CHRISTA - Mary: An Intimate Moment

better late than never, our 4th week of advent focused on mary and the beauty & ugliness of that crazy christmas night. this was part of our christmas eve, eve gathering, adapted from ken gire's "intimate moments with the savior".

I see him. Oh little one, I see you. So short a time ago I held you. Close to me. I see him. I remember shepherds and wise men. It only seems like yesterday.

For the census, the royal family has to travel 85 miles. Joseph walks, while Mary, nine months pregnant, rides on a donkey, feeling every jolt, every rut, every rock in the land. By the time they arrive, the small hamlet of Bethlehem is swollen from an influx of travelers. The inn is packed, people feeling lucky if they found a small space on the floor. Now it is late, everyone is asleep and there is no room. But fortunately, the innkeeper is not all shekels and mites. True, his stable is crowded with his guests’ animals, but if they could squeeze out a little privacy there, they were welcome to it.

Joseph looks over at Mary, whose attention is concentrated on fighting a contraction. “We’ll take it” he tells the innkeeper without hesitation. The night is still when Joseph creaks open the stable door. As he does, a chorus of barn animals makes note of the intrusion. The stench is pungent and humid. A small oil lamp, lent them by the innkeeper, flickers on the walls. A disquieting place for a woman in the throes of childbirth. Far from home. Far from family. Far from what she had expected for her firstborn.

And little Mary full of grace. With the tears upon her face had no mother’s hand to hold. No mother’s hand to hold.

For Mary, it is a relief just to get off the donkey. She leans against the wall, feet swollen, back aching, contractions growing stronger and closer together.

Noble Joseph.

Joseph’s eyes dart around the stable. Quickly. A feeding trough for a bed. Hay would serve as bedding. Blankets? Blankets? His robes. And those rags hung out to dry would help. A gripping contraction doubles Mary over and sends him racing for a bucket of water. Noble Joseph.

The birth would not be easy, either for the mother or child. For every royal privilege for this son ended at conception.

A scream from Mary knifes through the calm of the night. Joseph returns, water sloshing from a bucket. The top of the baby’s head has already pushed it’s way into the world. Sweat pours from Mary’s contorted face as Joseph. Noble Joseph at her side. Callused hands and weary eyes rushes to her side. There were no midwives to be found in the streets of David’s town, in the middle of the night. Noble Joseph at her side.

The involuntary contractions are not enough and Mary has to push with all her strength, as if God were refusing to come into the world without her help. Joseph places a garment beneath her, and with a final push and a long sigh her labor is over.

The Messiah has arrived.

Elongated head from the constricting journey through the birth canal. Light skin, as the pigment will take days or even weeks to surface. Mucus in his ears and nostrils. Wet and slippery from the amniotic fluid.

The Son of the Most High God

Umbilically tied to a Jewish girl. The baby chokes and coughs. Joseph instinctively turns him over and clears his throat. Then the baby cries.

Mary bares her breast and reaches for the shivering baby. She lays him on her chest, and his helpless cries subside. His tiny head bobs around on the unfamiliar terrain. This will be the first thing the infant-king learns. Mary can feel his racing heartbeat as he reaches to nurse. Deity nursing from a young woman’s breast.

Could anything be more puzzling - or more profound?

Joseph sits, exhausted. silent. full of wonder...The baby finishes and sighs, the divine Word reduced to a few unintelligible sounds. Then, for the first time, his eyes fix on his mother’s. Deity straining to focus. The Light of the World, squinting.

What child is this? What child...

Tears pool in her eyes. She touches his tiny hands. And hands that once sculpted mountain ranges cling to her finger.

The virgin sings her lullaby... Joy, joy for Christ is born. Joy Joy Joy.

Mary looks up at Joseph, and through a watery veil, their souls touch. He crowds closer, cheek to cheek with his betrothed.

Together they stare in awe. not flesh of my flesh. Joy, joy for Jesus in born, son of my love. They stare in awe.

How can this be?

They stare in awe at the baby. Jesus. Whose heavy eyelids begin to close. It has been a long journey.

And so, with barely a ripple of notice, God stepped into the warm lake of humanity. without protocol and without pretension.

Except for Joseph, there was no one to share Mary’s pain. Or her joy. Yes there were angels announcing the Savior’s arrival, but only to a band of shepherds. And yes, a magnificent star shone in the sky to mark his birthplace, but only a few foreigners bothered to look up and follow.

Thus, in the little town of Bethlehem the royal birth of God’s son tiptoed quietly by as the world slept.

I think it's important to read, listen, engage in things that help us to think about Mary as a real person, really doing this incredible thing with God and for God. Mary really lived and gave birth to a baby boy. Joseph really existed and chose to stay by her side and accept Jesus as his own son.

She is so much more than a figurine with a blue head piece staring with ceramic eyes at a painted baby. She engaged in life with God and because of this endured such incredible joy and suffering. What a woman! What grace!

