The Big Announcement

by Ricky Chelette, Executive Director

Birth announcements are important. They herald the arrival of new life into the world and are both delivered and met with exuberance. Historically, the more important the person, the grander the announcement, from simple word of mouth for the peasant to the ringing of bells and feasting for a prince. When baby George was born on the 22^nd of July 2013 to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the birth was announced outside Kensington Palace by a brightly costumed town crier, complete with scroll, official words from Queen Elizabeth II, and the ringing of church bells.  Hundreds gathered and thousands watched by television to hear the birth of the heir to the throne.

It seems only fitting that the advent of the Son of God into our world would be met with similar extravagance, and indeed it was, but not in the way you or I might expect. Luke’s gospel records it this way:

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.  And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.’” (Luke 2:8-11, ESV)

The magnificence of this moment—an instant in which the glory of the Lord shines upon the creation—is almost incomprehensible. The cosmos seems almost to pause for a moment as the angel appears in all its splendor to proclaim the beginning of the world’s restoration, news longingly anticipated for thousands of years. While this divine proclamation contains numerous multifaceted truths, it can be broken down into three primary announcements:

1. The angel announces “good news of great joy for all the people.”  Good news because finally we, estranged from God and enslaved by our sin, can be reconciled to Him and freed from our bondage. This freedom could not be gained through our own effort, for we had proven our inability to do so through our failure to uphold the law. Such liberty brings joy, hope, and life.
   
2. The angel also declares, “unto you is born… in the city of David a Savior…” Unlike the angel who made the announcement, Jesus did not simply appear, but instead experienced birth. He was born like any other human because he was human.  He had a genealogy that not only connected him to humanity, but to the fulfillment of ancient prophecies long awaited.  Additionally, note that the angel does not say that Jesus will become a savior, but that He was born a savior.  The very purpose of Jesus coming was not to become something, but to reveal who He already was and to display the fullness of God in His person for all the world to see and believe (Col. 2:9).
   
3. The angel concludes his announcement by referring to Jesus’ title “Christ the Lord.” This is the first and only time this combination—χριστὸς κύριος or Christ Yahweh—is used in scripture. It boldly identifies this baby as both the long-awaited Messiah, who had been spoken of in ancient scripture, and the incarnation of I Am.

Despite the majesty of this message, the juxtaposition of announcer and recipient in this text cannot be overlooked.  The angel delivered this world altering news to shepherds. Shepherds. These men were not scholars, nor aristocrats. No, they were not the leaders of anything but sheep. They were simple, ordinary men, doing honest work in an ordinary way.  They were watching, waiting, and anticipating something, but certainly not expecting the message they received.

So, what are we to make of a resplendent message delivered to the most ordinary of men? This apparent incongruity of announcement and audience actually foreshadows the very mission of Christ, a one-of-a-kind Sovereign announced to the common man to bring the most uncommon redemption. His ministry consistently demonstrated His ability to defy the expected for the extraordinary, to transform the lives of sinners to saints and murderers to martyrs for his Kingdom. The power of the Gospel transforms lives for God’s glory! 

This Christmas, the announcement of the Christ-child calls you to action.  It invites you out of bondage and into freedom. It invites you to abandon your way of thinking and living for a new way of believing and loving that will transform you and the community in which you live. It was the only hope of the ancient world and it is the only hope for our modern one as well.  Don’t get lost in Christmas-business and miss the Christ-baby. Be like the shepherds.  Heed the message of the coming King and run to Him.  See Him with new eyes and an open heart. The shepherds did, and they were never the same again.

The Unsung Hero of Advent

by Ricky Chelette, Executive Director

Not much is written about his life. Most scholars treat him as a minor character in the most amazing drama in history – the birth of Jesus. Church pageants portray him as a dutiful helper to Mary, with few if any lines, but not much more. He was a good man and he had a heart that was sensitive to the things of God.

We know him as Joseph, the earthly father of the Son of God.

Ponder the significance of that eight-word description.  Let it linger in your mind for a moment. Can you imagine the weight of such an assignment? Most father’s feel ill-equipped to raise a child, but to raise the Son of God was a task no one could have even anticipated!

However, Joseph was up for the task. Like many men in a new experience, Joseph rose to the occasion. His response, fortified by his faith in God, gives insight and direction for us all.

Though Joseph is only mentioned in Matthew chapters 1 and 2, Luke 2, and John, 6:42-43, these few passages give us deep insight into his character and what it means to be a godly man and father. 

1. Joseph was a just and kind man who honored women.

“And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.” (Matt. 1:19 ESV)

Joseph had every right to put Mary away, to disgrace her publically, and even to have her stoned.  After all, Mary’s guilt was ostensibly apparent given that no one had ever become pregnant without a sexual relationship. Yet, Joseph’s concern for Mary and her future showed his heart of compassion and love.

