December 18: Unusual Circumstances
♫ Music:
WEEK FOUR
December 18 - December 24
The Glorious Mystery of Christmas
Christmas Day is often referred to as the Feast of the Incarnation. It commemorates the most consequential event in human history, the celebration of “God with us!” One would be hard pressed to find a more beautiful story in the whole of global literature. Yet the strange sequence of events that culminate in Christ’s birth leave us dumbfounded: a virgin mother; angelic appearances; the King of Glory born amidst animals in a barn; a miraculous star that guides the Magi to the Christ child. The glorious mystery of Christmas is that the birth of Christ unites humanity and divinity, turning the world as we understand it upside down. Author Beth Bevis states, “The early church theologians stressed that the Incarnation should not be seen as condescension, as the “descent” of God to man, but as the lifting up of humanity into the divine life.”
Unusual Circumstances
Matthew 1: 18-19
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Too Much to Ask
by Luci Shaw
it seemed too much to ask
of one small virgin
that she should stake shame
against the will of God.
all she had to hold to
were those soft, inward
flutterings
and the remembered sting
of a brief junction--spirit
with flesh.
who would think it
more than a dream wish?
an implausible, laughable
defence.
and it seems much
too much to ask me
to be part of the
different thing--
God's shocking, unorthodox,
unheard of Thing
to further heaven's hopes
and summon God's glory.
FACING CRISIS
The young woman pictured in Fatima appears to be fretting over something. Is she Mary, contemplating how her future husband will receive her—a young pregnant woman with someone else’s child? How to convince Joseph of the truth of her child’s parentage? What will happen to her if he doesn’t believe her? Even with God’s child inside her, she remains a vulnerable young woman with few rights and little power.
We do not know whether Mary tried to convince Joseph of the truth or, upon realizing he’d never believe her, kept quiet. Perhaps After the Announcement depicts Mary contemplating her plight after revealing her pregnancy to Joseph and enduring their first argument (two empty seats with a broken plant between them). The ropes hang ominously in the background, signaling desperation.
What we do know is that Joseph, upon finding out that Mary is with child, first relies on his own judgment. He decides to divorce Mary quietly so not to shame her. Later, after an angel of the Lord tells him to take Mary as his wife because the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Joseph obeys (Matthew 1: 20-24).
When I face a crisis, asking God for guidance is not my first instinct. Rather than going to the Lord, I review all possible scenarios, planning out my strategy like a war room. I never know whether my best-laid plans will work—but God allows us the freedom to make those decisions. Despite not being the best solution, Joseph’s plan revealed his mercy and compassion. What do our plans reveal about us?
Rather than feeling shame and guilt for not going to God first, I can rest assured that my decisions—however imperfect—can reflect God’s work in me. More importantly, God is ultimately in control, often accomplishing things beyond our comprehension.
Prayer
Lord, your thoughts are nothing like our thoughts, and your ways are far beyond anything we can imagine. Thank you for loving us even in our self-reliance. Help us to acknowledge your sovereignty in our lives and the freedom you give us to fail, to succeed and every permutation in between. May we reflect your love and justice in all we do—showing compassion and mercy to the vulnerable and powerless among us.
Amen.
Nancy Wang Yuen
Associate Professor of Sociology
Chair, Department of Sociology
Art Work #1
Fatima
Awol Erezku
Color photograph
Art Work # 2
After the Announcement
Joel Sheesley
Oil on canvas
About Artist and Artwork Image #1:
Awol Erizku (b. 1988) is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York and Los Angeles. His primary media are painting, photography, sculpture and video installation. Erizku, recently dubbed "The Art World’s New 'It' Boy" by Vulture Magazine, graduated from Cooper Union with a B.F.A., and received an MFA from Yale's Visual Arts program in 2014. Erizku's work asks questions about race within the context of art history. He is centrally concerned with “black culture” and how black artists are viewed and canonized.
Fatima is from a photographic series that Erizku did of concertgoers at the 2016 Brooklyn Tenth Annual Afropunk Festival. The beautiful young African-American girl in Erizku’s portrait strikes a reflective pose reminding us of the Virgin Mary’s contemplations. “Fatima” is a potent name meaning “she knows” or “the shining one” used in both Islamic and Christian contexts. It was the name of Mohammed’s favorite daughter, Fatima Zahra. She is revered for her purity and considered an ideal model for all Muslim women. In 1917 three children reported visions of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal, a Muslim town that had converted to Christianity. So in Christianity, Fatima is reminiscent of visitations and miracles. In his writings, Bishop Fulton Sheen suggested that various Old Testament heroic women were pre-Christian types of Mary, and that Fatima Zahra could be viewed as a post-Christian type of Mary.
About Artist and Artwork Image #2:
Joel Sheesley's paintings address a variety of themes having to do with a person's connection to place and culture. An active artist and exhibitor, Joel currently shows his work at Gescheidle Gallery in Chicago. Sheesley who has taught in the Department of Art at Wheaton College since 1974 received Wheaton's Senior Scholar Achievement Award in 2000 and an Illinois Artist Fellowship Grant in 2002.
www.joelsheesley.com
About the Music:
“Magnificat”
Lyrics:
I know I hardly know you girl
But when you were still a child, it seems
You had a visitation out of nowhere.
The message held no compromise.
It needed all your heart and mind
To understand the meaning you were given.
And the words ran over in your mind
And the shock waves echoed through your time.
And your soul proclaimed the greatness of the Lord
And your spirit did rejoice in God your saviour.
For He had looked with favour on His lowly servant
From this day all generations
Would call you blessed, blessed, so blessed.
The birth became a reality.
The fast-approaching motherhood,
Effects upon your friends and family.
And Joseph could not see.
It seems he thought that you were through,
But he was given guidance too.
And the words ran over in his mind...
Then the time of birth was due.
The stresses on your life increased,
The traveling, nowhere for you to sleep.
But all the words came true,
A miracle had come to earth.
The virgin girl had given birth.
About the Composer/Performer:
Eden’s Bridge is a Christian band whose style covers elements of Celtic, folk, pop, and rock music. The group is headquartered in Yorkshire, England. Individually the members come from both England and Ireland. The 6 member group came together in 1993 and include siblings, Sarah and Richard Lacy. Along with guitarist David Bird, these three musicians have written a number of songs and instrumentals together. According to Sarah who is the lead vocalist, the group's goal is to "compose honest lyrics that communicate with our holy God and give Him praise."
About the Poet:
Luci Shaw (b. 1928) is a Christian poet. Shaw studied at Wheaton College, Illinois, and is now Writer in Residence at Regent College, Vancouver. She lectures on art and spirituality, the Christian imagination, poetry-writing, and journaling as an aid to artistic and spiritual growth. She has published ten volumes of poetry and numerous non-fiction books, and has edited and collaborated on multiple other works, including several with her dear friend, Madeleine L'Engle. Shaw usually works in free verse, and typically her poems are short. Nevertheless, in tone and content, she affiliates most readily with the transcendental poets, often finding in natural details and themes the touch of the eternal or other-worldly. For over 60 years, Luci has had a tradition of sending Advent greetings to friends and family and with each year’s greeting, she most often includes a new Advent poem.
www.lucishaw.com/