In
our Old Testament reading today, we heard from someone that we rarely hear from
during the church year-the prophet Micah. Like John the Baptist, Micah prepared
the people for the coming of the Messiah. He did so through his prophetic
words. His prophecy is a vision for a life lived in the divine presence, and it’s
this vision that we need to keep in our thoughts as we prepare to remember both
Christ birth on that first Christmas over 2,000 years ago and his Second Coming
at some point in the future.
Micah's
prophecy identifies Bethlehem-Ephrathah (Ephrathah was a lesser clan of the
tribe of Judah) as the place and origin of the Messiah, the hoped for just
ruler of Israel. That little town’s life and struggles are compared to birth pangs
of a woman in labor. In ancient cultures, and even until recently, women’s
status in secular and religious society was zero. Not only the town but also
the heroine of Micah’s prophecy are small, of little note, of no significance
in civil and religious life.
Micah’s
prophecy included both the First and Second Coming of Jesus. He was born in Bethlehem
and will some day establish his rule over the entire world in a kingdom of
peace. By stating that Jesus will come from Bethlehem, Micah suggests that he
will be a new David. This agrees with statements made by other prophets in
Isaiah 9:6, Jeremiah 30:9, Ezekiel 34:23-24 and Hosea 3:5. Like David, Jesus
will defeat Israel’s enemies and protect the Israelites from would-be invaders.
Micah
prophesied that the Messiah would come in the majesty of the name of Yahweh,
his God. In the culture of Micah’s time, a person’s name was more than a label
to identify him or her. Something of that person’s identity was considered to
be tied up in that name. The belief was that the person’s name expressed
something of the person’s character. Something of the power of that person was
embedded in their name. Jesus fits into this belief. Jesus was God in human
form with all of God’s character and power.
The
Old Testament is a trail that leads to the Messiah. God gives us clear clues in
Scripture so we can recognize the true Messiah when he returns. These same
signs were given to people in Old Testament times so that they would know when
and where Christ would be born.
So
why did God choose an insignificant person such as Mary to bear His Son? Why
did God choose Bethlehem as Jesus’ birthplace? Well, God always chooses
ordinary people, places and things to do extraordinary things for him. With
God, we must expect the unexpected. It was prophesied that Bethlehem would be
Jesus’ birthplace, and that prophecy was fulfilled on that first Christmas. Where
we are from is not nearly as important as what God is creating us to be.
God
is a God of surprises. He addresses impossible situations on the most unlikely
ways. In the case of the birth of Jesus, God acts small. His plan was for the
Messiah who would deliver the people to come from Bethlehem, which was the
birthplace of David’s father Jesse.
Jesus
reigns at God’s request, and it was prophesied that Jesus would be a descendant
of David. Jesus was the fulfillment of that prophecy. Jesus’ rule and
protection of his people was the result of God’s authority and power. That
rule, protection and authority are for all who believe in Jesus, so they can
live with him without fear. They will be united.
The
world is constantly searching for peace, but that search is an empty one.
Instead of looking to Jesus, the world looks to drugs, alcohol, money and
relationships. These do not provide peace. They only provide turmoil. How many
lives have been ruined by drugs and alcohol? How many marriages have suffered
because of drug or alcohol abuse or adultery? True peace can never be found in
worldly pleasures. True peace can only be found by knowing Jesus, the
long-prophesied prince of peace. He stands with open arms waiting to welcome
us.
This
does not mean that we should not pray for peace and harmony in our world,
especially in light of the recent attacks in Paris and San Bernadino. On the
contrary, we are commanded to pray for peace and unity. Jesus will bring peace
to our hurting world one day. In the meantime, he offers peace to the hearts of
those who love him.
God’s
reign speaks of hope that comes from disasters, strife and suffering. His reign
speaks of hope and salvation that will come from people and places that are
nothing in the eyes of the world. Micah-a minor prophet from an obscure
village-addresses this in his prophecy. God values what the world does not
value. He takes what the world sees as worthless and holds it closest to his
heart. We as humans, especially people who the world sees as nothing, are close
to God’s heart, and it is because we are close to him that he gave us the
greatest Christmas gift of all-Jesus. In return, we are to give back to him by
loving others as he loves us. We must give true justice to everyone we meet. We
must treat others in the same fair way that we want them to treat us and in the
same fair way God treats us. We must have compassion for others just as God has
compassion for us. In these troubled times when many of us don’t feel safe,
Micah reminds us that God has promised security and peace, and that security
and peace comes from the Prince of Peace himself.
The issue that confronts us as
people of faith sooner or later becomes, "If I call myself a Christian, then will I actually
choose to live like one?" Am I willing to let the grown-up Jesus rule, as
Micah put it. Am I willing follow where Christ leads, to do what Christ asks? I
mean, if we seriously consider the things that Jesus commanded, then choosing to
sign on with him is not an easy choice to make. Have you really listened to
some of the stuff He requests of us? There is an old saying that actions speak
louder than words. It’s fine for us to say that we want to live like a
Christian, but our deeds must show that we want to live like Christians. The
only way for us to have true peace is to say that we want to live like Christians
and then act like we want to live as Christians. The only way that can happen
is if we welcome the Prince of Peace into our lives with open arms. Only then
will we have the peace of Christ.
Bibliography
1.
Jeremiah,
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood,
TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013; p. 1211)
2.
ESV Study
Bible. Part of Wordsearch 11 Bible software package.
4.
Lucado, M.: The Lucado Life Lessons Bible (Nashville,
TN: Thomas Nelson; 2010)
7.
Melinda Quivik, “Commentary on Micah 5:2-5.” Retrieved from http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1484
8.
The Rev. Dr. Wiley Stephens, “The Place Where Heaven Will Touch the
Earth.” Retrieved from http://day1.org/1612-the_place_where_heaven_will_touch_the_earth.print
9.
Jude Siciliano, O.P., “First Impressions, 4th Sunday of
Advent-C.” Retrieved from www.preacherexchange.org
10.
Butch Odom, “Fourth Sunday of Advent 2015-Micah 5:4-5”. Retrieved from comment-reply@wordpress.com
11.
The Rev. Dr. Michael Brown, “The Baby is the Easy Part.” Retrieved from http://day1.org/690-2-the_baby_is_the_easy_part.print.
12.
“Volume 2 Fourth Sunday of Advent, December 20, 2015.” Retrieved from volume2@lists.opssouth.org
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