Wonder - Day 10
The wonder of possible impossibilities
Luke 1:30-33
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
The most common response to a heavenly encounter is, “Don’t be afraid.” To encounter something so perfect, so holy, so other worldly in the midst of our broken world is startling to say the least. Others have fallen down as if dead in the sight of an angel or visitor from the other realm. But to each of these encounters, we hear God’s tender voice say, “It’s ok, it’s me, your Creator, the One who loves you more than you know, so don’t be afraid.”
When I read these encounters, I often think about my dad. My dad was a large man, 6’2’’, 320 lbs. His stature fit more of a football player than a respiratory therapist, which was his profession.
When my brothers and I did something we weren’t supposed to, dad’s presence was menacing. We were often in tears and repenting of our sins long before the actual punishment came (which the punishment was rarely as bad as his stare downs before the punishment).
But when a storm hit outside, bringing tornado warnings or deafening thunder claps, the place I most wanted to be was in my dad’s arms. It was the safest place I could think of. That’s often how I associate these moments of both wonder and fear.
Then, the angel tells Mary something that seems to her to be impossible. She will give birth to a Son? His name will be Jesus, which means, God saves? His ancestor will be David, he’ll reign on David’s throne, and his kingdom will never end? Why, if she didn’t know better, and she does, the angel is speaking of the long-awaited Messiah!
Tomorrow we’ll talk about Mary’s response, but for today, we’ll focus a moment on the wonder of anticipation. This is the moment the Israelites have been waiting 500 years for; the hope they had that they wouldn’t always live under oppression. This promise would have left many a Jew both speechless and elated.
For today’s reflection, however, I’d like to end by having us consider the idea of a kingdom that will never end. The Jews thought this meant an earthly kingdom where Israel was top dog, never to be ruled by another nation again. But we know God was speaking about the kingdom of heaven, , and Isaiah said that his government will never end. What this means is that His reign will continue to grow and expand for all time, and as citizens of that kingdom, He uses us to continue to expand His reign. We do this by putting Him first in our lives, by following His teachings, by loving one another and helping bring more of heaven to earth.
It truly is only by God’s grace, His favor towards us, that He has chosen to partner with us to expand His kingdom. May we submit each day to His reign in our lives, and help Him usher in more of His kingdom here on earth.
QUESTIONS
Luke 1:30-33
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!”
The most common response to a heavenly encounter is, “Don’t be afraid.” To encounter something so perfect, so holy, so other worldly in the midst of our broken world is startling to say the least. Others have fallen down as if dead in the sight of an angel or visitor from the other realm. But to each of these encounters, we hear God’s tender voice say, “It’s ok, it’s me, your Creator, the One who loves you more than you know, so don’t be afraid.”
When I read these encounters, I often think about my dad. My dad was a large man, 6’2’’, 320 lbs. His stature fit more of a football player than a respiratory therapist, which was his profession.
When my brothers and I did something we weren’t supposed to, dad’s presence was menacing. We were often in tears and repenting of our sins long before the actual punishment came (which the punishment was rarely as bad as his stare downs before the punishment).
But when a storm hit outside, bringing tornado warnings or deafening thunder claps, the place I most wanted to be was in my dad’s arms. It was the safest place I could think of. That’s often how I associate these moments of both wonder and fear.
Then, the angel tells Mary something that seems to her to be impossible. She will give birth to a Son? His name will be Jesus, which means, God saves? His ancestor will be David, he’ll reign on David’s throne, and his kingdom will never end? Why, if she didn’t know better, and she does, the angel is speaking of the long-awaited Messiah!
Tomorrow we’ll talk about Mary’s response, but for today, we’ll focus a moment on the wonder of anticipation. This is the moment the Israelites have been waiting 500 years for; the hope they had that they wouldn’t always live under oppression. This promise would have left many a Jew both speechless and elated.
For today’s reflection, however, I’d like to end by having us consider the idea of a kingdom that will never end. The Jews thought this meant an earthly kingdom where Israel was top dog, never to be ruled by another nation again. But we know God was speaking about the kingdom of heaven, , and Isaiah said that his government will never end. What this means is that His reign will continue to grow and expand for all time, and as citizens of that kingdom, He uses us to continue to expand His reign. We do this by putting Him first in our lives, by following His teachings, by loving one another and helping bring more of heaven to earth.
It truly is only by God’s grace, His favor towards us, that He has chosen to partner with us to expand His kingdom. May we submit each day to His reign in our lives, and help Him usher in more of His kingdom here on earth.
QUESTIONS
- Do you feel as if you’ve ever had an encounter with God in some way? If so, what happened. If not, how does that make you feel?
- Do you think there is a healthy way to have both wonder and fear when it comes to your walk with God? Why might both responses be appropriate to any encounters you may have with Him?
- How can you and I lean more into the idea of God’s kingdom reigning today, as opposed to the believing the world we see with our eyes is all there is?
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