God Chooses

Our Christmas story starts with the angel’s annunciation to Mary and concludes with the visit of the Magi. In these reflections and applications of the Christmas narrative I will mostly refer to Luke, as his is the fullest of the gospel accounts.

It is a story at once both deeply personal and private, yet, ultimately very public, as well as surprising. 

The human players range from a young teenage Jewish girl; a veteran angel, Gabriel; Joseph; local shepherds; with wise men from the east filling out the story. A more unlikely cast has never before, nor since, been assembled. The drama played out had cosmic consequences, not merely local ones. 

Every year the Christmas story is retold in a thousand permutations, in literally millions of locations. It is child-like in appeal and simplicity, rich and mature in theological terms, loved by many. I mean, who hasn’t had a part in or been an animal in a nativity play?

It all started with a young virgin, Mary. She lived with family in Nazareth. We know Nazareth is a by word for forgettable—“Can anything good come out of Nazareth.” It is hardly an auspicious beginning when the least-known and least-likely person coming from an out of the way town that is considered essentially of no value is chosen. But this is so often the signature of God’s dealings with humankind—“so that no human being should boast in the presence of God.” 

How often do we mistake human preferences, strengths, and ingenuity for those of God’s? His ways are higher. This means that we can’t imagine or comprehend them, not that they are a version of what we would do, only more so. Higher, in this case, means beyond reach or comprehension.  

Who of us would go to the least person in the most out of the way location, one that has a poor reputation at that, and choose a person who will influence the world—forever? We go to the best universities or companies and choose someone with an impressive resume. Not God.  He chooses the unseen, the humble, the self-effacing, because they know it isn’t their might or acumen that gets the job done. They are only too aware of their disadvantages, their shortcomings, their humanity. 

God chooses the unlikely, the least qualified, the most aware of their shortcomings; sinners make the best saints. In his Kingdom worldly advantage and pomp is trumped by simple obedience and wonder.