Advent & Starfish

Advent, a tradition in many Christian churches, is a time of expectant waiting for the coming Christ. The purpose of Advent is to prepare our hearts and to remind us that December is not all about shopping and gift giving. Advent & Starfish focus us on the meaning of our celebration.

Advent is a reminder of another important Christian tradition, which recognizes the Bible’s focus on “social justice.” As Christians, we are called to protect the vulnerable, including the very young, the very old, the terminally ill, the disabled, the poor, and the unpopular. Social justice must also safeguard essential liberties rooted in human dignity and the belief that all people were created in God’s image.

God’s Priority At Christmas

God’s concern with the vulnerable was evident with the birth of his son to a poor dark-skinned palestinian-jewish teenage girl. Though from the line of David, Joseph and Mary were poor. Jesus was not born into royalty. Required to leave their home and travel to Bethlehem by a pagan, authoritarian ruler, we know they found no room in the inn. Yes, Jesus began his life as a homeless, foreigner.  

Then, in Luke, we read thatJesus’ family gave the poor offering when they took him to be consecrated (Luke 2:24). Unless you know the Old Testament background, the mention of a pair of doves as an offering is one that you might pass right over. However, a look back in Leviticus provides an interesting detail: the offering that Mary and Joseph offered is the poor person’s offering (Leviticus 12:8).

God, with his concern for the poor, stipulated a less expensive offering option for those unable to afford the regular offering. God chose a poor family for Jesus to be born into. Why not a family with more means? Because poor families were insiders to the target group. Jesus’ mission was a ministry to the poor and oppressed. It was in his mission statement written by the prophet Isaiah (Luke 4:16-21).

Jesus Brings Hope

One thing has become clear to me – Jesus is not afraid to identify with our suffering. When we are broken by the suffering in our world and in our very lives, let the nature of his birth be a light of hope. The God of the universe cares! The manner of Jesus’ arrival was intentional in order to know our suffering.

Often, we read scriptures like Galatians 3:28 that states, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (NIV) to mean that nothing else matters beyond our faith in Christ.  Ironically, this verse shows that these things — race, ethnicity, culture — do matter to God, because God recognizes the very public fact that there are laws, expectations, practices, and opinions oppressive to each distinction mentioned.

Isaiah’s Description of Social Justice

“Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” (Isaiah 1:16-17, NIV)

We see Jesus model this focus in his seven woes to the Pharisees (Matthew 23:23), his teachings to care for our neighbors (Luke 10:25-37), and his command to be salt and light to a lost world (Matthew 5:13-16). Jesus did not travel from town to town demanding that everyone believe in him. Rather, he arrived, proclaimed his message, healed the sick, and extended an invitation to follow him. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

By acknowledging and participating in the #blacklivesmatter, #indianlivesmatter, or #mexicanlivesmatter movements, we are not saying that all lives don’t matter. We are acknowledging that racism is a reality in our world. As Christians, we must have special concern for persons who are neglected, oppressed, and persecuted. 

Starfish Story

A young girl was walking along a beach upon which thousands of starfish had been washed up during a terrible storm. When she came to each starfish, she would pick it up, and throw it back into the ocean. People watched her with amusement.

She had been doing this for some time when a man approached her and said, “Little girl, why are you doing this? Look at this beach! You can’t save all these starfish. You can’t begin to make a difference!”

The girl thought for a moment and then bent down, picked up another starfish, and hurled it as far as she could into the ocean. Then she looked up at the man and replied, “Well, I made a difference for that one!” (adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley)

With Advent, the Starfish story reminds us that we can make a difference. In so doing, we are preparing the way of the Lord.

If you like Advent & Starfish, check out the post Be Like Mary to discover how to find Gods favor this Christmas.

Copyright © 2019 Chuck Locklear