Taken from a Red Rock News Article December 20th, 2024
- Rev. Dona Johnson |December 22, 2024
In the Gospel of Luke Chapter 2 we are given the miraculous story of Jesus’ birth, a celebration of God’s love for Israel and, indeed, for all humanity. The biblical account of Jesus’ birth is the announcement of God’s divine plan of a redemption for a world that had been and still is saturated with the sin of power, greed and lust. New Testament professor Joel Green of Asbury Theological Seminary makes the point that Luke is concerned with the balance of power. The Roman Empire through countless conquests and plunder, and through heavy taxation of a conquered people, experienced a time of great peace and prosperity. Luke historically frames Chapter 2 by introducing Octavian Ceasar Augustus whom Roman citizens recognized as their savior, more god than human, and who brought peace to the world (Luke 2:1-3).
So, it is no coincidence that in the midst of this peaceful and yet imbalance of power and corrupt system, Jesus is now presented as the Savior, Lord and redeemer of the world, not Augustus. Through God becoming flesh in the birth of Jesus, people’s hearts were anticipating the coming of God who would bring an end to political dominance and social oppression. This socio-political reversal is at the heart of salvation and Mary makes mention of this reversal in her song about God’s justice and love for his people, “His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his
arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty (Luke 1:50-54).
Green continues, “At the birth of Jesus, Luke’s social world was defined around power and privilege made visible in religious purity, family heritage, land ownership, vocation, ethnicity, gender, education and age.” Much like today, there were political, social, and religious structures in place. Where the majority of the population were peasants, this also included those people considered expendable, unclean and degraded. So, the angel’s announcement of the supernatural birth of Jesus, the one who could rescue and save the people who were on the far fringes of the ruling class this was more than astonishing good news!
God brought this good news to the shepherd’s first. By God bypassing the Emperor and going directly to the shepherds, this in itself was a powerful sign that those with power and privilege were already being brought down, while the lowly are lifted up (Luke 1:52).
An angel of the Lord, appeared to the shepherds living in the field. The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I bring you good news of great joy for all the people.: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (Luke 2:8-11). The shepherds were peasants located at the bottom rung of the scale of privilege and power. They were unclean and could not observe all the meticulous handwashing rules and rituals. It was to simple men in the fields that God’s message of redemption came first.
The birth of Jesus leaves many of us still pondering how the God of the universe chose to enter this world. The rough, edgy, raw simplicity of the birth of Jesus is a telling reminder that God’s ways are not man’s ways. In fact they are reversed or better yet inverted. The world’s system we construct and have a part in such as our economy, politics, celebrity status and even religious barriers, God’s love, grace and mercy come’s to deconstruct. Christmas is about God’s love for the sinner, his mercy for the suffering and his compassion on the marginalized, and his desire to redeem the entire human family from sin. God’s amazing grace will always be a profound mystery we accept by faith. Merry Christmas everyone!
Prayer: Jesus, Son of the one true and living God open my heart even wider than it is right now to the mystery of who you are. Show me your ways and help me to reverse course in the things that don’t bring your Light and Life in my relationships with others and all creation. Amen.
- Rev. Dona Johnson |December 22, 2024