The Secret of Christmas
In life, we face change because the old order does and a new one arises to replace it.
Under Caesar, Rome believed its reach and power had no end. And they had every reason to believe it. After all, they’d conquered most of the world in the name of peace. But on the outskirts of the empire, an angel came to a teenager and told her she would have a baby. That message eventually upended the Roman Empire.
He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[a] forever; his Kingdom will never end!” (Luke 43-33, NLT)
Rome dominated the world at the time of Jesus’ birth. The official position held by the empire was that Caesar was a son of God. But the angel tells Mary her baby Will be a king whose reign will never end. Nobody will stand in his way. No king on earth will be more powerful. Not even Caesar, the ruler of the whole world.
The baby born to Mary was a threat to the established order and everyone who benefited from it. Not because Jesus would overthrow Rome, but because his life and teaching would undermine it. His authority would outlive the most powerful empire in the world.
As we come to the close of this Advent season we must remember the ideas and structures we cling to are temporary. The secret of Christmas is that God often does his best work in our lives when he upends our expectations.