This past week I have been reflecting on the beginning of Advent and the anticipation of the arrival of Jesus. I have been particularly struck by the setting in which Jesus arrived, and the manner in which God decided to become flesh and dwell among us.
As Jesus was showing up on the scene, the setting was tumultuous to say the least. The Roman Empire was at the height of its power, and there was constant oppression of the Jewish people. Many of the religious leaders at the time were corrupt or burdening the people with a seemingly impossible lists of rules to follow. There was constantly a segregation of people groups with large swaths of people who were excluded or considered outsiders. Jews and Samaritans hated each other, as well as numerous other tribes and groups living in conflict. There was an anticipation of and longing for a king who would come and free the Jews and conquer their oppressors. The world and time that Jesus was born into was full of chaos and uncertainty--perhaps not all that different than today. It’s easy to equate our polarization today and the angst that we are experiencing as something unique, but it’s a similar setting to the one that Jesus broke into 2000 years ago—and is breaking into still today.
If someone with conventional wisdom were to decide how a king would arrive and who would be involved in the king’s arrival, it wouldn’t look at all how we know it happened. A baby, in all its weakness and helplessness, born in a stable where animals live, to a unremarkable family lineage to a poor, young, unwed couple, witnessed by some wandering shepherds who were homeless and viewed as one of the least important in society—that wouldn’t be the way we would expect it to happen. And yet, that is exactly how God surprised us and came to be with us in human form. There were no prestigious people there, no earthly royalty, no celebrities, no influencers, no media coverage—just a baby coming to us in a manger.
I think the surprisingly ordinary way that Jesus came into the world and how it included people that wouldn’t have typically been expected is something we should pay attention to. I believe Jesus still surprises us as he shows up in unexpected ways, in unpredictable situations, and meets those of us who don’t already have it together, with his loving embrace right where we are and when we need him most.
As I think about all the chaos in the world then, I am sure there was no shortage of fear and anxiety about everyday life. Disagreements, polarization and even hatred amongst differing people groups isn’t something unique to our country in the 21st Century—it was the norm then as well. Jesus entered it all only to spend his entire lifetime transforming everything and everyone around him, and I don’t think that was a one time event from history. He is still surprising us, transforming us, bringing peace, and reconciling people groups that otherwise never would have been reconciled. There is something profound about how his central tenet to transform everything was to “Love God and love your neighbor as yourself.”
I don’t know what your circumstances are, but if you are a human being, you probably feel some of the anxiety, fear, uncertainty and doubt that exists in our world today. And yet in the midst of all of that, Jesus is already with us and continues to surprise us, asking us to trust him and somehow that gives us a hope and a peace that surpasses understanding. I hope we can all feel that as we enter this Advent season actively awaiting and appreciating the presence of Jesus.
-Matt
A good word. Thanks, Matt.