I’m reading through Matthew and today is chapter 2…we all know the story. The Magi come to visit the newborn King and run into Herod. They go to worship and then go home a different route…and all is well. They’re obedient…God is honored…and everyone is happy. Oops…maybe not. Actually the Magi are obedient and soon after parents all over the city are crying out in heartache as their baby boys are killed. This isn’t the way it’s supposed to work. We often hear said that “the safest place is in the center of God’s will”. This is usually stated from a nice, safe, air-conditioned worship center located in the heart of the bible belt. The truth is…being obedient to God always has a price…the question is who will pay it?
Joseph and Mary were obedient…the Magi were obedient and yet it was unknown families that paid the price. Usually the price isn’t as severe as death…usually it’s more manageable. Right now we’re loving where we are…loving our city…loving our life. Sure we do without our favorite restaurants and favorite snacks…but for us this is our life. The price for our obedience is often paid for by our families in the US. They don’t quite understand why we have to live this life. They miss us…the miss the grandkids. They don’t see us on birthdays or Christmas…they don’t get to come to sports activities or dance recitals. They pay the price.
What an interesting way to start the story of Jesus….a lineage that’s less than stellar…an unmarried, young mother…ridicule…gossiping mouths as they see pregnant Mary….a venomous king. There’s no fanfare…no royal reception. The story begins with a strong sense of foreshadowing…this is truly God stepping into humanity…into the thick of the human condition. What a beautiful story!
{ 4 comments }
She’s not attractive, dresses strange..and sings annoyingly addictive tunes….she is Lady Gaga. The interesting thing about her is that she’s hoping to be the next Madonna (of Vogue and Like a virgin fame). She grabbed 8 VMA’s last night and is adored by fans all over the world. She has positioned herself as the pop star for the misunderstood, the outcast… the sexually undefined. She is narrating a story of one was born into a struggling family and even now seems to be perpetually seeking out her own path. But this story couldn’t be further from the truth. She was born into a wealthy family…and went to school with Paris Hilton. Photos of her from her pre-Gaga days show a normal looking brunette girl, with tanned skin and regular clothes. She’s the product of a record label, with no real history, no real story, no real narrative. Her name, image, dress and music style were all created by a marketing team. Unlike the Madonna of the 80’s (who wore her own clothes in her videos and even though she was vulgar, was simply being herself) she’s simply a character in a fictional world that someone has created.
Compare this to the real Madonna…Mary the mother of Jesus. When you read Matthew 1 you don’t see a geneology worthy of royalty. The few names we recognize are tainted with controversy and failure. Many of the names we may know little or nothing about. She was an unmarried, young pregnant girl. She had a choice…go against the customs and norms of her time and trust God or…don’t trust God. Her and Joseph decided to obey God, face ridicule and speculation, go against the normal path of life and trust God. The result…the King of Kings comes to earth into a simple, frail lineage and changes the world.
Both of these ladies have stories with interesting turns and twists. Both are stories in a larger narrative. The difference is that one seeks to create a story of struggling and hardship and the other one is actually based in a story of struggling and hardship. The narrative of God simple doesn’t make sense from our perspective…but it’s good news for us. In this small chapter of Matthew we see many truths…..that God can use the broken and the failed among us….that He often leads us to go against culture, norms, rules and policies….that He is more concerned with our obedience than or reputation…and that He truly is missional, coming to dwell and minister among us.
{ 0 comments }
