“Questions of Christmas: Where Does God Fit In?”
Ps. 80; Mk. 13:32-37
One Christmas season a schoolteacher in England supervised the construction of a manger scene in a corner of her classroom. Her pupils were delighted to set up the model barn and cover the floor with real straw and then arrange the clay figures of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the Wise Men, and the animals – all facing a little crib in which a tiny doll represented the infant Jesus. One boy simply could not tear himself away from it. He kept returning to it, and each time he stood there completely engrossed and wearing a puzzled expression on his face. The teacher finally asked him, “Is anything bothering you? Do you have a question to ask? What would you like to know?” With his eyes still glued to the manger scene, the boy said slowly, “What I’d like to know is, where does God fit in?”
As we approach this Christmas – for which decorations and sales began long before Thanksgiving – we need to keep asking “Where does Go fit in?” In fact, as we hear the headlines and listen to the news, “Where does God fit in?” As we make our holiday plans, “Where does God fit in?” With the help of the Psalmist, let’s find an answer.
As the Psalmist looked at the crumbling world around him, he prayed (3), “Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.” He understood, first of all, that GOD RESTORES HIS PEOPLE. “Restore us, O God.” The immediate context for the Psalmist was that Israel had been ravaged by a foreign power. They were once again dispossessed. So Psalm 80 is A PRAYER FOR THE RESTORATION OF ISRAEL. We find a similar situation in Isaiah 63 & 64 during another time when Israel was dispossessed, desolate, displaced, and despairing. Listen to the similarities in the prayers. Ps. 80:4-6 – “O LORD God Almighty, how long will your anger smolder against the prayers of your people? You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have made them drink tears by the bowlful. You have made us a source of contention to our neighbors, and our enemies mock us. Isaiah 63:17-19 (GNT) - “Why do you let us stray from your ways? Why do you make us so stubborn that we turn away from you? Come back, for the sake of those who serve you, for the sake of the people who have always been yours. We, your holy people, were driven out by our enemies for a little while; they trampled down your sanctuary. You treat us as though you had never been our ruler, as though we had never been your people.” God’s people no longer commanded the respect they once had. Their faith no longer had the appeal it once had. Following God was no longer the exciting event it once was. They knew that God was still their God, but they also recognized that His gracious activity in their lives was lacking. They just were not sure where God fit in.
But as they examined what had happened in their lives both the Psalmist and Isaiah came to a similar conclusion. The Psalmist prayed “Restore us.” The word means “TURN US BACK TO YOU.” Isaiah similarly prayed (64:6-7 GNT): “All of us have been sinful; even our best actions are filthy through and through. Because of our sins we are like leaves that wither and are blown away by the wind. No one turns to you in prayer; no one goes to you for help. You have hidden yourself from us and have abandoned us because of our sins.” Neither prayed “Lord, change our circumstances; alter our captivity.” Rather both prayed “Lord, change us. We are at fault.” They didn’t ask for God to make things better; they asked Him to make them better. Their concern was not with their circumstances but with their character. So they prayed “Lord, restore our souls.”
This should also be A PRAYER FOR US. We have known the feelings; we have drunk the tears of sorrow, felt the pain of defeat and the sting of bitterness. We have experienced times when our faith no longer had the appeal it once had, when following God was no longer the exciting event it once was. We have realized that being Christian is no longer what it used to be; it no longer draws the respect it once had and we have felt like aliens in our own land. We knew that God was still our God, but we also recognized that His gracious activity in our lives was lacking. We just were not sure where God fit in.
Leslie Brandt has wonderfully paraphrased Psalm 80: “We have prayed, O God. We have sung your praises. We have proclaimed your love to the world. But today our power is slipping away, our prestige is wearing thin. People seem to have little respect for us anymore. Those who have been brought up within our structures and have embraced our doctrines are leaving the fold. They say we are no longer meeting their needs and the needs of the world…Great shrines were built in your honor, Lord. Magnificent institutions were established to carry out your purposes. People dedicated their many skills to perpetuate your teachings. Multitudes gathered to declare your praises. Today we are in trouble, Lord. The walls are crumbling. Our sanctuaries no longer attract the masses. People’s skills are dedicated to other purposes. We no longer are making much of an impression on this world of ours.”
