Joseph’s Narration of God’s Creation

God’s love for the world
was shown in his creation
when His Spirit swirled in formation.

The Word made flesh
which joined them too,
as life came to be made brand new.

Light and sky, land and sea,
illuminating landscapes for all to see.
Plants and trees with beauty appease,
sun, moon, and stars appeared with ease.

Creatures swarmed in the sea,
birds flew high above the trees,
Animals emerged in the distance
as humankind came into existence.

They were image bearers,
the crown of creation
forged to be the Lord’s heart wearers.

Each generation will announce to the next your wonderful and powerful deeds…They will celebrate and sing about your matchless mercy and your power to save. You are merciful, Lord! You are kind and patient and always loving. You are good to everyone, and you take care of all your creation. (Psalm 145:4,7-9)

The image of God we carry influences how we live in times of joy, contentment, and suffering. If we uphold a compassionate and merciful understanding of the Lord, we will more naturally be able to draw closer to His love and presence. On the other hand, a distorted image of God can just as noticeably have us living in fear and anxiety, keeping us disconnected from experiencing comfort and protection in our relationship with God.

Last week, I wrote about Gelassenheit, a mutual yieldedness between us and God. In the Human/With God relationship, there seems to be a pattern that we can take comfort in. The Lord initiates an invitation to us; we have the choice to respond. Then, based on our response, the Lord chooses to bless us or offer us mercy to extend the invitation of His generous love. (Howard, p. 222-223)

“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”

“The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.” (Luke 1:26-38)

As the story unfolds in the scriptures above, I am most aware of the dance between Mary and Gabriel. There is something delightful for us to behold in this encounter. In this reflection, we will begin to unwrap in our own lives the treasure of self-surrender for the sake of God and others.

I have experienced sweet joy in pondering the story of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary. Mary showcases both the simplicity and complexity of our call as image-bearers of God. Mary, in this transcendent moment with Gabriel, was able to see, hear, and know that the Lord was with her. How do we yield our anxiety and fears to the Lord while trusting with complete confidence that the Lord goes before us to prepare, protect, and comfort us in each of our calls to bring Christ into the world?

The angel replied, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur… After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, "This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people." Luke 1:19-20, 24-25

Have you ever wondered why Zechariah, a righteous man living blamelessly before the Lord, found himself mute after asking just one question to Gabriel, who was bringing him good news?

The story in Luke 1:5-25 gives the details before and after the visit from the angel Gabriel. One of the first things we learn is that Zechariah and Elizabeth were living righteously and blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. They had no children, and because they were getting older, their hope for children had passed.

In Jewish history, it was believed that children were a sign of blessing from the Lord, and therefore, not being able to conceive would have been seen as a punishment or curse from the Lord. Culturally, barrenness was associated with a hidden sin or wrongdoing, creating reproach and disgrace from the larger community. Elizabeth would have suffered deep pain and shame as a consequence of being barren.

Have you heard the good news? The King of Glory is coming!

Who is this King?

He’s the LORD, strong and mighty. He’s the God of Angel Armies. He’s the Creator of the earth and sky and all that exists - everything, everwhere - world without end.

“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all its peoples belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1 NLT)

He’s the Faithful One who called Abraham and Sarah and promised more descendants than could ever be counted.. He came through on his promise and a nation was born through “King-Glory’s” covenant. He’s the Redeemer and Rescuer who delivered the Israelites from the Pharoah and brought them out of Egypt. He’s the Great I Am who came near to Moses and revealed himself as “Yahweh! The LORD! The God of compassion and mercy…slow to anger, filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.” (Ex. 34:6)

He’s Immanuel (God With Us) who enters our darkness with love’s piercing light. ‘He lavishes unfailing love to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion and sin.’ (Psalm 34:7a)

Our coming King is holy and just - without sin. Who can stand in his presence? Yet he took on flesh and became a “friend of sinners,” showing us that union with Love’s Family is possible, not by our doing but by God’s amazing grace.

Wake up, you sleepyheard city!
Wake up, you sleepyhead people!
King-Glory is ready to enter. (Psalm 24:7 The Message)

I’ve been waiting for this day! Psalm 23 has been a sure guide for my soul over the years. When I started my Advent journey of meditating (and writing) on a Psalm a day, I mentally circled this day on the calendar.

Dallas Willard’s book, “Life Without Lack,” will be the text book for my time with God today. As I type out his words, unpacking the phrases of the 23rd psalm, I pray the Holy Spirit will do a restoring work in me.

My heart is overflowing with joy as I dwell in the presence of Jesus, my good Shepherd. As I anticipate Christmas day,  I want all the parts that make me who I am to be brought closer still. I’m making my way to the Holy Child in Bethlehem. Along with the Shepherds, I rejoice at the proclamation of Christ’s birth. I must go see for myself.

(The following is from Life Without Lack by Dallas Willard,, pp.xviii-xix)

The Lord is my shepherd.
In other words, I’m in the care of someone else. I’m not the one in charge. I’ve taken my kingdom and surrendered it to the kingdom of God. I am living the with-God life. The Lord is my shepherd. And what follows from that?

I shall not want.
That’s the natural result. I shall not lack anything. That’s what Jesus teaches: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and everything else will be added (Matt.6:33).

He makes me to lie down in green pastures.
What kind of a sheep lies down in a green pasture? A sheep that has eaten its fill. If a sheep is in a green pasture and she’s not full, she’ll be eating, not lying down.

He leads me beside the still waters.
A sheep that is being led beside still water is a sheep that is not thirsty…

He restores my soul.
The broken depths of my soul are healed and reintegrated in a life in union with God: the eternal kind of life.