One of the sweetest truths that I have learned from Christmas is thus little thing called“trust.” Simply put “trust” means to rely upon, fully lean upon or to place confidence in someone or something.
Every year as I reread the Christmas story I am struck by the trust that lays the foundation for the entire event. The whole story is filled with people who chose to trust.
Mary trusts in an Angel and in the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.
Joseph trusts in a dream, actually one of many.
Elizabeth trusts in the rejoicing leap of a child (in her belly).
Zacharias wanted proof from the angel and wasn’t able to speak for several months.
Shepherds trusted in the choir of singing angels.
Wisemen trusted the the shining star.
Every character of this story trusted in, relied upon, what others quickly and quietly dismiss as unreliable. In fact most would say that it’s ridiculous to trust in these things. But these people risked their reputations and their lives upon the instructions that they received through Angels, Dreams, rejoicing children, and stars. They trusted that God was speaking to them in ways and means that others would and in fact did dismiss.
Every year I am reminded what Solomon said, “Trust in the lord with all your heart, lean not to you own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6). Trust opens the door to our receiving direction from Him.
Christmas reveals this great truth of trust. God comes to us, but He waits on us to respond in “trust.” He never forces His will, but asks us to trust Him. To trust that He uses His creation to reveal Himself. He uses Angels, dream, rejoicing children, stars, and the Holy Spirit to speak to and reveal His will to us.
Christmas is the revelation that He has chosen to come into the human story. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zacharias, Shepherds, and Wisemen all trusted in what others considered to be unreliable. This “trust” is what opened the door for Christ to come into our world, to live and die and live again. This trust opens the way for the impossible to become a reality in our lives.
As deeply as their trust strikes my soul, I am even more deeply aware of the Trust of God. In the coming of Jesus we see that God Himself is trusting in His Creation. He is trusting in man and woman again. He is trusting in that which has truly proven to be unreliable, over and over again.
He trusted in them! He is trusting us! He trusts us to allow Him to speak to us, to overshadow us, to fill us with Himself. He is trusting us to allow Him to take up residence in our lives. He is trusting us to allow Him to make Himself known through our lives.
This God who is Love, is trusting us with Love. Trusting us to receive Love and to Love others. These people, in this forgotten part of the world, trusted in the announcement that God Loved them and the world. They and many others trusted that that Love would change the world.
Here in this mutual relationship of trust, God is revealed. God can be known, by us and by all those with whom we share life.
They trusted in angels, dreams, rejoicing child, and stars.
He trusted in humanity.
He is trusting in us, to trust in HIM!
And therein lies the truth…. it’s not really the angels, or the dreams, or the stars, or the leaping child…. No…. IT’S THE GOD OF LOVE. We are given the opportunity to trust this LOVE.
Christmas reminds us that we can TRUST IN, LEAN ON, RELY UPON…. JESUS!
Merry Christmas….
+ Q
