December 19th - Reflection

Fourth Sunday of Advent
Matthew 1:18-25 (NRSV)
Our God near at hand

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
"Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,"
which means, "God is with us." When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Reflection
Up to this time in Biblical history, there were many accounts of God working through couples to introduce those God would use in his plan of salvation. John and Elizabeth had John the Baptist. Abraham and Sarah, Boaz and Ruth, Isaac and Rebekah, Adam and Eve, the list is really quite long. God was working his will through couples. Through pro-creation in the natural sense. God was a little distant in the action, yet still involved.

But in this sense, with Mary, God comes to humans in an intimate way. So intimate that God would be directly involved in the birth of Jesus. The child conceived in Mary was from the Holy Spirit. In previous couples mentioned above the child conceived or children conceived as may be the case, were only human. But in the case of Jesus, he would be both fully human and fully divine.

With this, God became directly involved with the human race. God in some sense came out of the temple, that we humans were attempting to confine him to, and came into us. Jesus changed the world. Jesus was and is God with us. Not in our defined and appropriate sense of the ark of the covenant, the law, or even in the temple, but Jesus is with us, in us, walking beside us and all around us. God chose to make himself human in order to save us from what we would never be able to save ourselves from; sin, death and the devil.

What an awesome, wonderful, loving move God made in being human with us. What a true gift from above. Nothing else in this world could ever match the gift God gave to us in Jesus. And we could never do enough to return the favor. All God seeks from us is that we believe and place all of our hope and joy in his saving action of Jesus.

God is with us! Thanks be to God!

Prayer
Lord, as I reflect on the actions you have taken for all your people, and for me, I give you thanks that you became human through Jesus. You are my joy and salvation...today...tomorrow...and forever. --- Amen