Advent comes as a holy whisper, not a shout.
Blog post by Matt McCoy
6 minute read
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Let’s channel our inner megalomaniacs, for a few moments, here at the start of this blog. Let’s pretend that you are a being from an unseen realm, and you are coming to earth to set yourself up as the supreme ruler of everyone and everything in it. We don’t even have to be much of a fan of science fiction, comic books, or popular culture in order to think of an example of this particular storyline. This is an old storyline, in part, because this is what Jesus did. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s go back to our own megalomaniac imaginative exercise.
Now, before you make your journey to earth from your unseen realm, let me ask you a few planning questions, just so we’re on the same page before you set yourself up as the one who is now the supreme ruler of the earth.
Question #1: Where, geographically on Earth, would you arrive from this unseen realm? Where would you show up?
Maybe you’re a fly in from the sky kind of person. Maybe you’d prefer a giant mountaintop sort of experience. Perhaps taking over the internet is more your style. I would want to make a big splash, make a big scene, let everyone know that I’ve arrived.
Jesus showed up in a barn. Jesus seems to have a preference for places where there is room available for him. Advent comes as a holy whisper, not a shout. {1}
Question #2: How would you arrive? What kind of statement would you like to make as you enter Earth for the first time as the new ruler?
On the one hand, you could come like Thanos from Avengers: Endgame, and bring a giant space ship and start blowing up stuff.
On the other hand, you could do something like Eddie Redmayne’s character, Balem Abrasax, in Jupiter Ascending, and just not bother telling anyone because you don’t have to.
You might want to arrive like Thanos, like Balem Abrasax, or somewhere in between. There’s no shortage of examples of this; it’s a favorite theme for stories through the ages.
Jesus had the ability to come in any way he wanted; he wanted to come as a baby. Babies have a preference for places where there is room available for them. Advent comes as a holy whisper, not a shout.
Question #3: Immediately after you come to Earth to be the supreme ruler, what happens next?
In so many of the movies and stories about visitors from an unseen realm, when the new supreme ruler arrives, everything gets upended. There’s a new sheriff in town. There’s a new social order, there’s a new way of life, because there’s a new boss. And what about the average, everyday people in these stories? Well, the people don’t like having their world turned upside-down.
If our new supreme ruler from an unseen realm shows up as a baby, well, we better practice patience. Babies require an incredible amount of patience, and we need to learn how to wait on the baby’s timing. Advent comes as a holy whisper, not a shout.
Luke 2:1-20 (The Message):
About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.
While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.
There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”
At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:
Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.
Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!
Footnotes
1 - This quote “Advent comes as a holy whisper, not a shout” comes from a blog post from my friend Mark Glanville, the MDiv Professor up at Regent College. The original blog post can be found HERE
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