| December 14, 2008
You are welcome to reflect on this message
Perhaps Yogi said it best: Bethlehem is one of those "dejavu all over again" places, featuring a distinctive biblical heritage, including several discernible shadows of the incarnation. So many significant events occurred in its storied past; that anyone can see why God chose it to be the place where Christ was born. Down through the years Bethlehem had seen glimpses of what was to come “in the fullness of time,” that laid the foundation for the timeless Christ’s entrance into time.
The earliest foreshadowing of the incarnation occurs in the Book of Ruth, where we see an act of self-giving modeled so effectively by a Gentile woman. Over a thousand years before Jesus showed up at Bethlehem, there were two women named Ruth and Naomi, who left an indelible impression on the birthplace of the Messiah. A famine in Israel precipitated Naomi’s family migrating to greener pastures to Moab, (present-day Jordan) where her sons married outside the faith. But later all the men in the family died and Naomi decided to move back to her hometown. Knowing the racial implications of bringing foreign widows along, she suggested for their own good, that they remain in Moab. Orpah agreed. But Ruth defied cultural taboos because she was somebody whose word meant something. Thus, her loyalty to family meant more than her fear of prejudice. So two women, without a map, navigating the treacherous hillside around the Dead Sea, strangers in a strange land.
And yet, Ruth utters her oft-quoted expression of fidelity, in spite of all she had going against her: “Entreat me not to leave you, nor to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and your people shall be my people and your God my God.” So it’s back to Bethlehem for the widows with a daunting task ahead, to try to make a home for themselves, without husbands. And a pagan showed-up the entire village with unselfish love. Ruth’s familial allegiance revealed a risky compassion that crossed middle-eastern ethnic barriers. And this is why Bethlehem was surprised but not amazed when Jesus showed up.A thousand centuries before, God was already preparing it, by introducing a similar selfless love found in mother Ruth--Jesus' Gentile ancestor.
About 150 years after Ruth, Bethlehem got another surprise. God kept the signs “all in the family.” This time it was Ruth's great-grandson David; just a ruddy-faced-but-talented-and-courageous shepherd-boy, who lived in a time of unrest in Israel. The people felt “leaderless,” because King Saul had been a disappointment and mercifully fallen on his sword in battle. God’s prophet Samuel, hoped they’d learned their lesson, but they clamored for a new King. So he reluctantly began to vet several candidates for Saul's successor. To ordain Israel’s 2nd and most famous leader, God led the hesitant prophet to ... where else ... but the town of Bethlehem? There a man named Jesse had several outstanding sons who were impressive warriors, and surely one of the stoutest of Jesse’s sons would be picked. But no. Again Bethlehem was surprised to see the mantle fall on the least-likely son -- Jesse’s youngest, the adolescent David. Because God had other ideas. In keeping with the Bethlehem tradition, it was the unexpected one who became God's choice.
At the time this too seemed risky, but the rest of the story is well-known. This obscure son of Jesse rose to the shocking stature of a giant-killer, and Israel’s finest flower. Again, Bethlehem was astonished. But the God of the “mustard-seed” was acting completely in character. What appears to be unpromising as the world measures excellence, grows into God's tower of greatness. And if Jesus' arrival in Bethlehem is a parallel to David’s. 1000 years earlier, Bethlehem was already used to seeing greatness arise from insignificance in Ruth the Moabitess. David had gone almost unrecognized by his own family. But he grew up to be Israel’s greatest king.
There is one more “shadow of the incarnation” in Bethlehem's past that prepared it for the coming of Christ, which involved an unparalleled act of faith: the story of David and his three mighty men. “David was in the stronghold; and the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. And he said longingly, ‘O that I had water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!’ Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and brought it to David.” (2 Samuel).
This story involved King David, but it was the courage of three of his elite soldiers that stood out. Bethlehem was occupied by the Philistines and once again, the Jews were taking a licking. War can wear you down. And David was tired of the flat-tasting water from animal skins. One night he mentioned in passing that nothing would hit-the-spot more than a drink of water from Bethlehem's gate! Perhaps more homesick than thirsty. But he forgot all about his craving as soon as he said it. But the three water boys didn't. And they did an amazing thing, bordering on foolish -- by risking their lives to get their beloved leader a drink of water from his hometown of Bethlehem!
