Several years ago I wrote a Christmas musical called "Mystery or Majesty?". I didn't write the music, but I wrote the narration and chose songs to convey the Christmas Story as I've come to enjoy it.
All of my life I heard about those found at the typical nativity scene, represented by the creche. There are Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. Then you add shepherds, wise men, and some random animals which vary; usually sheep, camels, cows, and the like. All of the sermons, carols, and other Christmas songs focus on these elements. While "that night" was a wonderful sight, there were so many other things to experience which get very little time from the average pulpit. For me, discovering these things changed my whole perspective on Christmas.
The first glimpse into these "other" things came while I was a freshman at Samford University. Ralph Carmichael had written a new Christmas cantata called "Specially for Shepherds". Mr. Carmichael was friends with the resident composer and leader of the Hear & Now Singers at Samford. His name was Bob Burroughs. Bob was asked to put together an ensemble/choir to present the world premier of Specially for Shepherds. He invited all who wanted to participate to come be a part of this exciting event. I decided to join the choir.
In this presentation, Mr. Carmichael took a drastically different view of the events surrounding Advent. He dared to present the angst surely felt by Joseph when he received word that his fiancee, Mary, was pregnant; and they have never had sex. The discordant music, along with the dramatic expression choreographed by Mr. Burroughs had a profound impact on me and the listening audience. It humanized the story for me which up until that time had only been a fairytale. Here's the first verse of Joseph's response:
I can’t believe it, this terrible news
I won’t believe it, I simply refuse
It troubles my spirit and brings me unrest
It crushed the breath right out of my chest.
The entire musical is on You Tube. It's from 1977 so the music is typical of the era, but the lyrics are nothing close to typical. They are still so relevant to me.
A few years later, Michael Card produced an album which had a song about Simeon. The catchphrase of the song goes, "Now that I've held Him in my arms my life can come to an end." Until this song, I don't remember ever hearing about Simeon in relation to Advent. In case you do not know the story, Simeon was outside the temple the day Joseph and Mary brought Jesus to be circumcised. He was a man who loved God, and had received a promise that he would not die until he sees Messiah. That day, he saw Jesus! He approached them and asked to hold the Christ-child. As he did, he began to "sing" his song:
Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel. (Luke 2:29-32 ESV)
Once inside the temple, they encountered a woman; a widow serving in the temple for many years. Her name was Anna. She, too, like Simeon had been waiting on the arrival of Messiah. When she saw them, Anna knew this was Messiah. "And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem." (Luke 2:38 ESV) All who were waiting. There were MANY living expectantly, waiting on the arrival of Messiah.
Back to the visit where Gabriel appears to Mary, whom most portray as an almost angelic creature, sitting as though she knew the angel was coming that day, that hour. I don't believe this to be the case. Based on tradition of the day, Mary was likely a young lady who just went through puberty. Some speculate she was anywhere from thirteen to eighteen. Most young women were busy with household chores; preparing meals, tending to flocks or gardens, sewing, washing clothes, etc. The way I usually picture this encounter is with Mary down by the river, beating clothes on rocks to get them clean. Possibly beads of sweat were running down her face. Her hair was somewhat disheveled. The angel was an interruption to her. Based on the record we have in scripture, Mary was more concerned about the "how" than the "what". I'm sure Mary knew of Messiah, and tradition teaches us that some young women would actually be hoping they would be chosen to be the mother to the Christ-child. Mary eventually "receives" the word spoken by the angel and declares, "Be it unto me according to your word."
The first thing she does is go to see her relative, Elizabeth, who was also pregnant by miraculous means. Elizabeth was past child-bearing years. When Mary greets her, the child inside "leaped" at the sound of Mary's voice, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Here's the irony of this encounter. Elizabeth's husband, Zechariah, was a priest. He was sworn to keep the Law of God. Every word of it. The penalty for a woman becoming pregnant outside of marriage was death by stoning. If Zachariah learned of Mary's condition, he would be duty-bound to bring her before the spiritual leaders and have her stoned.
Prior to all of this, Zachariah had his own angelic encounter. He learned that he would be given a son through his elderly wife. This child would be named John (later to be known as John the Baptist). Zachariah had a difficult time receiving this word, unlike Mary. The angel struck Zachariah mute until the child would be born. John became the forerunner of the Messiah. He would "prepare the way" for Jesus to be introduced to the world as the Son of God.
When you intertwine these things with the rest of the traditional elements of Advent, you begin to see all God put in place to welcome His Son, Jesus, into a world in need of a savior. It was truly the most wonderful time of the year! I doubt December 25 was the actual day Jesus was born. This day was established much later by the Catholic Church as part of the complete liturgy used to worship God and train believers in the things of God. That doesn't cause a single problem for me. It doesn't matter to me. What matters is that Jesus did come! It was miraculous! It is still the greatest mystery! It is still majestic!
This Christmastime I hope you take time to reflect, not only on the creche, but on all the aspects surrounding this blessed event now known as Advent.
