MASTER OF THE MESS The Lords birth was like His death in that it was all a very messy affair with God right in the middle of it. There was a great deal of sweat with all the traveling of the Magi across the dangerous eastern mountains in the biting winter for no less than six months; and all the traveling by Joseph and a fully pregnant Mary to Bethlehem, as well as their midnight journey to the idol-infested nation of Egypt. Then there was a great deal of filth with all the leftover animal feed and excrement in the stable where Jesus was to be born, and there is no way that the Shepherds who visited were a clean bunch! Then there was a great deal of noise from the labour screams of a virgin giving birth, and no doubt from the animals who surely got no sleep that night: it was not a silent night. Then there was a great deal of blood, the killing of the innocent boys two years and under by Herods axemen; just imagine the funerals, the anguish, and the wailing by mothers and fathers whose hearts were broken beyond consolation by the loss of their sons in such a great massacre. The Lords birth was no decorated affair, there were no colored lights around it, no glittering trees, and it is far from certain that the Angels who announced his birth did it by songs sung sweetly over the plain, for we read that the announcement filled the shepherds with terror! God entered the drama of our human existence to the sounds of livestock; the smells of human sweat, animal feed and excrement; the sights of blood and unclean menial workers. And the wake of his birth was genocide, untold heartbreak, death threats, and a desperate escape to Africa to find refuge among other gods. There was no clean, smooth, dignified, or big entrance for Jesus. He was born in our mess because He was born for our mess. So may yours be a meaningful Christmas with Christ entering and taking charge of your messy life: your messy romance, your messy family, your messy habits, your messy addictions, your messy heartbreak, your messy break-up, your messy divorce, your messy illness, your messy job, your messy emotions, your messy grief, your messy unaccomplished dreams, your messy unfulfilled desires, and your messy unappreciated and unrewarded efforts. Above all, may Christ finally take charge of the sins by which you have made a mess of your relationship with God. Thats what makes a meaningful Christmas to last all year and all eternity, which is far more precious than a Merry Christmas for a day!
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 10:16:02 +0000
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