The Gift of Mystery
Simple Gifts - Part 4
Sunday, December 24, 2023
Psalm 8, Luke 2:8-20
When I look up at your skies,
at what your fingers made—
the moon and the stars
that you set firmly in place—
what are human beings
that you think about them;
what are human beings
that you pay attention to them?Psalm 8:3-4 (CEB)
Nearby shepherds were living in the fields, guarding their sheep at night. The Lord’s angel stood before them, the Lord’s glory shone around them, and they were terrified.
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.”
Luke 2:8-12 (CEB)
Listen to this Week’s Sermon here:
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David, a lowly shepherd in the field watching his flocks by night, looks up at the skies and marvels and the wonder of creation, and even more at the great mystery that the God who placed moon and stars in the sky would care about and pay attention to someone like him. One day this shepherd boy would be king of Israel and would unite the Kingdom in a way that no one has seen before or since. But whether as a king or a shepherd boy, the mystery remains… Who is this God that would pay attention to a lowly human like me?
Nearly 1,000 years later, shepherds sat out upon those same fields, in the city of David, watching their flocks by night and looking up at the sky. But instead of the moon and stars, they saw the radiance of an angel of the Lord who brought good news for all people, even seemingly insignificant people like them.
It’s easy to get caught up in the mysteries of obscure Bible passages we don’t understand or theology that doesn’t quite make sense. Biblical scholars and theologians argue over whether Mary was actually a virgin, or just a young maiden as the original languages imply, and whether or not it really matters. For centuries, Christians struggled to figure out the mysteries of the incarnation, wondering just how much of Jesus was actually God and how much was human? Historically it was settled in the creeds, but Jesus himself never seemed particularly concerned with his disciples believing in his virgin birth or in explaining how his oneness with the Father actually worked. The mysteries of Advent and Christmas were simply not mysteries Jesus and his followers ever considered. The earliest gospel account in Mark doesn’t even have a birth narrative and the “Christmas Story” in Matthew is more about connecting Jesus with Moses than about recording historical and biographical events.
The nature of Jesus as the son of God is expanded in Luke and John, but still, the greater mystery remains. It is the same mystery David wondered and the mystery the shepherds encountered first-hand when greeted by this heavenly messenger. Who are we that God is mindful of us, that God pays attention to us, that God cares about us, and even more, that God has Good News for us, and for all people?
Let us not be distracted by the historical details of Christmas, but let us marvel in the mystery that is God’s hope, love, joy and peace for us, and for all.