Monday, December 5

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Monday

It is getting harder and harder to keep focused on the meaning of the Advent season in our politically correct and consumer driven culture.  Recently I came across a contemporized version of the classic poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas”, here are a few of the opening lines..

Twas the night before Christmas and Santa’s a wreck...

How to live in a world that’s politically correct?

His workers no longer want to be called “Elves.”

“Vertically Challenged” they were calling themselves.

Four reindeer had vanished, without much propriety,

Released to the wilds by the humane society.

The runners had all been removed from his sleigh;

the ruts were deemed to dangerous by the E.P.A.

And to show you the strangeness of life’s ebbs and flows,

Rudolf was suing over the misuse of his nose

And had gone on Oprah, in front of the nation,

Demanding millions in over-due compensation.

As we prepare for Christmas, sometimes I wonder if we have allowed the Savior to be stolen from our celebrations. We’ve sterilized the spiritual and been inoculated by the familiarity of the nativity. “Merry Christmas” has been replaced with “Happy Holidays.” Have you noticed that, “Are you ready for Christmas?” is often code for, “Do you have all your shopping done?” It’s so easy to walk right past the manger with our arms full of gifts, isn’t it?  I think that if we want to have a truly Merry Christmas, we must pause and reflect on Mary’s Christmas.

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.  The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”  Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  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 the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”  The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon 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.  Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.  For nothing is impossible with God.”  “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.  – Luke 1:26-38

We know a few things about Mary; she was young (most scholars estimate between 13-15 years old).  She was poor, she came from a small out of the way village in a very poor region.  She was engaged to a young man named Joseph.  A betrothal (engagement) period in that culture usually lasted a year, during which the couple were referred to as husband and wife, but had no marital relations and lived apart as they prepared for their life together. 

Think about what it must have been like for this poor, teenage, bride-to-be to not only meet an angel of the Lord face to face, but to receive such an incredible message! No doubt Mary had questions and fears; like, how am I going to explain this to Joseph?  Or, what will the people in my little village say when they see that I am pregnant? It is not like Gabriel gave Mary all of the details or explained exactly how all of this was going to happen.  Mary’s humble response “May it be to me as you have said” is a beautiful example for all of us.

What is it that God wants from us?  Total understanding of the future before we will trust him? No. That’s impossible. And besides, it’s better that we don’t know what the future holds. Do we have to be spiritually advanced to the point of sainthood? Thank God the answer is No. Very few of us would ever meet that qualification.  What does God want from you? The same thing he wanted from Mary. He wants you to trust Him and to know that He is with you!

Jeff Frazier