Things Are Not What They Seem
Dear friends in Christ, grace and peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
After 2000 years of listening to the Christmas story, it’s easy for us hear it as a familiar and sentimental tale, imagining quiet and serene scenes like those on many Christmas cards and even in the Christmas carols. “Gentle Mary laid her child, lowly in a manger.” “The cattle are lowing, the poor baby wakes; But little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes.” But do not be misled; things are not what they seem. This is a story of scandal, of things happening that just shouldn’t be happening, a story that leaves behind “propriety” and “the way things are supposed to be.” This is the story of a mysterious, unpredictable God, One whose plan involves the meek, the lowly, the rejected and the forgotten, while leaving the high and mighty ones confused and scratching their heads.
Today’s section of the story paints the picture of Mary and Elizabeth, rejoicing together as the full terms of their pregnancies draw near. But there’s more to the story than meets the eye. Let’s back up a bit and hear about how Elizabeth and Zechariah came to hear the news about their miraculous surprise.
"In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was named Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
"One day Zechariah was serving before God in the temple. It was his duty to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at this part of the service, the whole congregation was praying outside. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared. Zechariah was terrified, but the angel said to him, "Don’t be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many people will rejoice at his birth, because he will be great in the sight of the Lord. Even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will lead many of people to the Lord. The spirit will guide him as he prepares the people for the Lord’s coming." Zechariah said to the angel, "You’re kidding, right? I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years." The angel replied, "I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, since you didn’t believe my words, you will not be able to speak until the day these things take place."
"Meanwhile the congregation was waiting for Zechariah. They wondered why he was taking so long in the sanctuary. When Zechariah finally came out, he couldn’t speak. They realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time of service was ended, he went home to explain all this to Elizabeth." (Luke 1:5-24, condensed & adapted)
Elizabeth shouldn’t be pregnant. Zechariah puts it gently when he says, “my wife is getting on in years.” Most likely Elizabeth had passed her childbirthing years a long time ago, so having children of their own was no longer a realistic possibility. But there, in the temple, the Angel Gabriel announces the news that they will conceive and give birth to a child. I can’t say as I blame Zechariah. When nature moves on, that’s that. But there stood a messenger of the Lord with news to the contrary, unexpected news.
Then there’s Mary’s unexpected news. Engaged to Joseph, she’s suddenly told that she’s going to have a baby. While simply politically incorrect in today’s society, this kind of “unexpected news” could have spelled a death sentence in Mary’s day. Being pregnant without being married spoke of humiliation, impropriety, and unfaithfulness, not “here I am, the servant of the Lord.” Mary’s life was forever changed by the angel’s news, and it didn’t begin with the birth. Young girls don’t just get pregnant with no explanation. But there stood a messenger of the Lord with news to the contrary, unexpected news.
So as today’s part of the story opens, we see two women pregnant, and neither one supposed to be. One is too old, and the other is too young, and unmarried. Yet here they are, not bemoaning their fate, but daring to rejoice in God’s handiwork. Elizabeth declares, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me?” (Luke 1:42-43) Mary’s song overflows with joy at the promise of God’s working in her life, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me.” (Luke 1:46-48) These women are filled with the Holy Spirit, seeing God at work in the midst of their circumstances. But Zechariah, the voice of the religious establishment, had been silent, muted by his doubt and disbelief, while these two women dance and sing and prophesy about the future that God has in store. Things are not as they seem.
As Mary continues her song of God’s triumph, she speaks of a world that is not the way that the day’s world seems. In a world where the strong push down the weak, Mary sings of God’s lifting up the lowly, where the proud are scattered in the thoughts of their hearts. In a world where the poor are at the mercy of the rich, Mary sings of a God who feeds the hungry with good things, while sending the rich away empty. In a world where “might makes right,” God chooses the lowly, the worthless, the scandalized. God chooses a barren old woman to give birth to John, the “voice crying in the wilderness.” God chooses a teenager pregnant under suspicious circumstances to be the very mother of the Savior of the world. And all the while, Zechariah, the comfortable, the member of the priestly order, the privileged, can do nothing but remain silent, as the Holy Spirit speaks and sings and dances in these unlikely messengers. Things are not as they seem.
And so, as we prepare for our Lord’s birth among us, we look for the working of the spirit in our midst and in our community. Do we, like Mary and Elizabeth, sing of God’s work in and around us? Or do we, like Zechariah, stand by speechless, remaining silent in our doubt, disbelief, or despair?
How do things look today? Bright? Uncertain? Gloomy? Frightful? There’s only 4 more shopping days until Christmas! How do things look today? Perhaps you’re trying to make the holidays as bright as possible while dealing with a lean financial outlook. Maybe the holiday seasons brought more than just the presents under the tree into your life. Perhaps you’re facing health concerns, tough career choices, or the uncertainty of our rural economy. How can we have the strength to face the days ahead?
Listen to the songs of Mary and Elizabeth. God’s word is a word of hope. Things are not what they seem. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.” (Luke 1:46-49) Though things may look bleak or challenging, God is still at work. Though the powers of evil may be winning out over the good in our lives, God’s day will still dawn. Though our efforts to serve others seem to have little effect, God is still blessing us in the midst of our labors.
I’ve always loved the Christmas carol “It came Upon the Midnight Clear.” It speaks to our walk of faith and invites us to rejoice, despite the suffering and sorrow in our lives.
It came upon the midnight clear, / That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth, / To touch their harps of gold;
“Peace on the earth, good will to all, / From Heaven’s all gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay, / To hear the angels sing.
Still through the cloven skies they come / With peaceful wings unfurled,
And still their heavenly music floats / O’er all the weary world;
Above its sad and lowly plains, / They bend on hovering wing,
And ever over its Babel sounds / The blessed angels sing.
As the scene of the beautiful Bethlehem plain is being painted, the struggles and chaos of our sin-filled world creep in and change the aura of the moment.
Yet with the woes of sin and strife / The world has suffered long;
Beneath the angel strain have rolled / Two thousand years of wrong;
And man, at war with man, hears not / The love-song which they bring;
O hush the noise, you men of strife / And hear the angels sing.
Then into the midst of our own personal struggles and setbacks, the angels’ song invades:
And you, beneath life’s crushing load, / Whose forms are bending low,
Who toil along the climbing way / With painful steps and slow,
Look now! for glad and golden hours / Come swiftly on the wing.
O rest beside the weary road, / And hear the angels sing!
For lo! the days are hastening on, / By prophets seen of old,
When with the ever circling years / Shall comes the time foretold;
When peace shall over all the earth / Its ancient splendors fling,
And all the world give back the song / Which now the angels sing.
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when all will be made right, and the pain, suffering, and frustration of these days will fall away. The coming of the Promised One is near, and salvation is at hand. The Lord has not forgotten. Mary can sing in confidence, and so can we,
“From now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever." (Luke 1:48-55)
The days are surely coming, says the Lord. Thanks be to God! Amen.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7)
