Christmas Musing #14 Powerful #1

 

⁵ And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” ⁶ And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:5-6

               Power, and displays of power, enthrall us. Our military budget grows every year. Yet, we continually employ a parsimonious attitude toward helping the weak, sickly, poor, and marginalized in our country. Despite historically low violent crime rates, we remain a country armed to the teeth with more weapons than individuals. Our police drive around our cities armed to the teeth and looking like they are ready to engage in a running gun-battle. We seem to have forgotten the reminder in scripture ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Matthew 25:52 We embrace power as if it we a shield; however, in God’s plan things operate differently.

               Whenever I think of Advent, my spirit loiters over Abraham. Abraham exemplifies how God views earthly displays of might and power. God needed to raise up a race of people to demonstrate His holiness and love. You or I would probably consider the Hittites, Egyptians, or perhaps the Chaldeans. You know, the powerful nations of the ancient world. Look at Egypt, perhaps the longest-lived empire. Of course, the Chinese could make a strong claim to be the oldest continual empire, but we’re not really delving into history here. The point is, God did not reach out to the powerful when working out His plan. He needed to build a people, so He looked around and settled on Abram. The name change came later.

               Think about God’s choice and what that says about Advent. Here He is, forming a nation, through which He will make His entry into humanity. He chooses an obscure man and woman that remain childless. While it is true that Abraham was well to do, he did not wield much in the way of power. When he and Sari (her name also changed later) sojourned in Egypt, Abram would try and pass off Sari as his sister to avoid harassment and perhaps murder by the local leadership. In fact, he does this twice, and while technically true, he comes across as weak and weaselly. But he’s the guy God chooses to groom into the father of the faithful, and through Abram God blesses all of us. The joy, and challenge, of Advent rests in weakness, not awesome thundering power.

               In all the events leading up to Advent, God chooses the weak and powerless to move the narrative forward. Abram fathers the nation long after his natural ability had faded. God steps in and intervenes and viola, Isaac.  Advent reminds me to trust in God’s promises, not my strength and ability. Long after my own abilities fail, He takes over. When we walk through Advent, we’re reminded that He changes things and that His power often comes in weak and insignificant packages that the world may well miss. So, like Abram, I stand and look up at the stars, unable to count them, and wonder at the might creative God who not only notices me, but also reaches out to me in my weakness. He uses this paradoxical approach to tenderly join us. In Advent we see the gentle Lord coming down to minister to His lost sheep.