May we all pray for a bit of her grace as we end this year. May we have the courage to accept God's word (from an angel or a friend or a song on the radio) and follow through and say "yes" to the task set before us. May we like Mary have the grace to respond to life and sing "I'm bursting with God-news; I'm dancing the song of my Savior God. God took one good look at me, and look what happened-I'm the most fortunate woman/man on earth!"

Amen.

SAGE - Anna & Simeon: So Faithful It Was Strange

we're on week 3 in the urban skye advent guide.

Since Anna and Simeon are “post creche” figures, I never paid any attention to them. The Christmas eve gospel readings left them out too. But sure enough, there they are. A couple of old folks praising baby Jesus. That is easy to imagine--like bringing your progeny to a great-grandparent, of course they’re going to be happy.

This is, however, no ordinary blessing--which is why it lives in the sacred story. It occurs as part of Jesus’ circumcision and dedication to God. And these were the elders who were present and shone on that sacred occasion. The fact that Anna and Simeon were very old is important. It calls attention to the way they have lived their lives and what that means.

Throughout this advent season we have paid attention to how the first ones who recognize Jesus as Lord were misfits. That is true of Anna and Simeon also, but for different reasons than the others. These two were super devout--way beyond basic religiosity. It is helpful to know that Jews didn’t have monasteries and usually kept themselves involved with normal community life. There was a special vow you could take (the nazarite vow, from Numbers) to bring you closer to God, but it was usually for a limited period of time. The only ones I know of in ible history who were life-long nazarites (not related to nazarines) were Sampson and John the Baptist. One of the signs of the vow is to not cut the hair, which explains a lot about Sampson’s deal.

Anyhow, to live that way was exceptional, and to live as Anna did- IN the temple for 84 years, man, that’s kinda weird. One of the gifts that come with this devotion is prophesy. Their culture apparently knew how to nurture and support people who hear God talking to them. These days, you can’t do that sort of thing...Anna would be another homeless lady with a shopping cart and frayed mittens saying “God bless you” over a cup of coffee.

This kind of devotion gave Anna and Simeon a different set of expectations for their lives. They didn’t expect to see their fortunes grow, or get a Wii, or something normal like that. They expected no less than to see the fulfillment of God’s great covenantal promise within their own lifetimes. And they waited—then recognized it when he arrived--and blessed him.

Simeon had faith that this was coming and delivered a powerful prophesy. He then gave thanks that his life’s work had been completed. In the Bible it mentions that after Anna had delivered her blessing, she went and told everyone she saw what God had done. Can you imagine it--a woman who nobody had ever seen (outside of the temple) for four generations suddenly steps out and starts praising God and announcing the arrival of the Messiah? Truly exceptional.

My hope is to be mindful of their patience, their faithfulness, their focus--and especially their joy.

MIKE: week two of advent: why are the shepherds in the nativity scene?

when i was 12 years old i asked my grampa to help me built a nativity set. we set about collecting some old tree branches and some scraps of wood and started our project. i have set this scene up almost every year since. i went to woolworth's and picked out the figures i would need. of course, i started with Jesus, mary and joseph. then i needed three kings, a camel and a donkey. and lastly i needed some shepherds. i had to have three, because it balanced out the 3 kings on the other side. i never knew why i needed shepherds. the kings brought gifts and Jesus, mary, and joseph surely needed to be there. but why shepherds? what was the reason for them? they didn't do anything. or did they?

in the day of old, the shepherds were close to, if not at, the bottom of the social status, but they were the first to hear of the unique birth of Christ. these humble men who were faithful at their regular jobs--not the religious leaders or scholars--were the first humans to hear the good news. i believe there is a world of meaning in the fact that very ordinary people busy with very ordinary tasks were who God chose to first show his plan of redemption. it means that where God places us, no matter how humble or broken, is the place of our vision, the place where we will bloom. secondly, the ones whose lives are not cluttered with all the materials of life are most readily open to the mysteries of God and take the risk to step out in faith, because they have nothing to lose.

so, you might ask, what big risk did these guys take? . they overcame their fear. let's face it, an angel coming out of nowhere or thousands of them singing praise to God would have scared the crap out of me. and what about going to tell others about a baby born in a stable who would be the son of God. there was the fear others would consider them crazy. but they went. they were somehow compelled to go. and God’s plan of redemption had another unveiling.

that's a nice story, but does it have any application for us or was dr. luke trying to fill pages in a letter? we, like the shepherd have a story. that is all we really have to share with anyone. and ours, like theirs, comes from the messiness and brokenness of our lives. but like them we need to overcome our fear. for most of us, one of our biggest fears is the fear of being vulnerable. there is a lot of safety in keeping the brokenness and messiness of our lives to ourselves. we can take that story, share it and further the kingdom, like the shepherds did, or stay in our own pity party and let the suffering we've had go to waste.

