Lessons: Psalm 37:1-18; Isaiah 7:1-9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12; Luke 22:1-13
The Hidden God Christians Worship
Why wasn’t Jesus born in Rome? Or Alexandria? Or Corinth? Or a place in the Roman World that would have brought immediate attention, glitz and glamour to his amazing birth and impressive pedigree? Why did God choose to dwell among us in a tiny, out of the way, village near the desert, in an oppressed land, to an oppressed people?
I believe the answer lies in the fact that when you read the Gospel stories, you come away with the sense that wherever the Gospel bears fruit, it happens in hiddenness. Think for example of Nicodemus and his midnight rendezvous with Jesus. Or what about the story of the healing of the Centurion’s son? Or the steward’s reaction when Jesus stepped away from the wedding feast in Cana and turned large containers of water into the finest Cabernet of its time? You see, the God whom we worship in the Christian tradition is truly a hidden God. That fact alone turns our addicted culture of pizazz and celebrity completely on its head.
My experience, over time, is that the initial reaction of a person who has had a transfiguring personal encounter with the living God does not mean immediately shouting from the rooftops like some crazed individual. On the contrary, when I have experienced God in the flesh or in the Spirit, I desire to have time to ponder the immensity of what has occurred. I think of the night when my son, John, was born; or the times when I stand on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and consider its grandeur; or when I hear the words of a friend when they say, “I forgive you.”
Henri Nouwen, in one of my all-time favorite spiritual works, Letters to Marc About Jesus, writes, “The greatest part of God’s work in our history could well remain completely unknown.” I think Nouwen is correct. But, that mystery is incredibly difficult for many in our society and culture to grasp. For the age in which we live places far too much emphasis on publicity, stardom, and status.
Where are you looking for God this season? In the glitz and glamor of the Holidays? Or in the hiddenness?
Here I am Lord, It is I, Lord. I have heard you calling in the night. Take my heart and fill it with your love that I may live in you and you may live in me. Amen.
Advent Action Step: Christians believe in a theology of incarnation. Pray today for the places where Jesus lived. Pray for the men, women and children of the Middle East. Pray especially this day for peace among the Palestinians and Israelis.
Love One Another – Brian
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