Skip to main content

Good News!

 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

          Good news, Mary! The thing that good Jewish girls hoped and prayed for – that they would give birth to the Messiah – she’d been chosen to do. Exciting…in theory. But what was she to tell Joseph and her parents? Joseph knew he wasn’t the father. By rights, he and her parents, and her neighbors, should have demanded to know who the father was, and then stoned both of them. She was bringing shame and guilt on herself and her family.

          The baby was born away from their home, and after a couple years, they went to Egypt. When they returned to Israel, they went out into the back country, to Nazareth. How far did the story follow them?

          Good news, Mary! But King Herod slaughtered children trying to destroy the one who was born King of the Jews. His son wasn’t likely to be any more accepting of a challenger to his throne. Best to hide, to keep quiet.

          Good news, David! Good news, Abram and Sarai! Good news, Joseph, Moses, Saul, Elijah, Elisha, Jonah, and Saul (Paul)… you’ve all been chosen. Good news, you! Good news, me!  We’ve all been chosen by God, but that doesn’t mean everything will be smooth sailing from now on. Some people have said that being chosen by God means you’re in His army, which means you’re a target.

          There’s a lot of magical thinking going around. If we would only all stay home for two weeks [Poof!] the virus would be gone. If we stayed home for two weeks, not only [Poof!] would the virus be gone, but the environment will have recovered. If a specific candidate is elected, [poof!] Utopia… or at least, [poof!] Utopia if we lock away, “re-educate,” or kill all those nasty folks who don’t like the specific candidate.

          I’m guilty, and I suspect you’re guilty, too. It’s not the specific poof results listed above, necessarily, but when things don’t poof the way I think they should, I tend to think that I got it wrong. It’s not that God has failed, it’s that I have. But what Mary and so many others teach us is that God isn’t poofy. His blessings have often come clothed in hard times and coarse cloth.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more