One of the features of the Christmas
story is how God takes ordinary things of life and turns them into serendipities
of divine glory.
The story begins with Joseph and
Mary taking a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem on a donkey. A donkey? A beast
of burden? Donkeys do not fare well in the Hebrew Scriptures. The most famous
one is used by God to make fool of a man who is supposed to be doing God’s
work. This story is famously known as “Balaam’s Ass.” A few years ago, my
uncle, Rev. John Schmidt, wrote his life story. He titled it, “The Lord’s
Donkey.” God uses a donkey to carry the Lord of heaven and earth to his place
of birth.
The Christmas story ends in a smelly
stable used by a family to keep their animals safe from the Palestinian
weather. A stable? Who gives birth to their child in a stable? Why does the God
of heaven choose to enter human history in the humblest of circumstances?
Maybe God could use you, a person
who society makes fun of, calls crass names, ignores or throws their wares on
to bear the Good News. Maybe God could use your humble home, your old car, your
humble workplace as a place to show up and display his glory.
Christmas is God’s story of how God specializes in
identifying with those whose lives are on the ragged edge. Maybe you think you
are not anyone that would be acceptable or useful to God. God want to claim your life and circumstances to reveal his glory. Christmas is God
entering into your ragged-edged life.
Ronald Friesen © 2016
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