God With Us (Advent 2020)
Less than eleven months ago 2020 arrived, glowing with promise and hope. But instead of the anticipated positives, this year yielded unique challenges never before encountered in our lifetimes. Some of us fared better than others—cobbling together a new normal and carrying on as well as possible. For others this year brought loss, uncertainty, heartache, and disappointment. We are weary of the challenges and restrictions, the pain and hurdles that never seem to end. But as difficult as this year has been, we aren’t the first to face the unexpected.
During this season of Advent, consider anew the challenges and joys surrounding the birth of Jesus.
During this season of Advent, consider anew the challenges and joys surrounding the birth of Jesus. We enter the story after Mary has been commissioned and beautifully accepted the honor of carrying Messiah. She enjoys and is strengthened by a lengthy visit with her cousin Elizabeth, who is experiencing a miraculous pregnancy of her own. The morning sickness has abated and it’s time to travel home to tell her betrothed the news.
Joseph felt the shock sink from his brain to his heart where it settled heavily, cold and hard as a stone. He never expected something like this. Mary continued speaking, her eyes begging him to believe, then fell silent as she accepted the futility of convincing him. She turned and walked away, sorrowful but steadfast in God’s faithfulness, leaving Joseph battered by his broken vision of their future together. He didn’t go after her.
Into the wee hours of the morning, Joseph considered every angle and played out every scenario. Of course, he couldn’t marry her now, but neither did he want to expose her (apparent) guilt and subject her to the certain death of an adulteress. He would end the matter as quietly as possible. Finally, decision made, Joseph surrendered to a restless sleep.
The angel appeared in Joseph’s dream, giving direction and instruction. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20b,21).
Joseph awoke, filled with the joy of God’s message, the awe of his assignment, and the comfort of being unified with Mary in mission and soon in marriage. He fell to his knees, every beat of his heart pumping inexpressible wonder through his body. Messiah is here! MESSIAH IS HERE! GOD IS WITH US!
What was their wedding like? Did they throw a customary feast with all the festivities and celebration? Did they quietly assume their roles as husband and wife—her pregnancy obvious and her status little more than an outcast? Either way, Joseph shared the shame sure to be visited on Mary by accepting the baby as his own. This wasn’t what they had anticipated, but as Jesus grew in Mary’s womb, they nurtured a calm assurance that God was with them despite the whispered words and raised eyebrows of their neighbors and friends.
Joseph and Mary scoured their brains for prophecies previously memorized, listened carefully in the synagogue for any hint of Messiah, and wondered what they were supposed to do. For the most part, they didn’t have a clue, and like most expectant parents, their feelings vacillated between overjoyed and overwhelmed. They didn’t have answers, so, they simply did what was in front of them. Soon, by the Lord’s design, they journeyed to Bethlehem to participate in the census ordered by Caesar Augustus.
He came. He is with us. And Hallelujah, He is coming again!
The travel was slow, Mary round with child and weary, Joseph worried and attentive. His concerns mounted as they arrived in the usually sleepy village, now pressed and pulsing with the families whose lineage demanded they appear to be numbered. No one could spare a spot for a young man and his expectant wife. Finally, they found shelter with the donkeys and cows. It wasn’t what they had envisioned, but they had fresh hay and a roof overhead. The animals’ warmth and familiar odors mingled in an oddly comforting combination around the displaced couple. God had provided and Joseph and Mary would make do.
At just the right moment, in just the right place (as foretold by the prophets), Mary gave birth. Jesus humbled himself to arrive as a child in the usual way and Mary, although chosen to bear the Son of God, was not exempt from the pain and work all mothers must embrace. She panted and writhed as she labored to bring forth her child. Finally, she delivered him, exhausted, but filled with the miracle of tiny new life and the long-awaited wonder of Emmanuel, God with us. She swaddled Him in what she had and put Him in a feeding trough cradle. Mary smiled over her son’s dark hair and soft cries.
Some rejoice, some reject, and some aren’t even aware of His arrival.
While Mary rested, heaven rejoiced. A multitude of angels praised God in the night sky, giving nearby shepherds a celestial birth announcement like no other. The shepherds hurried to see the infant Savior lying in a manger. Others recognized and celebrated God with us as well. Simeon and Anna welcomed Jesus, giving thanks to God and prophesying over Him when He was presented at the temple. The wise men traveled for months, following a star to meet and present gifts to the young King. But Jesus’ arrival wasn’t celebrated by everyone. Herod wickedly sought His life, and most people were simply, sadly oblivious to the appearance of Messiah. We see the same responses today—some rejoice, some reject, and some aren’t even aware of His arrival.. We often don’t recognize God with us because we don’t expect Him.
Mary’s life twisted and turned in ways she never would have imagined. She experienced miraculous moments, but like us, she also encountered the mundane, “why does everything have to be so hard” realities. In the middle of it all, she made it her practice to “treasure these things and ponder them in her heart” (Luke 2:19,33,51).
Mary stored up the memories, the emotions, and the truth so she could examine and absorb them. She took the time to wrestle with what was going on around and within her. Even though she had expected the son of God in a physical way that no other woman could claim, she also had to learn to expect Jesus in her circumstances and in her heart. Mary’s pondering made room for her to recognize God with us.
Mary’s story was unique in God’s great redemption plan, but 2020 gave many of us a new respect for some of her challenges. Wedding plans had to be revised. Political decrees and mandates changed our trajectory as a nation and as individuals. Normal activities grew to be abnormally difficult. We searched for solutions and for some idea of what to do next. And we endured a whole lot of nothing looking like what we expected. But, despite the chaos and trauma that was this year, we, like Mary, can pause and absorb this glorious truth: God is with us.
Treasure this sweetest hope during the Advent season: Jesus is the only sure expectation when everything else is unexpected. He came. He is with us. And hallelujah, He is coming again.
May we never stop expecting Him.
