During Advent we have had an opportunity to be reminded of the ways that God spoke to Mary (through an angel) to let her know that she would be the one to bear the Holy Child Jesus, the Son of God who came to show us how to live. We have reflected on Mary’s Song, the Magnificat, a song that shows Mary’s faith in God and her understanding that the birth of Jesus Christ is to bring about a new kind of Kingdom, a Kingdom where we are called to become people of peace. Mary looks forward to God transforming the world through the Messiah where the proud will be brought low, and the humble will be lifted up; the hungry will be fed, and the rich will go without.
We have a sober reality upon us. God has arrived anew, in the form of Jesus, and Christmas day has come and gone, but incarcerated and homeless and marginalized people remain. As we approached Thanksgiving and moved through the season of Advent, many of us remembered the marginalized by purchasing gifts for, or serving meals to, and/or spending time with those outside our circles. We have been called into a time of giving and a time of counting our blessings and a time of wanting to help those who are “less fortunate” than us. (I do not personally like that description of people but we’ll save that for another day.)
Wise men set out to bring gifts to the Holy child who grew into an adult who lived among the poor, and ate with the despised and the excluded, and was arrested, tried and convicted by religious and state courts, and for his “crimes” was executed. “He became a prisoner so that we would know that no category of person is beyond the love, care, and mercy of God. And he came back from the other side of death, torture, and execution to let us know that destruction powers and our own judgments are never the last word.” (1)
Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of the Messiah:
For a child has been born for us,
A son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. [Isaiah 9:6]
Friends, the child is born. We are to look to Jesus for authority and we are called to bring about the transformation that Mary looked forward to in her song. We live in a world filled with war and violence and political disharmony. What gift can we bring? Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are called to bring about an upside down kingdom. We are called to non-violence. We are called to love the unlovable. Only love and light will remove the darkness in our world. It is time to stop being afraid and lay down our weapons. My prayer is that each of us will seek ways to reduce violence and be light bearers in the darkness.
Shalom y’all,
(1) [Open Door Community Worship, Jennifer M. McBride, December 19, 2010]
If you would like to print or share this edition of Claire…ification,
you are encouraged to use this pdf:
Claire – Christians are Called to Incarnate Peace
To read past editions – you are encouraged to follow this link:
https://capitaldistrictnc.org/claire-ificaton/
