Loading more...
Transformed Imaginations
Imagination (noun): The faculty of imagining, or of forming mental images or concepts of what is Read More
Ray Buckley | Read Luke 2:1-20
Nothing that emanates from the character of God is static. Creativity that emanates from the person and presence of God still continues, changes, and grows. That spiritual process is renewed every moment of every day. All things do not shout of God, but all things speak of the character of God.
We are not always spiritually conscious of God’s movement. We wonder why others seem to experience the movement of God in truly miraculous ways, while we, having done what is asked of us, wait for any sign. Where is I AM in my stable?
It is a night of miracles. The only word that the human experience knows to use is glory. God’s glory, an awareness of the character of God, meant for the purpose of that moment. Glory is the light and the sacredness and the realization that all of a sudden you are in the middle of something foreign yet familiar. To the sheepherders gathered in the hills, the angel of the Lord appears, and they see a glimpse of the active, moving, creative character of God. It’s done! It is for you! Here is a sign! And the sheepherders, who don’t know they will be included in this night, become participants. And the sky fills with angels.
In Bethlehem, tending to her child, is the one person who has borne the greatest risk of all of humanity. She has not been with the sheepherders in the hills surrounded by the glory of God and the angels of heaven. The sheepherders will tell her.
The humbleness of a young girl meets the humility of the character of God in a stable in Bethlehem, and she keeps all of it in quiet, sacred space.
The stable, Is not the beginning. It is part of the movement Of God. Come to my stable, Lord.
This week we celebrate the birth of Jesus! Isaiah reminds us that all that God does, including the sending of a Savior, flows from God’s compassion and steadfast love. The psalmist declares that from the angels in heaven to the works of creation to all the kings and peoples of the earth, all should praise the exalted name of God. The “horn” is a metaphor used elsewhere in the Hebrew scriptures that is traditionally interpreted by Christians as a prophecy of the Messiah. The author of Hebrews emphasizes the humanity of Christ. Christ fully partakes of our human nature so that he would understand our weakness and fully execute his role as our high priest. Matthew interprets through prophecy the perilous early travels of the young Jesus.
Read Isaiah 63:7-9. How has God’s presence saved you?
Read Psalm 148. How can you praise God for the glory of creation around you in your daily life?
Read Hebrews 2:10-18. How does your relationship with the Child-of-God-Who-Is-Humble help you understand yourself as related to all other human beings?
Read Matthew 2:13-23. How has your church or faith community made the choice to act in the best interest of the institution rather than to follow God’s way of humility?
Respond by posting a prayer.
I join many of those who will pray for you as you seek to discern what you are called to be at this moment. May God grant you the courage to fulfill that calling. May we all open our eyes and see the misery, open our ears and hear the cries of God’s people, and, like God through the Lord Jesus Christ, be incarnate amongst them.”
View a growing list of resources for the spiritual work of overcoming racism.
