Join All Nations this Advent season to consider again the story of Jesus’ arrival in Bethlehem – how His peace unfolds, to whom His arrival is announced, and what it means for you today.
Our Advent theme, “Emmanuel Still: The First Advent Still Speaks” was inspired by Kelley Nokondeha’s excellent book. She says: “The first advent was about the arrival of God into a world of woe, and every advent since invites us to grapple with what Jesus’s coming means to our fraught landscapes now” (p. 13). Read the first two Advent reflections on previous blog posts.
Advent Week 3: God Who Cares For Your WHOLE Life
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What if our vision of Jesus’ birth has been completely skewed? Many Biblical and cultural scholars contend that Mary and Joseph were most likely welcomed into a family home, surrounded by caring loved ones!
This is based on two facts: first, in that time, livestock were kept in the family’s primary space to provide heat and for protection; and, second, the Greek word for “inn” was most commonly used to refer to a home’s special guest room, rather than a hotel. Thus, Luke 2:7 is more accurately paraphrased: “She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a feeding trough in the family room, because the guest room was already taken.” (Probably by some elderly relatives!)
Hospitality that challenges empires
What difference does this more accurate nativity make? It means that while the Empire of the Romans was crushing everyday people like Mary and Joseph, their kin were receiving them with open arms. Anyone who has ever visited the Middle East knows that this resonates more with the hospitality of these people than our traditional interpretation.
Part of the reason Mary and Joseph depended so much on their family’s hospitality was because of the harsh economic oppression that the Empire had thrust upon them. Even the trip to Bethlehem for the census was a reflection of this: the counting would lead to more taxes levied on the poor to benefit the rich and powerful. Here, we see a more holistic perspective in Luke’s narrative:
“For Luke, the economy is no mere backdrop for the narrative; it’s a feature of a deeper engagement with the reality of the world God arrives to upend for the sake of justice and peace” (Nikondeha, p. 85).
God who cares for the whole
Jesus’ arrival represented hope for so much more than just personal salvation. He brought a new kingdom where the first would be last, and where the two mites of a widow were more valuable than riches. The Kingdom of God that Jesus initiated brought a vision of flourishing that stood in stark contrast to the harsh, unyielding life that Jesus’ parents and family were forced to live daily.
So what about us? What difference does this make today? Though the names of the oppressive Empires have changed, their oppression is still very common. Will our Advent practice be merely a ritual, and some small acts of charity? These are nice, but we are called to so much more.
“A true resistance worthy of the first advent would be a move into durable justice work the rest of the year. Imagine giving to a local food bank during Advent and then working on advocacy related to food insecurity and childhood hunger the rest of the year” (Nikondeha, p. 84).
Scripture: Luke 2:1-7
Further Reading: Bwanhale encounters a fuller and more holistic vision of Jesus as ‘God with us,’ even in our practical, economic struggles. Read here.
REFLECT
How does this image of a Palestinian home ignite imagination for how Jesus’ birth may have looked? How does it speak to the oppression of the Empire and importance of hospitality?
Questions for reflection:
- How do you see that the economy uses its to structures oppress people? What are ways you or your loved ones have experienced that oppression?
- What can you do to come alongside the modern Josephs and Marys, caught in economic cycles of oppression, to help them in small, practical ways throughout the year? Ask God to give you ideas.
- Dream with God. What could the Kingdom of God look like under the rule of the true Prince of Peace? Ask him for a vision of transformation in your community, and how to persevere in prayer for it.
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Works Cited: Nikondeha, Kelley. The First Advent in Palestine: Reversals, Resistance, and the Ongoing Complexity of Hope. Fortress Press, 2022. Kindle file.
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On Giving Tuesday, All Nations Kansas City launched “Emmanuel Still”, a year-end giving campaign! You are invited to multiply the stories of people around the world who get to experience for the first time that Jesus is, indeed, Emmanuel – still.
