God Remembers His People
Today was rest and catch up day from our late night in Cheyenne. We joined Charlie Simineo for a performance featuring his son Rick at the “Ozymandian” Theater. Ozymandian means “huge and grandiose but ultimately devoid of meaning.” As a Seinfeld fan I liked that definition. The production featured 20 short skits about the holiday season.
It included portrayals of some traditional stories such as “The Grinch That Stole Christmas” and “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” They did a creative rendition of “The 12 Days of Christmas” but did the “Twelve Months of 2014” and highlighted some top news stories during the past year. Of course a favorite of mine was the carol “Obama-Care” sung to the tune of “O Christmas Tree.” I think this one would go viral on the internet.
Debbie and I caught a picture with Rick Simineo after the production. Rick is a talented young man, father and dad and high school math teacher by day. He is one who uses, “both sides of his brain!”
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “…He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.” Luke 2:54-55
“…he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,the oath that he swore to our father Abraham…” Luke 2:70-73
As I was reading about the birth of John the Baptist and the birth of Jesus, my attention was drawn to the idea of “God remembering His promise to His people…”
Both Elizabeth and Mary experienced divine pregnancies. Elizabeth’s was by natural means but required divine intervention for it to take place due to her advanced age. Mary’s was by supernatural means through the work of the Holy Spirit.
We find the record of Mary’s “Song” of praise while she was visiting Elizabeth who was pregnant with John the Baptist. In it she references the Lord’s intervention related to the “remembrance of his mercy.”
When John was born Zachariah the priest uttered a prophetic message that contained similar words about God, “remembering His covenant to Abraham…”
As we reflect on the four hundred years of silence since the last Old Testament prophet passed from the scene, it was a time of waiting, a time of expectation. Faithful Jews were aware of the promise of the Messiah coming one day. But days turned into years, years into decades, decades into centuries. Where was the Messiah, would He really be coming as the Lord promised? Has the Lord forgotten His promise?
At Christmas we can related to movies or actual experiences when a gift is opened and the recipient responds with a joyful response of, “O, you remembered!” With the news of a prophet to prepare the way and the birth of the Son of God it became clear that the Lord was remembering His promise to Abraham, remembering to be merciful to His people in need of hope and a future.
What is important to remember is that this is the human perspective. It is the perspective of the limited vantage point of the human existence. Had the Lord really forgotten? Not at all! But from the human perspective it could have felt that way. However, the Lord was working in His way and in His time so that years later Paul would declare, “…in the fullness of time, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law,to redeem those who were under the law…” Galatians 4:4-7
I am sure that before Jesus was born that there were those, like there will be before His second coming that scoffed and said, “where is the promise of His coming?” How often we wonder, “where is God?” “Has the Lord forgotten…me…His promise?” And then we see the Lord working in His way and in His time and we respond with joy and excitement, “He has remembered!”
Consider the following verses that remind us of the Lord’s faithfulness…
- “For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones…” Psalm 27:28
- “For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage…” Psalm 94:14
- “The LORD will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name….” 1 Samuel 12:2
Rest assured the Lord does not forget and He is not distant. We are called to wait patiently. Sometimes when we least expect it, in a way we least expect the Lord will “show up and we will see that He has remembered!”
That is a foundational part of the Christmas story. It is one we need to remind ourselves of today, this Christmas week.