Blessed

Advent3/4 (C)Micah 5:2-5a, Phil. 4:4-7, Luke 1:39-45

If you look you will see blessings everywhere.Bethlehem is blessed. Mary andElizabeth are blessed. Even Paul is blessed. It is as if a rising wave ofblessing were about to wash down upon us. And why not? There is a Savior comingto the world. All is not lost. For all of our cares and sorrows there is ananswer. Dare we believe it?

Believing it may well be theblessing. There is no evidence to suggest that Bethlehemat the time of Jesus' birth for example was a place of blessing. It was crowdedwith travelers who were there because of the whims of their rulers. Enforcedregistration displacing people from their current homes to arbitrarily go totheir place of origin and fill out some forms is just another form ofoppression, a way to control and intimidate people. It is difficult to imaginethat this was a happy occasion. There was not enough room for people to staycomfortably. Scarce resources were being used up to satisfy a tyrant. Yet evenhere in the midst of sadness and anger and chaos God chose to bring a blessing.Perhaps it is not an accident that God would come into the world in such aplace at such a time. I was in Bethlehema few years ago myself. It was not easy to see the blessing there.

Who knew what was going on thatnight? Were shepherds in the habit of seeing angels? Surely it was not everyday that they were visited and told to do such strange things. Perhaps if anangel visited us in heavenly light we would even take notice. Still it ispushing it to hear this news and believe it and then actually act on the beliefby doing what the angel said to do. Because they did they were blessed. Theyentered into the presence of God or into the words of CS Lewis, they were

The blessing of God for them was achallenge of the highest order. They were being asked to believe the impossiblewhere what was known to be possible would ruin them. I remember the characterin Fiddler on the Roof speculating about the blessing of being God's chosen wonderingwhy God couldn't maybe choose someone else once and awhile. Being chosen by Godfor blessing is like being chosen by the teacher to give the answer to theclass. It is an honor to be chosen but now you have to do something. It is likebeing called to ordained ministry. It seemed like a good idea at the time butthen you have to enter the pulpit and speak of impossible things and foolishexpectations as if you knew what you were talking about. In the case of Maryand Joseph and even Elizabeth they seem to believe impossible things rathereasily though perhaps in their cases the presence of God was not so easy todeny or question. I expect most of us while enjoying the beautiful story aresomewhat skeptical about the details here. Our world has been disenchanted. Webelieve in material things. We are nobody's fool. We are blind to God's glory. Weare deaf to the sound of angels' wings which, in the words of one of the fewcrazies left in the world who have admitted seeing angels, Annie Dillardherself,

Indeed there is the blessing ofenchantment itself. We have experienced it. It is like falling in love. Can youremember? The material world is altered. Things seem more alive, brighter, moreglad. The gift of faith is very similar. It is like falling in love with God.The world seems very different. It is no accident that the word says

How else can we explain Paul's joythat still jumps from the pages of his letter to Philippi?By all accounts a man ruined, imprisoned, threatened, can barely find the wordsto tell of his joy. It is striking to me that in this moment that can only bedescribed as glory, Paul uses the word gentleness to instruct his readers aboutwhat to do with their lives. Gentleness, forbearance, thanksgiving, these arethe attributes of a life that glorifies God. Clearly in a brutal situation Paulis experiencing the gentleness of God that might have been absurd if we hadn'talready heard the story about how God entered the world as a human child,helpless and small, the gentlest and most vulnerable of creatures, the impossiblybeautiful story of Mary and the blessing of believing that with God anythingand everything is still possible.

When you think about it, Mary andJoseph's acceptance of this blessing was an act of gentle courage. They mighthave said no and fought such ridiculous claims with all of their strength butthey said yes each in their own way giving up what their lives might have beenfor what God wanted and what they had not planned and what put their own livesat risk, changing everything forever, guarantying even their own sorrow forsuch a love does not come without hearts being broken.

I like children's literature whenit is good enough to take me in to that place of enchantment where thesuspension of belief in the usual things is the doorway to glory. It is noaccident that the Pooh stories end at an enchantedplace where the blessing of simply being alive and being loved is enoughexplanation for anything at all. It is obvious that Christopher Robin is aboutto leave the imaginary world of children (theplace of doing nothing) to enter the sad world of adults (

"Understandwhat?"  he said.

"Oh, nothing," (Christopher Robin) laughed and jumped to his feet. "Come on!"

"Where?"said Pooh.

"Anywhere,"said Christopher Robin. (The House at Pooh Corner)

Some of you may think this is aleap too far from the incarnation to Pooh Bear and Christopher Robin but this isnot a trivial foolishness. Rather this is yet another opening to glory. AlanJacob writing of CS Lewis said, SurelyLewis would have said that when we can no longer be 'wide open to glory', wehave lost not just our childlikeness, but also something near the core of ourhumanity. Those who will never be fooled can never be delighted, because withoutself-forgetfulness there can be no delight, and this is a great and grievousloss. ('Into the Wonder', and essay by Alan Jacobs in The Best AmericanSpiritual Writing 2006) This foolishness that asks us to take seriouslya boy and his bear is a profound reflection on the mystery of life and love.Life passes, love endures. Anywhere is where God will take us if we are willingto be wide open to the glory of God's blessing. Anywhere is the place we didn'teven dream was possible; the place that we forgot we ever knew. Anywhere iswhere Mary went when the angel told her that nothing will be impossible for God. (LK 1.37) And she believed.

Blessed are you when you believe.Blessed are you when your gentleness shows. Blessed are we when we love theworld as God loves us. Blessed are you when you say yes to God; to God'simpossible love; to the peace that passes understanding; to the joy thatrejoices always. If you look you will see blessing everywhere. Be thankful.

Blessed are they who believe in thegentleness of God; in the unspeakable love that overcomes every sorrow, evendeath, that comes into the world through every heart that is