...And They Were Wrong

Brad Sullivan
4 Advent, Year C
Sunday, December 23, 2012
St. Mark’s, Bay City
Micah 5:2-5a
Canticle 15
Hebrews 10:5-10
Luke 1:39-45

I was struck at today’s Gospel by how excited Mary and Elizabeth were at their pregnancies, especially Mary’s pregnancy.  Being excited about the coming birth of a child is not unusual, but, “blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb;” “my soul magnifies the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”  They were pretty darn excited over the coming births of Jesus and John.  More than excitement about being moms, Mary and Elizabeth were excited because the messiah was coming, and the one who was to prepare the way for the messiah was coming. 

            It had been hard times for Israel for a long time.  Rome was in control.  They were free to worship God, but they were looked down upon for it.  They were not their own masters.  Another nation was in control of Israel, and that meant God was still displeased with Israel.  God had turned his face from Israel and allowed Rome to take control.  How long would it be until the time of their penalty had been paid and God restored the fortunes of Israel?  When would God raise up the one whose origin is from old, from ancient of days, to stand and feed Israel in the strength of the Lord?  When would the one of peace come so that they would live securely?  (Micah 5)

            These were likely the questions on the hearts and minds of the Israelites under Roman occupation.  They longed for the messiah to deliver them, and finally, amidst their longing and waiting, the coming of the messiah was proclaimed to Mary, the coming of the Lord proclaimed to Elizabeth.

            Mary and Elizabeth were overjoyed over the coming restoration of Israel, the return of the Lord’s favor to Israel.  The prophet like Elijah was coming to prepare Israel for God’s return among them, and then the Lord was coming.  All of their hopes and dreams were about to be fulfilled...and they were wrong.

            Rome was not kicked out of Israel by God’s almighty hand.  Peace for Israel did not come.  They did not live securely to the ends of the earth.  A mighty king like David did not come to reestablish his earthly throne.  All of their joy and excitement, and they were almost totally wrong about what was coming.

            I find good news in this.  They were expecting God’s return to Israel meaning that God would turn his face towards them again, that God would drive out the nations that were oppressing them.  God instead returned to Israel as a human being; that was not expected. 

They were expecting God to fulfill his covenant with Israel, that he would be their God, and would watch over and protect them as they were faithful to him.  In Jesus, however, God fulfilled the human side of the covenant with Israel as well as the divine side of the covenant; that was not expected. 

They were expecting God to establish David’s kingdom forever; through Jesus, God inserted himself into David’s bloodline, fulfilling his promise to David and reestablishing himself as king over Israel forever; that was not expected.

They were expecting Israel to be a light to the nations, that all nations would flock to Israel and become a part of them.  Through Jesus, God opened his covenantal relationship to the gentiles through Jesus allowing all into relationship with God through Jesus; that was not expected. 

Things greater and even more miraculous happened than was expected in the coming of Jesus.  God’s salvation was sent out to the whole world in a way Israel had not excepted.  The hopes and dreams of Mary and Elizabeth happened, and yet Mary and Elizabeth were almost totally wrong about how their hopes and dreams were to happen.

They were almost totally wrong, except that they laid their hopes and dreams squarely at God’s feet.  Their hope rested on God alone.  They had in their minds ways in which they thought God would fulfill that hope, but ultimately, their hope was in God.  Their trust was in God.

This is why I find the fact that they were wrong about how their hopes and dreams would be fulfilled to be such good news.  Their hope was ultimately in God, and God gave something even great than that for which they hoped.

When we consider Jesus’ second coming, our hope is ultimately in God, and God just might have something even greater in store than that for which we are hoping.  The specifics of our hopes and dreams just might be wrong, just like Mary and Elizabeth’s were, and that’s ok.

God didn’t tell Mary, “Yeah, your messianic hopes are a little bit off so you’re not really good enough to be Jesus’ mom.”  God said to Mary, “you trust in me, and right now you see in a mirror dimly, but you trust in me and so I will trust in you to bear my son and care for him when he is born among you as a human being.” 

In this, I hear God saying to us, “now you see in a mirror dimly, and right now, you just don’t really get what’s gonna happen when I come again among you to restore all things, but you’re placing your trust in me, and I will not disappoint you, for I have in store greater things even than you can imagine.”

The one whose origin is from of old, from ancient days, is coming to rule in Israel…and he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God.  And [we] shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth; and he shall be the one of peace. (Micah 5)

            When it comes right down to it, I don’t really have a clue what exactly that means.  We believe Jesus is that one whose origin is from of old, from ancient days, and we believe that one day we will all live in peace.  How exactly that happens, I haven’t a clue.  Are wicked people destroyed?  Is wickedness within people destroyed?  Are we no longer allowed to do bad things, or do we just no longer have a desire to do bad things?  All of those scenarios might bring peace, but they all seem problematic to me at best.  My guess is, God’s got something even greater in store than we can imagine. 

            Our hope rests not in the specifics of how we think salvation works.  Different Christian denominations and even people within denominations have different understandings of exactly how salvation works.  We see in a mirror dimly.  Our trust and hope is not in the specifics of how we think salvation works.  Our hope and our trust is in God and in God’s salvation.  Our hope for the future is the coming of Jesus, whenever, wherever, however, and as often as that happens.

            Our hope is the hope of Mary and Elizabeth.  Our joy is the joy of Mary and Elizabeth.  Our souls leap for joy at the coming of Jesus, just like John did in Elizabeth’s womb.   Like Mary, our souls proclaim the greatness of the Lord, and our spirits rejoice in God our savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servants.  Amen.