Think about it. One year ago we celebrated the Advent season and the birth of Jesus. We said Christ would make a difference in our world. But did He? There are more walls between people and nations, more fear and tension all around us. Our once rich nation cannot meet her budget and knocks on the door of our allies with a cup in hand. Our leaders – and citizens – cannot reason together in a civil manner. More people are out of work, there is no sharp increase in hiring, prices have gone up, productivity is shaky, and taxes threaten to climb higher. You can add to the list. What difference has Jesus made? Where does God fit in?
Think about it in your own life. Did what you envisioned for this past year happen? Were your anticipations and expectations met? Did you experience only events you planned or were there some you had not planned? Have you experienced the healing, or the reconciliation for which you’ve prayed? Who, what, is controlling your life? Where does God fit in? It’s so easy to pray for God to bring back the old culture that allowed us to truly and freely celebrate Christmas.
But perhaps we, too, need to change. Perhaps we, too, need to lay hold of God; perhaps we, too, need to pray “Restore us – restore me, O God. TURN ME BACK TO YOU.” God is in the restoration business. Someone has said that we are regenerated only once but are converted many times. Perhaps this Advent season is a time to be converted back once again to daily, moment by moment walking in the presence of Jesus. Perhaps now is the time to start saying again, “If what I am about to do or say does not allow me or help me to worship God, then I will not do it.” Let’s not ask for God to make things better; let’s ask Him to make us better. Let’s not be as concerned with our circumstances as with our character. Let’s pray “Lord, restore our souls.”
The Psalmist also knew that GOD RADIATES TO HIS PEOPLE. So his prayer continued: “Make your face shine upon us.” The phrase carried IMPORTANT MEANING FOR THE ISRAELITES. You’ve heard it often as a benediction from this pulpit. It comes from Numbers 6:24-26. "The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace." For God to shine His face on someone is to bless that person. The benediction was the guarantee of blessing. In radiating to us, by shining on us, God blesses us. Isaiah used a similar phrase (64:1 NLT): “Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!” Both men saw the need for a fresh encounter and experience with God. They wanted to feel his blessings and love in a revitalizing way. God is in the radiation business. “Make your face shine upon us.” “Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down!”
Those words made a beeline to Bethlehem. GOD SHINED HIS FACE, AS HE CAME DOWN. Bethlehem shot an arrow straight to Calvary, where God shined his face and came down. Calvary shot an arrow to the disciples who lived in the faith that God would shine His face and come down yet again. Our passage in Mark reminds us that He is coming again.
Yet it’s more than that. It reminds us God has always come seeking His people. God repeatedly says “Ready or not, here I come!” When Jesus was born, people did not find God – God came to them. Ready or not, He came. He radiated to them.
And the IMPORTANT MEANING FOR US is that no matter where we are or where we hide, He shines, He comes. Master preacher Fred Craddock said, “Advent, after all, has to do with the coming of the Lord, the birth being but one form of the appearance of Christ.” Jesus will be present wherever we are; He’s always coming down, always ready to shine. And this shining does make a difference in our lives. A minister in Florida was sitting in his office on the first Saturday in December. Outside in the courtyard of the church men were in the process of building a stage for a live nativity scene. Two children were discussing the process. One asked the other, “What is it going to be?” Answered the other, “Oh, they’re building a live fertility scene.” Out of the mouth of babes! When God comes down in Jesus Christ he brings life! He radiates blessing and fertileness. HE TURNS US, CONVERTS US, BACK TO HIMSELF. As He once turned water into wine, so He transforms us.
The idea of Advent is to prepare for Jesus’ coming, to be ready for His unexpected appearances in our lives. We must be prepared to recognize Him. The actor Cary Grant was walking alone a street and met a man whose eyes locked into his with excitement. The man said, “Wait a minute, You’re…you’re…I know who you are; don’t tell me – uh Rock Hud- No, you’re…” Grant thought he’s help so he finished the man’s sentence: “Cary Grant.” The man responded, “No, that’s not it! You’re…” The man was just not ready to recognize Cary Grant. We chuckle, but the Bible tells us that God was in the world in Jesus, but the world did not recognize or receive Him.
