November 30, 2021
As we enter the Advent season (last Sunday), we wonder where
the time has evaporated too. This is now year two of the covid pandemic, with
no end in sight. Cueing up for the next round is the omicron variant. Despite all
this distraction, the world seems on edge as political powers clash.
I have been reading a book about shepherding a church is a
small (rural) context. I just finished the chapter about the necessity for
grounding life in theology. Trouble is, I don’t trust theology. Remember when
it was not acceptable to smoke or drink. How about the prohibition against
women wearing pants? Remember when the graham cracker?
Legend has it that a preacher named Sylvester Graham pushed
for a tasteless vegetarian diet as a hedge against sin. The theology insisted “minimizing
pleasure and stimulation” was how God designed people to live. [Wikipedia] Graham
went so far as to claim ketchup and mustard caused insanity. [hodgsonmill.com]
In fairness to Graham, until Heinz discovered vinegar as the preservative,
those products contained all sorts of toxic chemicals.
Some of our theology is engrained in our music. For instance,
the song that tells us, “Silent night, holy night.” I’m not sure what, or if,
there is a connection between silent and holy but I know that first Christmas
night was not silent.
Let’s start in the fields of Bethlehem. To be honest, this
must have seemed to be a nightmare to the shepherds. “The Lord’s angel stood before them, the
Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.” [Luke 2:9 CEB] I don’t know what an angel or the Lord’s
glory looks like, but throughout the Bible most people were terrified when confronted
with this situation. That’s why angels generally started with “fear not.” Good
luck with that.
After the basic announcement we read, “Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host
of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, “Glory to God in
highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” [Luke
2:13 NLT] Imagine the scene. Quiet night disturbed by a supernatural being and
a blinding light. On top of that an entire army of angels show up praising God!
I can’t imagine this was quiet. This would have been the equivalent of dropping
a nuclear bomb. Then again, this was the beginning of a life that would change
everything. Why not celebrate with some loud, bright, display of joy? Call it
the night God went nuclear on darkness…
Then we get this part of the story, “After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone
what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.” [Luke 2:17 NLT] Did you know shepherds stank? Stank,
as in they smelled bad. This was because sheep sink. Most of the shepherds were
not Jewish, most likely they were Bedouin. They were not allowed as witnesses
in court. Being out the outside of the social norms, I can see them gleefully
waking up the town that night with the joyful news.
Think about how God used all the unlikely things to add up
to the miracle of Christmas. While that night was certainly not silent, it sure
was holy.
No comments:
Post a Comment