The Birth of Jesus ?
Dear People of Grace,
As I look out my window, I am watching the students slush their way through what I hope is the last snowfall of our spring (granted the vernal equinox was only four days ago)! For most of us this round of snow came as a great surprise, especially when we consider that we were in the mid-60s only a week ago. My wife, Emily, still has her fingers crossed that the cold weather plantings in the garden will eke their way through the cold soil, so we can have an early crop of peas, cabbage, and cauliflower. Who would have thought that a week after shorts and short-sleeves, we would be back in our wool and down comforters? Yet, as life often teaches us, these sorts of surprises—while startling—very often, provide opportunities for reflection and change.
I wonder how surprised the young Jewish teenage girl was, when the angel Gabriel appeared to her out-of-the-blue to tell her “you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus” (Luke 1:31). This moment of surprise for the young Mary is commemorated by the church with the Feast of the Annunciation. Cleverly enough, this feast of the church falls on March 25th, nine months from Christmas.
You are probably wondering: why in the world is he talking about the Birth of Jesus while we are still in the midst of Lent? I would argue that we can’t begin to think about the story of the resurrection, without also thinking about Jesus’ birth and life at the same time. The surprising thing about the wonderful gift of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary cannot be contemplated without also recognizing the gift of his life on this earth as a human being.
There are many surprises that remain to be seen in our life of faith. Our belief in a God who chose to enter this world as a human being is just as important as our belief in a God who chose to give his life for those whom we loved—both known and unknown. Those two premises of our faith are surprising to non-believers. Yet those two premises provide opportunities for God to sneak up on us and awaken a new recognition of how it is that the Divine can be expressed to us.
I have had my fill of snow for the year, and I was more than surprised when I saw it this morning. But I was also surprised by how beautiful it looks and how my children and the students at the day school love it. What comes, as an unfortunate surprise for a winter weary adult, very often becomes an unexpected gift through the eyes of a child; a fact that we should never forget in our lives as Christians.
So I ask you to look for God’s gift of surprises in these remaining weeks of Lent. Likewise, when that great day of Easter arrives contemplate the surprise that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary felt when they came across the angel of the Lord at the empty tomb (Matthew 28:2). Imagine how quickly their fear and sadness turned to joy and hope.
My friends, we are forever confronted by surprises, but let us use our hearts and eyes of faith to see the good in them. For we never know how it is that God might put us to work for his will.
Your friend and Rector,
(The Rev.) Joshua D. Walters
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