When God Interrupts Christmas
I know that title is a little strange since our story is about the firstChristmas so how does God interrupt something that has never happened beforethat day? When you think about itthough, God interrupted some lives around the time that Jesus was born. Thing is that when God interrupts somethingyou gotta look and see why He jumped into our lives in such a big way.
Wedding plans that might just go out the window
Mary was engaged to be married and just living her life when that angel appeared toher that night. The deals had been madeand her dowries paid now it was just time to plan and think about what was nextin her life. It was every girl’s dreamsand destiny to end up someone’s wife in those days. Mary had achieved that with her family’shelp. Now this angel brings a messagesaying God wants to interrupt all her plans and save the world. I know that is quite the interruption. A little bigger than wanting to get an icecream cone at a McDonald’s to find out the machine is being cleaned. This is a life changer for her. She will go from the blushing bride to thegirl who could be killed, put away or abandoned by her family.
She has a decision to make. That seemsstrange that God comes to tell you good news and she can choose to be a part ofGod’s plan or go on with her wedding. That is one of the reasons I love God. He is God and yet he invites us to join in the interruptions. I do not believe He forces or makes us bendto His will. Maybe in the Old Covenantbut this birth is the beginning of a change for the world. Her response to God’s invitation is simply, “LetGod’s will be done in my life.” And withthose words her life would be interrupted forever.
Your good name will be at risk
For Joseph the angel appears after Mary breaks the news. Can you imagine your fiancé going to see hercousin and then coming back months later with a small baby bump? It is not just his plans that are about to beinterrupted it is his entire life and reputation that will be changed. A carpenter by trade Joseph depended on goodYelp reviews to get more work. To makehis way he would have to be known as an honorable and just man who could betrusted when you hired him. That is allabout to change. That is why he was consideringjust having Mary go away to another town, or to walk away from her alltogether.
He listens to God’s plan from the angel. Itis a lot to take in for such a big decision to make. Will he risk being disowned not only byfamily but by an entire town even? Yousee he would be known as the man who could not keep it in his robe until thewedding day. He will be the father of anillegitimate son the rest of his life. You see we judge Joseph by the end of the story. Joseph had to live in the middle of the storyand be the one to bear the burden of this son. His response is to trust God and his plan. He decides to lean into this impossible taskof raising the world’s savior.
A silent night will turn into a “Where’s Waldo” moment
A quiet night in the hills and the shepherds were watching over their sheep, youknow just like the song says. Anywaythey are watching the sheep probably nodding in and out of sleep when onceagain an angel appears to them. Theangel tells of Jesus being born in Bethlehem and that they should considerthemselves blessed to be here on this night. Then the whole sky is full of angels singing that song we sing everyDecember in church. Then just like aspark the skies are silent and the shepherds have to be sitting in shock. Then they look at each other and get up andhead to find this baby.
Just another day at work and they cannot wait to tell Jimmy what he missed on theday he called in sick. It is aninterruption that will be remembered and reenacted over and over again inchurches around the world. On that nightit must have been a crazy scene in that barn when they barged in. New baby, new mother and father who arestartled by a bunch of shepherds who have a story of angels and singing andMessiahs that reaffirms the interruptions the two of them chose to follow. This interruption changed their lives. They went back to the hills singing andtelling their story to the amazement of everyone they ran into.
There were three interruptions that year that changed the world. When God interrupts our lives we have achoice to make about letting him change us. Mary is no longer just a bride but a symbol of what God can do throughsomeone who joins God to bring salvation to the world. We are like her when we take that phone callor talk to someone who is searching for a way through what they strugglewith. Joseph will not just be anotherstep dad. He will be an influence in thelife of our savior. It will interestingto fill in the missing pieces of Jesus’ childhood one day with true stories oftheir relationship. We are like him whenwe step into fill a spot that is empty in someone’s life. The shepherds may have never missed anotherday of work. They were told good news and they shared it with others. We are like them whenever we tell the storyof Jesus and the good news he brings to the world. Just remember that when God interrupts us itis an invitation to change the world.