Advent Reflections 2024 - December 17

Messy Christmas

Scripture focus: Matthew 1-2; Luke 1-2

Since Adam and Eve the world has always been messy.

God cleaned up the world once with a flood. That got rid of a lot of messy people but it didn’t last. The world soon got messy again. God promised not to clean up the world that way again but He did promise a different way.

In Jesus day the Jews were looking for a Messiah to come in and clean things up.

Jesus came and did not do the clean-up they were expecting.

Jesus said the clean up the world needs doesn’t start with changing your government but with changing your hearts.

For this teaching the messy world killed him. His teaching messed up their neat and clean religion and replaced it with a messy teaching that included the messy people: Gentiles, Samaritans, Romans, lepers, the poor, the blind, the lame, the deaf and even women. It required things like being born again, eating his body, drinking his blood and teaching others to do the same. It was not only messy but it was confusing and difficult.

In the Advent season we remember that God so loved the world that He sent His only Son to save it. God provides beauty and purpose and order out of our messy world. Out of a messy stable in a messy town in the messy Roman Empire came a beautiful child who would be the Savior of the world. After a messy betrayal and a messy death on a messy cross came a beautiful resurrection.

This time God chose not to destroy the world but to save it. The child that was born in the manger made a way for messy people in the messy world to be cleansed of their sins, filled with the Holy Spirit, learn from His teaching and be a light to the world.

Messy is probably not a strong enough word to describe what we see every day in the news. Our nation, our communities and even our own families are divided. It can seem hopeless. But for those who have put their hope in the child born in Bethlehem we are never without hope. Though the world is not fair just and merciful we know that God is all of those and He is with us. Until Jesus returns, we trust in Him and reflect this light in the world.

Dave Morris