The news the last several days has been filled with reports of Jamie Lynn Spears, the 16 year old sister of Brittany Spears. Jamie Lynn has been the popular star of the successful television series "Zoey 101" on the Nickelodeon network. In this show, she plays a perfect, well-liked, virginal teenager and, according to the New York Times, the show has attracted a large audience among the youth of our country as the show won wide acclaim as a sanctuary from the hypersexualized culture of our youth.Now, however, this 16 year old has become pregnant, once again demonstrating the pressures and temptations thrust upon the students in our communities.
The irony is that this holy season, we announce and celebrate the birth of one who came to redeem not only our lives but also the world itself. Jesus was born to reveal God's love to us and to call us to accept that love and live in it. A new way of living and a new set of values are the gifts God offers us in the birth of Jesus on Christmas morning. And, Jesus was born to a teenage mother, who found herself pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
Mary faced the pressures and challenges of her day and we can in no way underestimate the precarious predicament that confronted her. Her family could have abandoned her, unwilling to face the shame of a daughter not yet married who was with child. Joseph, her fiance, could likewise have cruelly and publicly discarded her. All the villagers in the tiny hamlet of Nazerth could have been vindictive in their judgement and criticism. Yet, Mary was faithful to God's holy plan and became the obedient servant of God despite the risk and cost.
As I ponder the irony of God coming to earth in a teenage virgin in light of the today's headlines, I realize that God chose to come in such a humble and unpredictable manner so that we could only respond in faith and belief according to God's terms. God appeared in a way radically different than humanity could expect or manipulate. The unassuming advent of God in a manger in Bethlehem to poor peasants, witnessed by shepherds requires and demands our trust in God, not in any preconceived notions about God that we have developed nor in our own intellect, achievements or abilities.
This Christmas, may you be open to the mystery of God and the surprising way God greets you. When you respond with trust, like Mary, God will bless you and God will direct your path. May our world see that there is truly a better way to live than the values of Hollywood or the seduction of popular celebrity status.
The irony is that this holy season, we announce and celebrate the birth of one who came to redeem not only our lives but also the world itself. Jesus was born to reveal God's love to us and to call us to accept that love and live in it. A new way of living and a new set of values are the gifts God offers us in the birth of Jesus on Christmas morning. And, Jesus was born to a teenage mother, who found herself pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
Mary faced the pressures and challenges of her day and we can in no way underestimate the precarious predicament that confronted her. Her family could have abandoned her, unwilling to face the shame of a daughter not yet married who was with child. Joseph, her fiance, could likewise have cruelly and publicly discarded her. All the villagers in the tiny hamlet of Nazerth could have been vindictive in their judgement and criticism. Yet, Mary was faithful to God's holy plan and became the obedient servant of God despite the risk and cost.
As I ponder the irony of God coming to earth in a teenage virgin in light of the today's headlines, I realize that God chose to come in such a humble and unpredictable manner so that we could only respond in faith and belief according to God's terms. God appeared in a way radically different than humanity could expect or manipulate. The unassuming advent of God in a manger in Bethlehem to poor peasants, witnessed by shepherds requires and demands our trust in God, not in any preconceived notions about God that we have developed nor in our own intellect, achievements or abilities.
This Christmas, may you be open to the mystery of God and the surprising way God greets you. When you respond with trust, like Mary, God will bless you and God will direct your path. May our world see that there is truly a better way to live than the values of Hollywood or the seduction of popular celebrity status.
On my first journey to Bethlehem, I was struck by a sight that truly left an imprint on my heart and mind about God's revelation in Jesus. The trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is not long and as soon as the crowded city of Jerusalem is passed, a stretch of fields can be seen along the highway just a short distance from Bethlehem. In fact, Bethlehem is visible on the approaching hillside from the fields, which even to this day are used by shepherds to tend sheep.
When I stopped to watch the shepherds in the field, I looked beyond the city of Bethlehem and saw a massive fortress shaped like a hill called the Herodian. This structure was built by King Herod as a fort to protect him from any rebellion or insurrection. After constructing a tall, strong fortress, the sides of the Herodian were covered with dirt and soil to appear as a hill and camouflage this place of last refuge and safety. In fact, just recently, a tomb has been discovered in the ruins of the Herodian, which may contain the remains of this cruel, vindictive ruler.
It seemed to me, looking at the fort in the distance, Bethlehem on the hillside and the shepherd's field before me that it can be easy at times to miss God's presence in our lives and in our world. Even though magi from the Orient informed Herod of the birth of a special child, he did not comprehend. His quest for power, control and authority blinded him to God's reality and activity. Remember, in fear and insecurity, Herod ordered the execution of children in Bethlehem in order to remove any possible threat or pretender to his power.
