I lead a couple of Bible studies each week, and we've been looking at
the passages in the Gospels that deal with the birth of Christ. While
it's true that we are never instructed in the scriptures to celebrate
Christ's birth, and the whole idea behind Christmas trees, red and green
colors, Christmas ornaments etc actually goes back to the pagan middle
ages. I don't really care about the origins of those symbols, because
in our context today I don't personally know anyone who worships their
Christmas tree. We have a tree too that we cut down in the forest about
20 miles from here. The forest service is pretty serious about this
whole permit thing too; they set up a roadblock at both ends of a 4 or 5
mile stretch of highway that's been designated for tree cutting, and
you have to stop to show them your permit before you can go through. It
dawned on my as I was trudging around in the snow with Daphne and the
girls that the forest service guys are geniuses - they get tons of fire
mitigation done without having to do the work themselves, and they even
get paid by those who do the cutting!
Anyway, my
train of thought got derailed there for a moment. Where I meant to go
was to talk about Mary and Joseph and the Christmas story. It's fun
leading these bible studies because most of those who attend are young
believers or they're still trying to figure out this whole Christianity
idea. For several of them this is the first time they've ever opened a
Bible, so everything they're reading is new and (sometimes) pretty
confusing. I've been around the church and the Bible for so long that I
can approach all of this with a "same 'ol same 'ol" attitude, and in
the process I miss the wonder of reading the very words of God written
for us - words that have the power to change us and heal our hearts. So
as we've been reading through the various Gospel accounts of Jesus'
birth, several things have grabbed our attention. For instance, when
Gabriel appeared to Mary, Joseph and Zacharias (Elizabeth's husband and
Mary's Uncle) one of the first things he said was, "Do not be afraid".
Why? while I'm sure that it must have been terrifying to have an angel
suddenly show up in your room, I believe there's more to it than that.
Throughout the bible God says over and over and over, "Don't be
afraid." I think fear is probably Satan's most effective weapon against
Christians. Fear, worry, and anxiety can so overwhelm us that for all
intents and purposes any influence we might have in our society is
eliminated. Joyful, peaceful, restful, thankful Christians are so rare
that anyone on the outside would look at the church and wonder what
possible benefit they would gain from becoming an insider. All the same
worries and problems, and more rules on top of that. Yeuk.
When
Gabriel told Mary and Joseph that she would become pregnant by the
power of God, they both had to realize the obvious implications of her
pregnancy, and what everyone else in the village would be thinking -
"Oh, so God got her pregnant? Right. That happens all the time!" They
knew they would be rejected, misjudged, and possibly run out of the
village - or even worse. So Gabriel starts by telling both of them not
to be afraid, because God is in the middle of this whole bizarre
situation. And to their credit, both Mary and Joseph (who were only in
their teens in all likelihood) responded by saying, "OK God." That's
why God chose them, because He knew they had child-like faith that would
carry them through the turmoil and distress of the coming months and
years. That's the kind of faith I want - to be able to rest in God's
peace, knowing that I am never forgotten and never alone. Peaceful.
Restful. Thankful. Our lives are full of unknowns right now, so I'm
encouraged by the example of Mary and Joseph to hold on to what I know
to be true about God.
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