And David wasn’t just surprised. He was so deeply moved by the devotion of his buddies ... that he refused to drink the water! Because he considered it “too holy” to consume, paid for at great risk to others, this “man after God’s own heart” poured it out as a sacrifice to God. So one surprise evoked another. David didn't anticipate his request to be taken so seriously. And the soldiers certainly didn't expect David to pour their sacrifice out on the ground! “Far be it from me that I should drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it.”
The same kind of love Ruth had for Naomi, appeared again. Only now this Good News was not just directed to the Jews, but “for all people.” Like Ruth, Jesus too had a love that surprised everyone, that went further than was expected, the secondo mile ethic. Jesus grew up taking on the Pharisees, “What do you more than others?” He spent his life loving societies rejects -- sinners, the poor, foreigners, widows. I wonder where he got that? Helloooooooo! Like Ruth before him, Jesus' love was one that broke through racial barriers, relitigious barriers, gender barriers that we keep building up to put other people down. Ruth's love was embodied by Jesus' because it included revolutionary commitment. So what faintly appeared back in her day, was a shadow of the full revelation of God, in Christ Jesus.
But another surprise came to Bethlehem when, like his ancestor David, Jesus too arose from an insignificant manger to greatness. He too was skipped-over. But the giant-conquering-God-of-the mustard-seed was at work in both men. It is God's way, to start out small and bring incredible results from them. From a boy-shepherd to a King; from a babe in a manger who became the Son of God! Growth is acceptable with God. To be sure, “a babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes” was something brand new, yet it had continuity with the past as well. And the lesson that Christmas has to teach us is: while Jesus had all-power, he used his power to love, not conquer. Even though conquering would be a whole lot easier!
And then the One born in Bethlehem certainly lived up to the courage shown long ago by David's three warriors. Their sacrifice was reduplicated even more dramatically by Jesus. They risked their lives because of their allegiance for one man -- David the king. But Jesus gave his life because “God so loved the world!” Even his enemies! David longed for a drink from Bethlehem’s gate. God longed for our redemption. The soldiers stole a drink of water from “behind enemy lines.” And Jesus stole the “water of life” out from under the devil’s nose! Their mission was a drink of water. God knows blood’s thicker than water! So on Good Friday, Jesus when mid-day turned to midnight and infiltrated the enemy camp, so that he might bring back to God what God wanted: not water from a well, but the crown of his creation, that keeps going astray. Bethlehem had seen Jesus' courage and sacrifice before: in David’s noble generals.
Which is to say, let us be prepared for new things. But not brand new things. We do well to claim our heritage, know a little history and our connections with things gone-by and learn from it rather than repeating it. Bethlehem’s heritage contained shadows of the incarnation: in Ruth, and David, and David's three mighty men. Christmas is just another way God keeps bringing new things out of the old.
Our challenge is to learn how to expect -- living on our tiptoes ... yet never knocked off our feet. This is how Bethlehem received the first Christmas. Three great lessons from another time, that will serve us well in our time: self-giving love, a growing faith, and courageous sacrifice. Mere shadows from long ago; fully realized in Jesus!
Pastoral Prayer:
In this special Season, we recall the familiar story of your coming among us by way of surprise. We have become so accustomed to the way things are, it’s hard to fathom good news anymore. Let the message of Bethlehem reassure us that this can still be. “Wars and rumors of wars” continue unabated. We need the Prince of Peace. Cut-out cookies and stuffed stockings can’t feed a single hungry spirit. But the Bread of Life can. Decorated bulbs that shiver on our shrubs won’t dispel the darkness. But the Light of the World can. Your good news is rarely what we expect, so “a little child shall lead us.”
Prepare us for another surprise, that the best is yet to be. Forgive us when we despair of faith’s small beginnings. May this worship remind us of Thy humble birth and miraculous growth. May Thy presence among us give us what we need to keep on keeping-on: healing, hope, love, forgiveness, courage. In the midst of all the trappings surrounding us, pressuring us, let us never forget the connection between the crib and the cross; the baby grew up not just to comfort but to challenge; not just to save but to send; not just to reign but to serve. Show us the difference between a surprise and a shock. Surprise us with the amazing grace of Jesus Christ, that through him, we may come to God, as in him, God comes to us. Amen. Back |
