God's Arrival on Earth
Christmas is upon us!
As we gather together to recall and celebrate the arrival of Christ, my prayer, my hope, is that you, that we, amid the noise, find some space and time to reflect deeply on the incarnation, that incredible event in which God, in all God's mystery and unfathomableness and otherness, became human.
John, in deeply poetic and symbolic language, describes the event like this:
"The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one. Everything was created through him; nothing—not one thing!— came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn't put it out… [And] the Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood. (The Message Translation)
Luke, somewhat more practically, narrates the details of the events surrounding the arrival of God, of the Word becoming flesh and moving into the neighbourhood: Roman Empire, Caesar, and a census. A difficult journey, especially for Mary, to be registered. Mary giving birth in a shed. Animals and a feed box. A vulnerable baby. Angels exploding on the scene. Astounded shepherds. Terrified political leaders. Amazed people. Parents were in shock and awe at what was unfolding around them, and understandably so! God had just entered human space and time; something had happened, and people knew, somehow, someway, from that moment forward, nothing would be the same.
The arrival of God elicits a response. It did for those in Luke's telling of the arrival of God on earth: At the news of her pregnancy, Mary was perplexed and troubled by the words the angel Gabriel spoke to her. "This doesn't make sense," Mary thought. As the reality of what was happening in her womb sunk in, Mary responded with a revolutionary song of praise: "My soul magnifies the Lord," she sang.
When an angel of the Lord appeared to a group of shepherds (a.k.a. "the marginalised and forgotten), they were terrified, but their terror quickly morphed into curiosity and wonder as the angel's news about the birth of Jesus sunk in.
At the news of Jesus' birth, delivered by the Magi, Eastern mystics, Herod, and Jerusalem's religious & political elite (a.k.a., "The Powers") were utterly petrified. "Who is this new king in town and how can we get rid of him," they plotted.
People were amazed as they heard the shepherd news as the news broke out. "What is going on!" they wondered."
The arrival of God elicits a response.
Like those present at Christ's birth, the arrival of God in human form elicits feelings in me: amazement, surprise, awe, and sometimes confusion. What about you? What is it like for us? What responses does God's arrival in all of God's mystery, unfathomability, and otherness elicit in us? Does the mystery of the incarnation stop us in our tracks, fill us with awe and wonder, surprise and confound us, unsettle and trouble us, and force us, once again, to ask who is God, where is God, and what is God up to?
Who is God? God is the Creator, Redeemer, and bearer of Life. God is Parent, Child, and Spirit. What is God up to? God is meeting humanity in all humanity's beauty and brokenness. Where is God? God is with us.
Henri Nouwen says, "[We] have hardly thought through the immense implications of the mystery of the incarnation. Where is God? God is where we are weak, vulnerable, small, and dependent. God is where the poor are, the hungry, the handicapped, the mentally ill, the elderly, the powerless. How can we come to know God when our focus is elsewhere, on success, influence, and power? Our faithfulness will depend on our willingness to go where there is brokenness, loneliness, and human need… Each one of us is very seriously searching to live and grow in this belief, and by friendship, we can support each other. [The] only way for us to stay well amid the many "worlds" is to stay close to the small, vulnerable child that lives in our hearts and every other human being. Often, we do not know that the Christ child is within us. When we discover him, we can truly rejoice."
This Christmas, may we meet God in new and surprising ways. In bread and wine, in our neighbour, in creation, and deep within ourselves, and as we do, may we rejoice, may we sing, as did those angels long ago, "He honore, he kororia. Maungarongo ki te whenua. Whakaaro pai ki ngā tangato katoa" [Honour and glory to God, peace on earth, and goodwill to all people].
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Image: Scott Erickson Art