rest – Hope Walking

What do you really want for Christmas?

We are coming to the end of a very weary year. I am sure peace, rest, and perhaps simply quiet are at the top of many lists. What’s at the top of yours?

If we traveled back in time to the year Jesus was born and asked Mary’s neighbors what they wanted most, their answers would’ve been very similar. They lived under brutal Roman rule, and the news stories of the year were as horrendous as ours. The Jewish people longed for peace, quiet and rest. And they had different ideas of how to get them.

The Zealots were a party of revolutionaries intent on throwing the Romans out of Palestine. This group attracted patriots and bandits, but the means to their goal was the same – force. Physical force would bring the rest they longed for.

Another party we all know was the Pharisees. They often argued with Jesus, but the group had begun with good intentions. When they read the prophets, they had concluded God would send the Messiah to help them when all the people were fastidiously obeying God’s Laws. Their good intentions turned into a holier-than-thou attitude that brought anything but rest to the weary.

Getting away from it all were the Essenes. They took very seriously the prophet Isaiah’s instructions to prepare a highway in the desert, making a road for the Messiah to come (Isaiah 40:3.) Moving into the desert they did get away from the noise and stress of city life in Jerusalem. But their lives were hard and bare, with not much rest.

As Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary walked from Nazareth to Bethlehem, they undoubtably passed members of all these parties. Unknown to them, the Messiah, the mighty king they all longed for, rocked gently in Mary’s womb as she passed by.

When it came time to announce Jesus’ birth the angel was not sent to the hideout caves of the Zealots, the desert homes of the Essenes or the scroll rooms of the Pharisees. The angel was sent to a field filled with sheep and shepherds.

Why God picked these shepherds to first hear the great news is beyond me. But I can guess why he did not pick the parties I listed. I think they would have been quite prone to argue with the angel. “No way!” I imagine them saying. “A baby in a manger in Bethlehem is not strong enough, not pure enough, not mystical enough. He can’t be what we are looking for.”

But he was exactly what they were looking for. And he is exactly what we are looking for when we wish for peace, quiet and rest.

Stop and listen again to what the angel told the shepherds. Listen with all your heart and let the truth sink in:

“Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people: Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!”

The prophet Isaiah said, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”

May Jesus be first on your list this Christmas.

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Scripture references:

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

Luke 2:10-14 (NET))

Dark, cold, seemingly endless interstate roads were a large part of my life for over a decade while I moved around the country for school and military service. Indiana to Bergen County: 750 miles. Denver to Bergen: 1777 miles. Missouri to Bergen: 1147 miles. Mile after miles, and I remember very little of them except for one spot, the lights of Paterson, NJ.

The lights of Paterson are hardly notable but for one thing – when they appeared I knew I was almost home. They’d appear out of the dark in the wee hours of the morning giving me a surge of joy and relief knowing I had made it. When I see them now I still feel it – home!

Home, where I can exchange vending machines and lukewarm coffee for a fridge full of my favorite foods.

Home, where instead of cold, dirty commodes I get my mom’s sparkling bathroom and hot shower.

Home, where weary hours of clutching the wheel turns into a soft mattress and my favorite pillow.

Home, where I feel welcome and safe because my parents love me.

Home!

If we expect all this good from parents, why would we ever expect less from our Father in Heaven?

Jesus told the story of the farmer and his two sons so we know exactly what to expect when we go to our Father.

Remember, the wandering son, as a last resort, was going home to beg his dad for a job as a hired hand. He would have been happy for a bowl of soup and some hay to sleep on. Instead his dad charged down the driveway to meet him, showering him with the best he had: clothes, shoes, ring and a giant party. Your Father in Heaven does the same.

Jesus said, “Which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

How do you think the farmer would have felt if his son had said, “I don’t want all the stuff you are giving me. I want to live away from you in the barn. Send me some bread and water, and I’ll start work in the morning.”

His dad would have been so heartbroken.

We often turn our heavenly Father into a stingy god who doesn’t want to care for us. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Jesus said, “Come to me all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Head for home. Pull in the driveway. Get out of your car and let the Father embrace you. He’s waiting for you.

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Scriptures quoted: Matthew 7:9-11, Matthew 11:28