this week God brought me in contact with two precious ladies who are in the midst of some major chapters in the story of their lives. one faced a life changing surgery in order to save her life from cancer. as i visited with her before surgery she shared the story of a neighbor, whose was very hard to connect with. the neighbor is old and needs help with a husband who has alzheimers. my friend recently found out this neighbor had the same surgery she was facing. my friend remarked: "God has now given me entry into my neighbor’s life, because we have both faced this same surgery. isn't He good?". the other lady is much younger and battling drugs and alcohol. though she still has a way to go in her fight for sobriety, she is looking forward to the day her struggles brings glory to God and healing to others. as i talked with her about her future she said something that so impressed me. she said if i never do anything with the story God has given to me it is just a story with no benefit. if i can beat this i want to be able to share with other teens so my story can make a difference in their lives. otherwise, she said it won't count for anything.

i know many face a life that is just brutal. many times it seems hopeless. whether it be a broken relationship, no relationship, lack of money or a job, an addiction, a physical or mental condition, abuse, discrimination or anything that keeps us marginalized, God can use it to take his good news to a hurting world. this christmas season i would gently encourage all of us to take that step of faith that the shepherds did, to respond instead of be paralyzed with fear and see the glory of the Lord revealed.

KATHY - week one of advent....the magi: pagans who see God

it’s 4 weeks until christmas. hard to believe. i know it’s a really sucky time of year for a lot of people. the darkness sets in, depression about money, relationships, life stuff, and the reality of how hard it is to pull off this life somehow becomes more apparent. for me, the holidays usually just feel overwhelming. too many things to do, the days are shorter, the list of to-dos are longer, and next thing i know it’s new years eve and i missed the reason for the season completely. so i am glad the refuge is going to journey together through an advent guide (put together by our friends at urban skye) for the next 4 weeks leading up to christmas. i need the help. i need the focus. i need to turn my eyes and heart and mind toward Jesus and not kohl’s and target and all the things i didn’t do this year that i had meant to. for the first christmas in a long time i feel a tug in my heart, a deeper desire than usual to peel away all of the crap and distractions and help me remember Jesus.

one of the things i have always loved the most about Jesus is he always attracted the outcasts, the outsiders, the unlikelies. in week one of the urban skye advent guide, we meet the magi (aka the 3 wise men). i always forget that they were total pagans, magicians, astrologers, men as far away from jewish culture as you could possibly get. yet, they were drawn. they heard that the messiah was being born & they just picked up and started following a star. they were drawn toward bethlehem. mystically. magically. a powerful tug to “get to him.”

i think that is how Jesus always was for the outcasts. when i look at all of the people in the gospels who were drawn to him, it was always the ones on the outside of “religion” that couldn’t get to him fast enough. like moths to the flame, the losers, the shameful, the sick, the lame, the naughty moved toward Jesus while the religious were repelled by him. the outcasts dropped everything, made their ways through the crowd, climbed trees, were lowered through roofs, crashed parties, followed stars to get to him. they almost couldn’t help themselves. when i was new to my faith i was the same way. full of shame and self-hatred i would do almost anything i could to get to Jesus. i was desperately drawn.

and then the weirdest thing happened—over time i moved from being an outsider to an insider. i learned the rules, i integrated into the “system,” and over time i systematically lost some of the real passion and need for him that started me on my journey. i know this is typical for a lot of people, i am not unique, but i began to need “church” and structures and approval in systems instead of needing Jesus. the beauty and mystery and desperation dissipated into orderliness. “do these things and you will be a real christian.”

i don’t know what a real christian is anymore. the definitions i used to use definitely don’t make sense to me any longer. i am redefining everything i have learned. but i do know that it is easy to move from outsider to insider and miss the whole point. i also know that people these days are not drawn like a moth toward the blazing flame of the church. in fact, they are running in the opposite direction.

but i think people are still drawn in crazy ways toward Jesus. the christmas story, when i really take a step back and look at it, reminds me that what we think, what the system, the world thinks, is usually not what God thinks. through Jesus, God turned all of that upside down and shows us that it is in the most unlikely person we find our saviour.

so i find myself this december in awe of the magi, 3 men drawn to a messiah who was not born in a palace and swathed in royal robes. instead he was just a little simple baby boy born surrounded by stinky animals & hay. no pomp, no circumstance. no arrogance. just a humble birth under the stars that somehow changed the world forever. i’ll never fully get my head around all the ins and outs of Jesus’ virgin birth and the wild things that followed. sometimes when i tell the story out loud, i am like “yeah, it’s a wacky one, that’s for sure, pretty unreal and hard to get our head around.” i wish as christians we’d be more honest about how crazy the story really is!

but here’s what feels real to me. more real maybe than ever. when i look, listen, still my heart, i’m sort of like a moth to the flame, like the magi following the star.... i keep getting drawn his direction. in need of the hope he somehow offers. the beauty he points to despite the ugliness. the light he seems to bring in the midst of darkness.