2. Joseph believed and obeyed God.

“But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’” (Matt. 1:19-21 ESV)

“When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” (Matt. 1:24-25 ESV)

Despite what was seemingly impossible, Joseph trusted the words of the angel of the Lord and, by faith, obeyed.  Furthermore, realizing the significance of the birth which was about to take place, Joseph exercised incredible restraint in his relationship with Mary, abstaining from all sexual relations with his wife for the first nine months of their marriage.

3.  Joseph was a faithful father who loved his son.

“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it…” (Luke 2:41-43 ESV)

“And when his parents’ saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, ‘Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.’” (Luke 2:48)

A rhythm of faith permeated the life of Joseph and his family.  Notice that “every year” and “according to custom,” Joseph consistently led his family to spiritually engage with God. His willingness to leave his business, travel to another city, and participate in the Feast of Passover further attests to the priority Joseph placed on the spiritual growth of his family.

Additionally, Joseph was engaged with and attuned to Jesus.  Knowing that Jesus was the son of God, it would have been easy for Joseph to disconnect from Jesus, but he did not. Verse 48 indicates both Mary and Joseph were searching for Jesus and both were distraught over his whereabouts. This offers us a small glimpse into the many ways Joseph was a good father.

As the pageants are delivered and the applause are given this Christmas season, few will notice the steady and faithful father Joseph, but Jesus did.  Jesus was shaped in his earthly manhood by his earthly father just as we are. He learned a skill and a craft from hours at the feet of Joseph.  He saw faith and sacrifice lived out through a simple, faithful builder, who loved God and loved Him. Not everyone lives in the spotlight or has the starring role in the drama, but we each play a significant role in God’s cosmic saga of redemption, just like Joseph.

Today you may feel unnoticed, unseen, or even forgotten, yet God knows and sees you.  There are no bit parts in His story.  Your life matters and others are observing you to see if you reflect the faith you say you believe and the God whose name you claim.  Live carefully and faithfully. You might be an unsung hero!  

An Unlikely Choice

by Ricky Chelette, Executive Director

I’ve been fascinated by the new Netflix series “The Crown,” which chronicles the rise of Elizabeth II to power as Queen of England. Great drama, strong characters, and lots of twists and turns in the plot make the storyline both enchanting and addictive. And yet, the conclusion of the show can be found in the title itself: Elizabeth will be crowned Queen.  Not only was she born into the royal family, but centuries of tradition and protocol mandated her as heir apparent. Everyone knew it. The choice was obvious.

Not so obvious was the choice of God for the mother of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Luke puts it this way, “And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.’” (Luke 1:35 ESV)

What an amazing passage of scripture that we often read with little reflection.  Stop for a moment and look at what takes place.

1)   An angel, Gabriel, appears and talks to a young girl.

2)   The girl is already engaged to be married to a man whose betrothal has likely been planned for a very long time and consequently agreed upon by both families.

3)   Gabriel tells Marry that the Holy Spirit will, “come upon you.” What does that even mean?  This was not something she would have known or understood.

4)   The angel also tells her that, “The power of the Most High will overshadow you.” In other words,  Gabriel informs Mary that something miraculous will consume and transform her, changing the course of her life and all humanity.

5)   This miraculous event will include the birth of a child, an ostensible impossibility given her virgin state.

6)   The child she will birth will be holy, a designation she understood but a condition she knew was impossible for humans to achieve.

7)   This child will be “the Son of God.”  How could this be? Mary knew God as a Spirit, not a person.

Can you see the overwhelming nature of such a revelation? It is mind-blowing. Nothing of this kind had ever happened in the history of the world. No one had ever had a child without first having sexual relations. No one had ever birthed the Son of God. No one. Ever. Never. Yet, the angel of the Lord informed Mary that she had been chosen. She would bring the Son of God into the world and care for Him as His mother.

As twenty first-century readers, we miss so much in this text because we live in a world of equality, rights, entitlement, and respect for all. This was not the case in the first-century world. Women were the property of their husbands. They had no rights, no voice, and no real identity apart from the one given to them through their marriage.

But why would God choose to bring His Son into the world through a woman? 

The God of the Bible is not a predictable deity. In fact, the most consistent predictor of His activity is His unpredictability. He chose a marginalized people to be “His people.”  He chose unlikely—and often seemingly unqualified—people to be his ambassadors, prophets, and priest.  He uses broken people to accomplish God-sized tasks and elevates the lowly to lofty places. 

There was no script that Mary could follow in response to Gabriel’s revelation. This is new ground. This had never happened before, nor will it ever happen again. Yet, her seemingly unlikely choice by God is met with an incredible faith response: “I am the servant of the Lord: let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke 2:37 ESV)

It is easy to think that we have nothing to contribute to God’s Kingdom. The tasks are so great and the demands are so unattainable. However, God has a way of choosing the most unlikely to accomplish His will. Mary wasn’t outstanding.  There is no indication that she was anything but ordinary with one exception; Mary was a woman of faith.  She believed and that allowed her to be used by God to change the world.

God may want to choose you to do incredible things for Him.  Are you willing? Are you faithful? Like Mary, you may not understand His plan, but your faith may just change the course of your life, or even the world, for His glory!