A Surprising Location

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee …
- Luke 1:26

The story of how God joined our human family takes place in a remarkably unspectacular setting. This is part of the Christmas Surprise.

Jesus could have been born to any set of parents, in any age, in any part of the world. He could have been born into the imperial palace in Rome, with special access to one of his generation’s superpowers. Or, if he needed to born into a Jewish family, he could have been born in Jerusalem.

Jesus, however, was born to parents from Nazareth. Na. Zuh. Reth. Nazareth, the town so insignificant that Luke felt he needed to explain to his readers where it was located. This is where Jesus’ family was from and where he would be raised. Isolated from the centers of local and global power from the very start, Jesus began life at a tremendous disadvantage.

As Oscar Muriu noted, when reflecting on the humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth: “God’s way was quiet and subtle and subversive.” Jesus’ mission and ministry didn’t hinge on him being placed in a position of power and wealth.

Paying attention to the surprising elements of the Christmas story reminds us that God’s way of challenging and transforming the world often runs counter to the techniques we often deem necessary to affect change. In God’s hands, the challenge of being pushed to the margins becomes an advantage. Throughout the story of Jesus his humble origins only serve to highlight the extraordinary power of God that’s present in his life.

Take a look at your life. Take a look at the world around you. What resources do you think are necessary for things to change for the better?

What would it mean for your life if God were to create tremendous, terrific change without using any of those resources?

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