This blog serves as an outreach for Pastor Randy Powell of the First Baptist Church of Franklin, PA. Feel free to ask questions or send me an e-mail at pastorpowell@hotmail.com
As Matthew relates the event of the first Christmas, the focus is upon Joseph, the adopted father of Jesus. We learn that Joseph is like his ancestor, Boaz, a man of both righteous adherence to the Law of Moses, and a genuinely kind man. When Joseph learns of Mary's pregnancy he does not seek vengeance or humiliation, but rather intends to divorce her quietly. Joseph would thus fulfill the Law without being vindictive. Is it any wonder that God chose him to parent the Son of God?
"Nice guys finish last" may be a common enough idiom, and true in any number of pop culture examples and real-world scenarios. But God holds us to a different standard than 'winning' in this life, as followers of Jesus, we don't want to 'win' at the cost of our character.
When you ignore the context of the Bible to apply it in a way that works for you, bad things happen. I liked Ronald Reagan as a President, and as a young man would have cheered on his nationalistic blending of American patriotism and Christian imagery. But the truth is, his use of John Winthrop's use of Jesus' imagery from the Sermon on the Mount is wrong, and dangerous.
Matthew 5:13-16 New International Version
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
The 'you' that Jesus is addressing in his sermon are his followers, in other words those who seek God, living by faith and doing righteousness. Shockingly to his contemporaries who thought otherwise, the people of God don't belong to either an earthly kingdom or a specific ethnicity. In fact, the Kingdom that Jesus established transcended both political kingdoms and racial barriers, becoming a spiritual kingdom both more widespread and more powerful than any kingdom of men that ever was or will be.
I appreciate that Ronald Reagan loved America, I do too. But America is not, indeed cannot, be the 'city on a hill' to which all men should aspire. Is America the ideal destination for millions, if not billions, in our world today? Absolutely, and we can be proud of that distinction. Yet America is NOT the salvation of anyone's soul. It may be the world's best place for political and economic freedom, but it offers nobody freedom from sin and death. It cannot, it is a country, not the Kingdom of God. The purpose of God in our world is not political freedom or economic prosperity (although both are certainly a blessing), but instead the moving of the Spirit throughout the world to bring men, women, and children to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and lives transformed by the Spirit to selfless discipleship.
When we conflate America and the Kingdom of God in our overzealous patriotism (leading to Christian Nationalism), we do a disservice to not only the true meaning and purpose of the Church, but that of America too. We ask too much of our country, expect it to represent too much, achieve too much, and we ask far too little of the Church. No earthly kingdom was ever supposed to be to us what the Church must be.
The only true ideal that shines forth and draws all people to its light is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It alone can set people free, it alone can transform the hearts and minds of the Lost and save souls by the power of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That was the city that Jesus was talking about.
America has no monopoly on the Light of Christ, no monopoly on God's blessings, let's not pretend otherwise, doing so leads not toward the light but in the other direction.
As we look at the Advent story this year from the perspective of the eyewitnesses, we begin with Mary. If is difficult to put ourselves in her shoes with a gap of 2,000 years of culture, history, and for most of us, ethnicity separating us, but in the end even us men who do not know what it feels like to bring a child into this world, there is still a common humanity that we share with Mary. That being said, her response to Gabriel's mind-blowing message is truly extraordinary. Unlike many in the scriptures who respond to God's calling with hesitancy or doubt, Mary responds with humble obedience. "I am the Lord's servant" is as powerful as it is simple.
Jesus submitted to the will of the Father. In the Garden, though it cost him anguish that few people will know, he submitted. There was no other plan, the Incarnation proves the necessity of Jesus' Passion, salvation for humanity had no other champion. The divinity of Jesus did not shield him from the pain of his Passion, knowledge of the victory to come did not make it any less real.
The advice given by Jesus to his slumbering disciples speaks to us as well, "watch and pray". We don't know what our time of trial will consist of, nor when it will come, but we too need to submit to the Father and we too need vigilance and the power that prayer conveys.
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread" sums up the episode that occurs as Jesus and his disciples walk to the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus warns them that they will "all fall away", but Peter responds to this not with contemplation but defiance. When Jesus assures him that this very night he will indeed disown Jesus, Peter foolish digs in and insists otherwise. Why? Some combination of pride and stubbornness, with perhaps misplaced zeal added in, leads Peter down a fool's path. Seeing him begin, the other 10 follow by also insisting against Jesus' prediction that they will remain steadfast.
For the Church today, this offers a reminder that pride and stubbornness are not the traits God is looking for from his people. Neither is 'rugged individualism' (i.e. the philosophy of Ayn Rand or Rush Limbaugh) the path to discipleship. The Church requires servants working together to further the Kingdom of God, more Clark Kent, less Superman. Like Lewis and Clark on the way to the Pacific, we'd be wise to seek a guide and companionship.