But it was poor, humble shepherds who sensed the promise of God and journeyed expectantly into Bethlehem to see the child Jesus. In trust and faith, they witnessed the advent of God into our world. God became flesh. Emmanuel, God with us, was born to show us God's love and to redeem our lives so we can live in relationship with God.
With the pace and activity of the Christmas season, it is an ever present temptation to lose sight of God in our midst. We can easily become absorbed by the demands and the attractions of the season and fail to spend time in worship, seeking God. I hope that, unlike Herod who followed his own will and way, you will rather come to God this Christmas like the humble, faithful shepherds.
When I stopped to watch the shepherds in the field, I looked beyond the city of Bethlehem and saw a massive fortress shaped like a hill called the Herodian. This structure was built by King Herod as a fort to protect him from any rebellion or insurrection. After constructing a tall, strong fortress, the sides of the Herodian were covered with dirt and soil to appear as a hill and camouflage this place of last refuge and safety. In fact, just recently, a tomb has been discovered in the ruins of the Herodian, which may contain the remains of this cruel, vindictive ruler.
It seemed to me, looking at the fort in the distance, Bethlehem on the hillside and the shepherd's field before me that it can be easy at times to miss God's presence in our lives and in our world. Even though magi from the Orient informed Herod of the birth of a special child, he did not comprehend. His quest for power, control and authority blinded him to God's reality and activity. Remember, in fear and insecurity, Herod ordered the execution of children in Bethlehem in order to remove any possible threat or pretender to his power.
But it was poor, humble shepherds who sensed the promise of God and journeyed expectantly into Bethlehem to see the child Jesus. In trust and faith, they witnessed the advent of God into our world. God became flesh. Emmanuel, God with us, was born to show us God's love and to redeem our lives so we can live in relationship with God.
With the pace and activity of the Christmas season, it is an ever present temptation to lose sight of God in our midst. We can easily become absorbed by the demands and the attractions of the season and fail to spend time in worship, seeking God. I hope that, unlike Herod who followed his own will and way, you will rather come to God this Christmas like the humble, faithful shepherds.
Discover Christmas Time
0 Comments Published by Martin Nicholas on Monday, December 03, 2007 at 1:38 PM.
Christmas time produces a wide range of emotions and feelings in many of us. The holiday season before and even after Christmas Day is filled with preparation, shopping, travel and activities unlike any other time of the year. For so many, the impact of all the Christmas rush can leave an accompanying sense of anxiety, depression or sadness. During the holidays, it is easy to overspend, overeat and over indulge. Families are scattered around the world, making it difficult to join together in celebration of the birth of Christ into our world.
Even though Jesus was born in the midst of chaos and bedlam in ancient Bethlehem, God has promised us the gift of peace, joy, hope and love and God has delivered the perfect present in Christ. Joseph and Mary, while struggling to understand fully God’s plan for them, overcame their confusion and doubt to discover the rich blessing God offered them. Likewise, shepherds from fields and Magi from the Orient came to witness the love of God for the world revealed in Jesus and were changed by it.
This Christmas, find time to pause, slow down and become aware of the hurried pace that has the potential to overwhelm and capture you. Make a special effort to place yourself in a setting, like the characters of the first Christmas morn, where God can break through the hustle and rush of your life and touch you. Give yourself an opportunity to hear the Christmas story and find that the ordinary routine of your world can be transformed by the extraordinary power of God.
Christmas time is a time to discover, to behold and to worship. May God greet you in a new way this Christmas season.
Even though Jesus was born in the midst of chaos and bedlam in ancient Bethlehem, God has promised us the gift of peace, joy, hope and love and God has delivered the perfect present in Christ. Joseph and Mary, while struggling to understand fully God’s plan for them, overcame their confusion and doubt to discover the rich blessing God offered them. Likewise, shepherds from fields and Magi from the Orient came to witness the love of God for the world revealed in Jesus and were changed by it.
This Christmas, find time to pause, slow down and become aware of the hurried pace that has the potential to overwhelm and capture you. Make a special effort to place yourself in a setting, like the characters of the first Christmas morn, where God can break through the hustle and rush of your life and touch you. Give yourself an opportunity to hear the Christmas story and find that the ordinary routine of your world can be transformed by the extraordinary power of God.
Christmas time is a time to discover, to behold and to worship. May God greet you in a new way this Christmas season.
