the story after the Christmas story…

Twas the day after Christmas… and all through the house…

Christmas sketches an outline of a picture of Jesus as the true world ruler: the Lord, the Messiah, the savior, the real king of the world instead of presidents and kings… of corporations and political systems.  Yet, it is not a picture of glowing royal colors, world dominion… of power and majesty.  Rather, it is a picture of a simple food trough and a young family.

The author of the Gospel of Luke leads from that simple scene into the somber realization that a sort of kingdom that is much different than that which we see in today’s economic and political elite.  The kingdom that Jesus has in mind is different that what we may expect.  In particular, the gospel becomes a story about suffering.

We are introduced to a man named Simeon, who is waiting for God to comfort Israel.

We are introduced to a woman named Anna, who is one of a long line of people waiting for the redemption of Israel.

They are both living in a world of patient hope, where suffering has become a way of life.  With the introduction of Jesus into the world, it now appears that God’s appointed redeemer will deal with this suffering by sharing in it himself.  Simeon speaks dark words about opposition, and about a sword that will pierce Mary’s heart as well.

Luke is telling us that this is what happens when the kingdom of God confronts the kingdom of the world.  And we are given front row seats to watch, throughout the remainder of his Gospel, as the prophecies of old come true.  In time, Mary will will on with dismay as her son is rejected by the very people to which he offered the way of peace, by the very people he had come to rescue.  Finally, the child who is, as Simeon says, ‘placed here to make many in Israel fall and rise again,’ himself passes through death and into resurrection, taking with him the hopes and fears of the city, the nation, and the world.

With that, Luke has a picture much bigger in mind.  He is also showing us that the kingdom brought by baby Jesus is not for Israel alone, but for the whole world.  Simeon had grasped the truth at the heart of the Old Testament, when Israel’s history comes to its God-ordained goal, then at last light will dawn for the world.  All the nations, not just the Jews, will see what God is unveiling – a plan of salvation for all people without distinction.  This is the true glory of December 25th.  Israel was the bearer of the promise that from them, the true ruler of the world will arise.  This isn’t exactly what and how Israel had in mind… and we can relate to that a bit if Christmas has come and gone this year, and we wake up with unmet expectations.

Christmas is more than just a story, or the one day a year when gifts are given and received.  Christmas, in whole, should be part of a vocation for those who call themselves Christ Followers.  We all have a role to play in God’s plan.

For some, this vocation of being promise bearers to our world will be active, obvious work in the public eye: preaching and teaching the Gospel, or taking the love of God to meet the practical needs of the world.  For others, it will be quiet, away from public view, praying faithfully for God to act in fulfillment of his promises.  For many, it will be a mixture of the two.

Mary and Joseph needed Simeon and Anna at that moment; the old man and old woman need them, had been waiting for them, and now thanked God for them.  The birth of Jesus… and of John the Baptist… was the beginning of gathering people… slowly and daily… into all sorts of new worship and fellowship.

With this… the day after Christmas… it is my prayer that the season would not be ‘winding down’ until next year.  Rather, that it would be for you and for yours, the beginning of a gathering.  Continue to enter into the life of others as the lights come down, and the decorations get packed away.  Christmas is not the culmination of God’s promises coming true, but the beginning of their manifestations in the flesh.  Be that manifestation of hope, security, redemption, restoration, and salvation for someone today.

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