Trust For Love

Micah 5:2;4 – 5a (NRSV)

But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days. … And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace.

Luke 1:46-55 The Message

46-55 And Mary said, 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 on earth! What God has done for me will never be forgotten, the God whose very name is holy, set apart from all others. His mercy flows in wave after wave on those who are in awe before him. He bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold. He embraced his chosen child, Israel; he remembered and piled on the mercies, piled them high. It’s exactly what he promised, beginning with Abraham and right up to now.

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A promise came through the prophet Micah and was fulfilled through the prophet Mary.

Micah proclaimed a promise of hope and a future. Mary realized she was God’s hope and God’s future. She exclaims about how blessed she is and praises God for the gift she has been given. She feels seen and loved. Her heart is full of love for God, for the child she is bearing, and for the people to whom the child is being sent.

Today we look at the symbol of the empty manger and remember that although Mary’s proclamation is joyous and full of praise, that she also endured great hardship and pain. Waiting for her baby to be born had its own wonderfulness, especially after Joseph received his revelation about Mary’s pregnancy. Sure there was probably small town gossip about what was going one, but she could handle that.

I can imagine she and Joseph setting things up for the baby. They probably had some sort of a cradle for him – whatever they were using at the time. Joseph was a carpenter so maybe he made the cradle as well as some toys for Jesus to play with. And they made sure to have blankets and clothes. Family and neighbors likely helped them get all set up. Mary knew that her time was due to have her baby. She was getting the last minute things done as best she could.

And then trouble happened. To be honest each gospel account of Jesus’ birth varies. Luke says a census was called and that Joseph and Mary had to go to Bethlehem from Nazareth. Matthew says that Jesus was born in Bethlehem as if that was Joseph and Mary’s hometown. But then the Magi came and told them that Herod was seeking the boy’s life so they fled to Egypt for a few years. Then they came back to Bethlehem but because of more trouble they decided to go to Nazareth and there they stayed.

Either way – there was trouble and they had to risk their lives to save their son.

Mary needed to remember her proclamation of joy which was steeped in being seen and being loved by God. When trouble came she had to trust in that love … and so did Joseph.

Let’s take the Luke version of the story. Mary and Joseph get everything ready for the baby. The cradle. The blankets. The toys. And then the census is called and they have to leave for Bethlehem to be counted. Joseph is worried about Mary and the baby. How is she going to make it? What can he do to help? Mary is steeling herself for the journey. She knows the baby is due to be born so she takes a couple blankets so she has something. But they can’t carry much. The clothes, the toys, and the cradle will have to stay home. As picks up her bags to leave she feels Jesus kick and puts her hand on her side. She looks at the empty cradle and walks out the door.

All she can do is trust God for the love that she felt when all this began.

That is all that we can do too. We can make the best preparations possible. We can do the best we can with what we have and know. But we can’t predict every circumstance and we can’t predict the outcome. It boils down to trusting the God of our love. Every day. Moment by moment.

The week let’s remember the times that God interrupted our lives in good ways … ways in which we felt seen, known, and loved. And then let’s trust God that all of that is still true even if our circumstances have turned. We can walk with Mary letting go of the stuff we can’t take with us, wondering what is ahead, and trusting God’s love with each step.

#Advent #FaithWalk #Worship