Something Different
Luke 1:26-38[1]
The “preacher” of the
book of Ecclesiastes said it centuries ago: “There is nothing new under the
sun” (Eccl. 1:9). To some extent, that can be a comfort to us. We rely on
routines and familiarity in our daily lives. We can see how much we depend on
things staying the same when we have go through any kind of major change. It’s
like a shock to our whole system: we feel the stress of a major change in our
bodies. And it takes time to adjust to a “new normal” when life throws us that
kind of curve. Sometimes even years. For most of us the words, “there is
nothing new under the sun,” feel reassuring.
But that’s not the
way the “preacher” of Ecclesiastes meant them. It was one of the ways he
lamented the meaninglessness he saw in life. The sum of the book is that he
examined every aspect of human life and found it to be “vanity and a chasing
after wind” (Eccl. 1:14). It may be surprising to find something like that in
the Bible, but there are actually quite a few expressions of disappointment.
From Job to Jeremiah, from the Psalms to the Prophets, biblical writers do on
occasion express their disappointment with God. In specific, they complain to
God when life’s realities seem to invalidate God’s promises. Through the
centuries, many have lamented that life seems in vain.
Our Gospel lesson for
today recounts the story of something very different. It is, of course, the
story of the angel Gabriel and his encounter with Mary in which he gives her
some surprising news. She was going bear a son, who would inherit the throne of
David. Of course, she didn’t understand this announcement, because she was
thinking about the normal way children are conceived. And I’m sure the idea
that any child she might bear would inherit the throne of David must have
seemed far-fetched to her. She and her fiancé Joseph were not the kind of
people who could expect to raise a King!
If that were as far
as the story had gone, it would have been a remarkable event, but not something
different from what had already gone before. There had been many in the line of
David who had occupied his throne. Each and every one of them was considered to
be the “son of God” by virtue of being anointed King. That didn’t mean they
were divine, it simply meant that they were special servants of God. Even the
promise that “He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom
there will be no end” (Lk. 1:33) was nothing new. It was the essence of the
original promise made to David in 2 Samuel 7:12-14. Despite that promise, many
heirs to David’s throne had come and gone, and the kingdom with no end was
nowhere to be seen.
But there was
something different going on here, as Gabriel proceeded to explain. Her child
was not going to be just another “son of David,” like the many who had gone
before. Gabriel answered her question about how she could possible bear a child
by saying that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most
High will overshadow you” (Lk. 1:35). That’s not a very scientific explanation
for what was going to happen to her, but it was a theological one. Gabriel was
telling her that her child was going to be different from all the others who
had come before him.
This son of David was
not only going to be “called” the “son of God” in honor of his special service
as King. I’m aware that in both of Gabriel’s statements, he says “he will be
called” “the Son of the Most High” and “Son of God.” But in this context, it’s
clear that “Son of the Most High” and “Son of God” were more than just titles
he would take to himself, like many Kings in that day. Rather, Mary’s child
would actually be “the Son of the Most High” and the “Son of God.” This was
something unique. This was something very different from what had happened with
David’s heirs throughout the centuries.
And a part of the
good news of this announcement is that because this child would indeed be “the
Son of the Most High,” the implication is that he would have the ability to
actually fulfill the promise of reigning over a kingdom that has no end. Where
many heirs to David’s throne before him had failed, this child would succeed. They
failed because they broke their covenant with God. He would keep that covenant,
and would usher in a kingdom without end—not the kingdom of David, or the
kingdom of Israel, but the Kingdom of God for all people.
I’m afraid that when we look
at our world, at our lives, and even at the church, it can be very easy to
conclude that “there is nothing new under the sun.” Those who have no qualms
about bullying others seem to get their way. Human ego and selfishness taints
everything from family to work to church. It can lead some to conclude that
there’s really no point to it all. But the birth of Jesus was something
different from all that. His entry into this world marked the beginning of
something new that God was doing with the human family. Because he is the “Son
of the Most High,” he is different from all who came before. He truly reigns
over a kingdom without end, a kingdom that makes a great deal of difference in many
lives, and will continue to do so until all things have become whole and new.
[1]
©2017 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 12/24/2017 at
Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.
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