Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 24, 2006 - Fourth Sunday in Advent
[Micah 5:1-4A; Hebrews 1-:5-10; Luke 1:39-45]You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel.
In a society with a monarchy, the birth of a child to the monarch has more than the personal significance it has to the parents and family of the child. It has significance to an entire nation and perhaps international consequences. Royalty fans are constantly analyzing the throne of England. One would think the marriage of one of Prince Charles' and the late Princess Diana's sons determines which way our planet spins. The birth of Jesus was to take place in Bethlehem, the city of Jesse and David. This has considerable political and theological significance in its context. Indeed the prophecy motivated Herod to launch a murderous campaign against newborn males in the area. For most of us in our land, the birth of Jesus is an annual celebration of challenge and joy. It has very little significance on the political level unless our Mayor has put a Nativity scene on the lawn of City Hall and attracted the attention of the ACLU. The challenge comes in all the social and personal demands of the season - none of which makes any difference to the theological reason but still claim most of our energy and attention. Does it really make any difference WHERE Jesus was born? It made a deadly difference to Herod. Perhaps we should ask a more important question: Does it make any difference THAT Jesus was born? AMEN
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