Advent – The Improbable Story of Joy

And Mary said: My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. Luke 1: 46-51 NIV

Kaiya Armstrong understands overcoming the improbable. At only 22 she took off in her Cessna from New Mexico and flew halfway across the country, landing at the College Park Airport in Maryland. In and of itself, there is nothing special about this, considering others younger than her have flown cross country. However, Armstrong is blind. She lost her eyesight at 14 but when given the chance to learn to fly, she didn’t hesitate. “Her co-pilot and flight instructor, Tyler Sinclair, gave her audio cues along her route, but she was fully at the controls.”  Armstrong said in the interview, “Her message to the blind kids like herself who struggle to find a way in the world: don’t accept limits placed on you by other people, or yourself.” (from an article by Erin Marquis)

Advent – the time for waiting and watching! We now enter this week of Advent that symbolizes joy as the excitement and hope of Christmas continues to mount. Why would I use the term, Improbable as an Advent theme? Simply because it is improbable – that is, improbable from a human point of view. Why would the creator God take on the form of a human with all the human limitations? What rational person would trust himself to a young couple to care for him as a baby? In our success and power-driven culture, wouldn’t you unleash the angelic host to fight the battle of evil? Advent is a reminder that God’s ways are not our ways!

Improbability has been God’s story for generations. It is improbable that He would use a baby found in the river by Pharaoh’s daughter to ultimately lead Israel out of slavery. Called out of the wilderness as a shepherd, Moses would ultimately stand face to face with the mighty Pharaoh seeking the salvation of God’s people.  The improbable became probable as Moses spoke, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” (Ex 9:13)

It is improbable that God would use a scrawny little shepherd boy to face a giant to free God’s people. David, armed with only a sling and stone ended the nation’s reign of terror and became the root of God’s ultimate plan of salvation. Out of the improbability of a simple shepherd came the probability of God’s plan when the angel announced, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Luke 1:30-33)

It is improbable that the birth of a king would be in a feeding trough in a politically insignificant town. Yet,  that was exactly where God became Immanuel, God with us. It is improbable, yet Mary “gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for   them.” (Luke 2:7)

It is improbable that the King of King would be revealed to a lowly bunch of shepherds instead of before the royal court in Rome or Jerusalem, yet that was exactly what happened. A group of shepherds, tired and probably smelling like their sheep, got a royal announcement, “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”  What do you do when you meet the king? “The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.” (Luke 2:20)

God is the master of improbability!  Read through the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 and you find some interesting folks in the lineage.  Only God would strategically use a bunch of untrained fishermen to launch His kingdom. Only God would use a despised tax collector, a trained assassin, a couple of sisters and their brother, and a bunch of unknown and powerless men and women to advance His Kingdom.  God is still using improbable folks like you and me to tell His story.

Advent reminds us that Christmas is God’s story, it is all about Jesus. Past, present, or future tense, the story never gets old. “Look! In the light of Jesus, we can see everything in a new way—the physical universe, each bird and flower, human history, ourselves, each other.” (Bishop Stephen Verney)

All who are weary, All who are weak

All those who come with no words left to speak

Come let the Son wash the dust from your feet

Come into the light, All who are mourning

All who have pain, All those who come who are burdened with shame

Come let the Son take the weight of your chains

Come into the Light (Into the Light, Emmaus Rd (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTR1ysy1P8o

This improbable story of joy is so needed in our dark and cold world. Unfortunately, many are facing this Advent season struggling and barely holding on to life. Yet, joy can become a reality for anyone who welcomes Jesus into his/her life. Improbable has become probable because of the Christ of Christmas!

“Men and women who have lived wisely and well will shine brilliantly, like the cloudless, star-strewn night skies. And those who put others on the right path to life will glow like stars forever.” Daniel 12:3 MSG

God is great!