“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” (Psalm 46:1-3)
It wasn’t grandiose, barely comfortable, in fact. There were no pompous greetings; no one took hats and hung them carefully on golden hooks or handed out celebratory stems of fine wine.
Those that gathered in this place had each received a most unexpected, yet remarkable, personal invitation and without hesitation had followed – of all things – a brilliant star to a stable in a remote part of a small town.
As the dress code was assumed to be come as you are, guests were clothed in simple cotton tunics that left knees free during labor-intensive tasks like planting, herding or chasing pillaging wolves. Most wore outer garments made of camel’s hair to keep warm and shed rain. Many carried a hooked club made of oak wood that identified them as shepherds.
They crowded around an unsteady manger filled with prickly straw that had been set up behind an inn smelling of dust and manure. There was a sign posted on the door of the Inn- “No Room.”
Captivated by a newborn child hastily enveloped in cloth, the assemblage did not notice the humble poverty of the exhausted mother who could not seem to take her adoring eyes from her son or the father who hovered protectively over the mother and child.
No one belittled the accommodations or deplored the animals, big and small, trampling heavily and noisily around the manger. There was no gossip about how this family ended up here or laments about foolish decisions. They had come to see the baby that lay in the manger, and they too were poor.
A passerby pulled aside a stable hand to ask what caused these stalwart men to leave their flock and brave the journey here. The young boy’s eyes seem to glow with a light that intensified as he told the story he had heard.
“The shepherds were abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock at night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid,” he said clasping his hands in prayer.
“The angel said to them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger,” he breathed the words exactly as they had been said.
“And suddenly a multitude of the heavenly host praising God appeared with the angels, singing, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men,” he ended.
The boy turned and gestured to the passer-by to follow him, “Come, come and see the King.”
The man hastened to follow, splashing through puddles of muddy water, wet hay and brambles sticking to his shoes, his heart beating joyfully.
An Unanticipated Birth Place for a Savior.
Would it not have been supposed that the birth of such a King as this, would merit a magnificent ceremonial festival in the grand hall of a palace as a welcome into the world?
Only so if Jesus were not a radical.
As such, He was born in poverty, among animals, with the Roman-appointed king of Judaea intent on slaughtering Him. His life was radical, His death was radical. His love was radical. It changed the entire course of human history.
When Jesus came to earth over two thousand years ago, He encountered two groups of people. People who loved Him and wanted true freedom and those who felt threatened by everything He stood for and feared losing their power and authority. Not unlike today.
As a reformer, Jesus rose up against authority and tradition. His life and teachings a sweeping invitation to something beyond what most of us have settled for. Jesus was a political revolutionary calling for change in human hearts, but also compelling sweeping and comprehensive change in the political, social, and economic structures.
Jesus simply allowed truth to reign supreme. Inundate a culture with truth, and enemies are loved, the marginalized prioritized and wealth inequality exposed for the sham it is.
In today’s society truth is radical.
To accept truth completely in every situation is exceedingly difficult. It requires the patience of a saint and the diplomacy of an ambassador. Every day we are tempted in a multitude of ways to have an incidental relationship with truth by ignoring, stretching or manipulating it. Motivation rises out of political correctness, a need to be admired, convenience or expediency. Truth is not a finely-honed human skill.
Jesus had a lot to say about wealth, causing havoc for money changers, paralleling a journey through the eye of a needle to the ease for the rich to enter heaven and warning that the love of money is the root of all evil. The recalcitrant Prince of Peace told a rich young ruler to sell everything and give it to the poor. He told His disciples the same thing. In essence, we are stewards and managers of everything we possess, no more and no less.
While we acknowledge in theory that the last shall be first as He proclaimed, in practice many still pursue influence and power at a personal, cultural and political level. Still, it can be difficult to love your brothers and sisters when you are subjected to indiscretions, offenses or evil deeds they have committed.
Following Jesus is not an easy path.
Sadly, as life is increasingly lived online, we are in danger of losing real human connection and interaction, enslaving us to the often biased, selfish and egocentric portrait of the world displayed there. It is debatable that theology has yet caught up to technology.
So how is it possible for so many to profess a belief in Jesus, yet ignore the suffering of the poor and the needy? Just how truly faithful to the vision of Jesus are the many, politicians included, who claim to be Christian?
How Do We Respond to the Radical Words of Jesus?
The truth must be spoken; lies discredited; misconceptions, misinformation and hate exposed.
Crusade for justice, equity and opportunity for all those who have been systematically held back, punished, cheated, abused, ignored and isolated by providing everyone the opportunity to earn, save and build wealth not just the privileged.
We must do all that is in our power to stop selfish, self-centered, power driven speech, actions and plans from our governance because the truth is that they are working for the people, not the other way around.
Rebuild a vision of a country that is truly of, by and for the people to replace the image of a future controlled by a handful astride the human heap.
Be willing to be vulnerable.
Work for the common good, making the new, beneficial, life expanding discoveries accessible to all.
Reexamine mass hurt by bringing both survivors and perpetrators together to address human rights violations.
All people must acknowledge their mistakes and forgive each other. Banish the camouflaged trappings used against each other and connect through our common humanity, honoring the human soul, spirit and essence.
Claim the right to be free from brutality, oppression, government, power, greed and hate, casting off injustice to herald diversity.
Condemn those who exploit the people and follow those who love their fellow man. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of the foremost practitioners of the politics of Jesus, selflessly embraced the ethic of love and understood that the purpose of love was to take down the pillars of oppression.
What Kind of World Can We Expect if We Follow the Radical Politics Jesus Introduced into the World?
We would welcome the stranger and together would publicly work out what that means. Politicians and followers of Jesus’s politics would use love and justice to evaluate and measure the government’s work.
Grievances, cruelty, lies, inequity, disparities, inequalities could be aired and heard openly as penalties, punishment and consequences are assessed for those violating human rights. Knowing this would encourage us to work together, discuss our needs, anxieties and differences.
Our voices would be heard by all, proclaiming our solidarity.
Know that not everyone will accept you. If people hated Jesus, there will be those who hate you too, but that should never stop you from your quest for justice, equality and equity.
Jesus invites us to live a radical life and demonstrate His love, His forgiveness and His healing to this broken world. Accepting His challenge to be a radical who walks in forgiveness and compassion as did the Messiah, means we can manifest change.
There is no alternative but to face the past squarely and step into the future.
Celebrate the miracle of Christmas with me.
So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.