Two men were talking. One, an atheist, said, “There is no such thing as God.” The other man responded, “Why do you say that? Said the atheist, “I asked his help once when I was stuck in the desert. Dying in the glaring sun I cried out for God’s help.” Puzzled, the other replied, “Something must have happened. You’re here now.” “Not really” said the atheist. “God didn’t help. Some crazy Indian came along and saved me.” Ready or not, he comes. So be ready; be aware; be on the lookout. Let’s not miss God. He is here. He has burst the heavens and come down. Oh Lord, turn us back to you so we can see your shining face radiating to us.
The reason for uttering such a prayer is that GOD RESCUES HIS PEOPLE. “Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.” God is in the rescue business. When God turns us back so we can see His radiance, WE EXPERIENCE DELIVERANCE. We are delivered from our deadly destructive patterns and influences. Jesus frees us, enables us, and equips us to live an enriched, more godly life. The apostle Paul wrote it to the Corinthian church this way (1 Cor. 1:4ff. GNT): “I always give thanks to my God for you because of the grace he has given you through Christ Jesus. For in union with Christ you have become rich in all things, including all speech and all knowledge. The message about Christ has become so firmly established in you that you have not failed to receive a single blessing, as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be faultless on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is to be trusted, the God who called you to have fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ, our Lord.”
That’s the difference Jesus Christ makes. God fits in by, in Jesus, enriching us to live the way we were created to live. JESUS REVITALIZES US. Jesus frees us from our calendars and our schedules so we do not need to be in control of every moment of our lives. He allows us to be interrupted and surprised by His appearings, to live with the freedom to respond to the spontaneous moving of His Spirit. I just recently concluded an extended term as President of our Southwest Michigan Classis. I had been asked to serve in that capacity during a time of major transition and restructuring, a time of major change. I reluctantly agreed to do so, even though I wasn’t looking forward to it with great excitement. Fear, tension, and conflict were prevalent. Transition and change produce that. But as we moved through the process God came down in unexpected ways to deliver us. The waters of fear, tension, and conflict were turned into the wine of God’s presence and grace. We did restructure – and are still working through it – but more importantly Jesus has begun to revitalize pastors, elders, deacons, and churches. What began as caution and worry has turned into celebration and worship. I have experienced again that Jesus delivers us revitalizes us.
The good news is that this spontaneous, serendipitous presence of God happens more than we realize. And that’s why WE EXPERIENCE DIRECTION for our lives. Yes, we live with the threat of war; we are chilled by the horrors of rape and brutality; we are frustrated and overwhelmed by inflation and taxes; we recoil at the incivility around us. But we have hope. We have confidence. We know that God fits into the picture. Even now He is revitalizing us and our world. We are pregnant with expectation, for God has come; He comes all the time; He will come again. He will prevail. One day He will call “Alli-alli-oxen, all in free!” And all who wish may come home – free!
So WE LIVE WITH EXPECTATION OF JESUS’ COMING. What do you do when you know guests are coming to your house? You clean it up – get the place ready. If you knew someone special was coming but you weren’t sure when, wouldn’t it make sense to have everything in readiness all the time? So always be ready for the coming of Jesus into your life. Faithfully do the work at hand, serve Jesus where you are. Let His light radiate through you on the job, in school, at home and see how often you meet Him. Our readiness to meet Jesus in our daily lives will determine if we are ready to meet Him in our death.
Where does God fit in? Where doesn’t He? To prepare for your last day, live as if today was your last. A group of children were putting on a Christmas play. To show the radiance of Jesus an electric light bulb was hidden in the manger. All the stage lights were turned off so that only the manger could be seen. But the boy who controlled the lights got confused – and all the lights went out. It was a tense moment – broken only when one of the shepherds said, “Hey! You switched off Jesus!”
Advent – a time to remind us where God fits in. He fits in Jesus. He fits in our hearts. Please don’t switch him off. Let us pray: “Restore us, O God; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.”
1 -Fred Craddock, from a lecture delivered at
