battle yet to come when all hostilities and pains will cease. Until then, there are battles yet to face which demand our faithful attention to what God has done, is doing and will do in the time before us. We are called to be at peace just as Ahaz was but refused. We are called to be at peace just as Mary, Joseph and the shepherds were called to do and accepted the word. The choice is clearly ours and always has been. While the enemy declares there is no peace because there is no God (which is a lie), Satan also proposes that if we really know God (and focus on the battle) we will see there can be no peace and that it is all a lie. That is a lie as well. Mighty ones of God, we may welcome a temporary “cease fire” of the Christmas holiday but we need to be prepared for the battles yet to come as we “walk by faith and not by the sights and sounds of Christmas.” They will fade away just as the grass withers, the leaves fall and the seasons change. But the love of God will never wither, fall nor change. He who is for us is never against us. He is against sin and unrighteousness and the enemy who pursues the perversion of righteousness with self-serving love and the corruption of the gospel word of God. As we proceed now with the days of Christmas, let us follow Paul’s lead in his word to the Ephesians, “…put on the full armor of God and pray ready to stand for that which is right, good and true.” What is that? It is none other than Jesus who is the Christ and the Victor in the battle over death and sin! That is a very merry Christmas.

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit in order that others be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind so we would know we are Your people and You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.