Let Earth Receive Her King (Christmas 2008)
Merry Christmas to each of you!
With all of the turmoil in the world today, we are more grateful than ever for the blessings we have in our lives. Among those blessings, of course, are the many friends we have around the world, and we want you to know how very grateful we are for you. I am sure that you are as aware as we are of the uncertain times in which we live – and like us you also take hope from the Christmas story.
Unexpected Agony
Not long ago I was reading one of the side-stories connected to the birth of Jesus, when King Herod ordered the mass execution of all of the baby boys in the vicinity of Bethlehem. (Matthew chapter 2). This ‘slaughter of the innocents’ was a terrible event, incomprehensible to those of us – and it is most of us – who think of Christmas in terms of simple happiness or merriment. There is no giddy glee in the death of hundreds of baby boys, and we don’t see why such an incident should have happened in connection with the birth of our Savior.
We wonder why God didn’t act to protect these innocent children; not only did he not do so, he actually predicted the event through the prophet Jeremiah hundreds of years before: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.” (Jer. 31:15) What are we to make of this? I don’t know why these children had to die, but I believe their deaths are a reminder that the gift of Christmas does not come to us without a price. Yes, this is the story of God stepping into our history to implement his plan of redemption. Yes, it is a story of joy and a tale of great victory. But it is also a story full of people who paid a high price for this redemption. Our vision of the “blessed couple” is full of romance – they were the parents of Messiah! But Joseph and Mary also experienced the shame and ostracism of an ill-timed and unexplainable pregnancy, and the difficulty and discomfort of a forced move to Bethlehem as refugees. Jesus’ cousin John the Baptist’s life in the wilderness was full of hardship, and his beheading death at the hands of Herod tends to put any difficulties you or I are facing into perspective.
Pain and joy together
What strikes me about Jeremiah’s prophecy about the deaths of these children is that he places it in the middle of a chapter that is otherwise, and uncharacteristically (for Jeremiah) full of joy and rejoicing. “I have loved you with an everlasting love” and “they will come and shout for joy… they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord” Even Rachel’s lament in verse 15 is immediately followed by an admonition: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded.”
There is mystery here: The joy of redemption mingles with the tears and agony of the mother whose child has been killed, foretelling, perhaps, the same mix of joy and pain that Mary would experience throughout her life: “A sword will pierce your heart…” predicted Simeon. Pain appears to be a necessary prelude to joy. More than that, there is the nature of joy itself. Joy is a deeper, fuller emotion than the light hearted happiness or “merriment” we often associate with Christmas. It is not so far removed from the pain and sorrow that are often necessary to bring it about. Most of us have at one time or another been so happy we found ourselves crying. Remember?
The King is coming!
This perhaps helps us understand Romans 8:18-19: “…our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits with eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed!” This is what we’re waiting for. This is what we’re working for! And somehow, mysteriously, the pain of the present – for humans as well as for the rest of creation, is part of the process, a prelude to unspeakable joy! For earth is about to receive her King!
We don’t know what the immediate future holds for any of us; we’re pretty sure there will be pain and sorrow. That is even more certain when the economic winds blow as they are right now. But it is for such times as these that Jesus came! It is our prayer that like us, you will be able to share in the joy that comes from resting in the arms of a Savior who can give meaning and joy to all of the events of your life.
May you have a truly joyous Christmas and a wonderfully blessed new year as you too wait – and work – for the Return of the King!
With much love and gratitude for your partnership with us –
Ed Brown, for the Care of Creation Family!
