Christmas is indeed a wonderful time of the year. For many folks, Christmas music is an especially enjoyable part of the season. In order to meet this demand, some radio stations transition to all-Christmas music. Many artists will produce a Christmas album at some point in their careers. Churchgoers will relish a wide array of rich Christmas hymns. Christmas Eve services often conclude with the time-honored tradition of singing “Silent Night.” This is often accompanied by the lighting of candles throughout the congregation. It is a powerful and moving tradition.
Likewise, there are certain passages of scripture which we revisit with delight year after year. Luke chapter 2 is of course the most beloved. The old tale begins with Caesar Augustus – the man then regarded as the Lord of the world. Augustus issued a decree that a census be taken of the entire Roman world. The census required Joseph and Mary to undertake the journey from Nazareth to Joseph’s ancestral hometown of Bethlehem to be registered. All this, even though Mary was “great with child.” While in Bethlehem, the time came for the child be born. The newborn baby Jesus was laid in a feeding trough. Meanwhile, the good news regarding the birth of the world’s true Lord and King was announced to lowly shepherds, keeping watch over their flocks by night. It’s an amazing story which we all rightfully treasure.
Yet other parts of the Christmas narrative seem to be quietly ignored, particularly in evangelical circles. One such passage is actually the very first Christmas song – the song which Mary sings upon learning that she will be the mother of the coming king. This song is known as the Magnificat, which is the first Latin word of the text. Magnificat means “magnifies,” often translated as “glorifies.” Luke has also recorded for us the song of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist. John was the prophet given the task of preparing Israel for the coming of her king. Although we don’t have the tune to either of these songs, the words are invaluable. For here we have the thoughts and expectations of two Israelites who longed for the coming of God’s anointed king. What did they think Christmas was all about?
Let’s walk through Mary’s song bit by bit.
Mary first praises God that he has remembered her – a poor, young Israelite maiden living in the obscure little village of Nazareth. Mary is filled with awe when she reflects on the fact that she has been chosen to become the mother of God’s anointed king – the one who will bring justice and joy to the whole creation. She realizes that every coming generation will call her blessed.
“He has performed mighty deeds with his arm.” The phrase “mighty deeds” conjures up memories of the exodus – the time when the God of Israel brought devastating plagues upon Pharaoh and the people of Egypt. These judgments demonstrated God’s incomparable superiority over against all the gods of Egypt and freed the children of Israel from the bitter slavery that they had endured.
“He has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.” Many places in scripture remind us that humility is one of the characteristics God most values in his people. Conversely, pride is a destructive and deadly trait which God relentlessly opposes. Mary seems especially to have been thinking about the tower of Babel, when the people of the earth in their hubris endeavored to built a mighty tower for themselves. God derails their project by confusing their language. As the result, they are “scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
“He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.” Once again, humility is contrasted with pride. God has set himself against those rulers who are filled with arrogance – those who refuse to acknowledge that their authority comes from the one true God. Yet those who humble themselves before God, he will exalt. As Jesus promised, “The meek shall inherit the earth.”
“He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty.” The rich here are not the righteous rich who have acquired wealth through honesty and hard work. The context suggests that these rich have horded wealth through oppression and deceit; perhaps they have fattened their own accounts by refusing to pay their workers the wages they deserve. God is filled with sorrow and anger when he looks upon this kind of injustice. He will surely fight on behalf of the poor who have been unfairly deprived.
“He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, even as he said to our fathers.” Have you ever heard a Christmas sermon about Abraham? I’ll guess probably not. Yet consider this: Luke records the songs of two Israelites who reflect at length on the coming of Israel’s Messiah. Both of these songs prominently mention the covenant God made with Abraham! How can we make sense of this?
The promises God makes to Abraham lay the foundation for the entire story of the Bible – the story that reaches it’s climax in Jesus. Faced with human rebellion, God begins his rescue project for the entire creation by appearing to Abraham. He promises to make Abraham’s descendants – the people of Israel – into a great nation. Israel is called to offer the one true God proper worship and obedience. In other words, Israel is called to bear the image of the living God, reflecting his love, wisdom and goodness so that the entire creation can flourish. In doing so, Israel shall bring blessing upon herself – she will enjoy prosperity, abundance, peace, security and joy.
Yet God’s blessing is by no means for Israel alone! Rather, Israel has been chosen as God’s instrument, so that his blessing can extend to all the nations. All people can look to Israel and discover God’s good intentions to rescue creation from corruption and darkness.
So, let’s review the thematic highlights of this, the very first Christmas music.
+ Gods anointed king shall establish God’s kingdom over the whole earth, bringing justice, peace and gladness to all creation.
+ God never forgets his people, no matter how humble or distressful their circumstances. Those who are faithful to him shall receive mercy.
+ Just as Israel was rescued from slavery in Egypt, the time has now come for all slavery and oppression to end.
+ God is implacably opposed to the proud. Arrogant, tyrannical rulers will be brought low. Likewise, those who acquire wealth through injustice and greed will be called to account.
+ Meanwhile, God will lift up the poor and humble. He will supply them in abundance.
+ All this will take place through the fulfillment of the covenant. Israel will at last be set right. When that happens, God’s blessing will come upon Israel and also flow out to the nations.
*********************************************************
What should be obvious is that all this has a very this-worldly quality. Far too many Christians, when they reflect on the meaning of Christmas, think about Jesus as the one who will enable them to escape this dreadful world when they die and slip off to heaven. These first Christmas songs indicate just the opposite: Christmas is all about the proper ordering of God’s good creation. And Jesus the Messiah will bring about that proper ordering.
The tradition of candle lighting on Christmas Eve begins in darkness with just a single candle. This candle is used to light another and another until at last the whole church is filled with light. The ritual symbolizes the fact that apart from God’s wisdom and goodness, humanity (and all creation) is doomed to stumble about in darkness, misery and death. Yet through the reign of Jesus, God has brought his kingdom of light and life into the world.
Indeed, the last two millennia since the birth of the Messiah has radically transformed our world in marvelous ways. Currently about 2.6 billion people worldwide have given their allegiance to the Lord Jesus. The people of Jesus have done incalculable good down through the years: raising healthy families, starting schools, founding hospitals, caring for the poor and much, much more. Most people don’t fully appreciate that Christianity forms the bedrock upon which the blessings of Western Civilization have been built.
Yes, of course, there remains much evil in our world. No one would be foolish enough to claim otherwise. But neither should we be blind to the manifold ways that the growing rule of Jesus has brought a huge measure of justice, flourishing and mercy to our world. And the light continues to spread with every passing day and hour! Moreover, the Christmas candles reminds us that we are called to be, not just recipients, but agents of the light. Just as our candle has been lit, we in turn must share the light with all around us.
Finally, at Christmas we celebrate not just the coming of God’s Kingdom through Jesus the king, but we anticipate the consummation of that Kingdom. We long for the time when God’s sovereign reign will extend over all the earth. Every shred of evil, greed and oppression will be banished forever. Even death itself will be no more. It will be the wondrous day when these words shall be fulfilled: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign forever and ever.”
