suddenly

The Christmas Story is filled with "suddenlys".  I've spent the month of December pondering the word suddenly and reading and rereading the first 2 chapters of Luke.  In the New Living Translation of the Bible, the are only 2 places in those first 2 chapters of Luke where the word suddenly is actually written, but there are numerous sudden "God interruptions" of life.

Mary was a young woman engaged to Joseph, who was waiting for the Messiah who had been promised hundreds of years before, just as her ancestors had.  She had no inkling that she would be the one who would give birth to the Promise until the sudden appearance of the angel, Gabriel.  Her life, her hopes, her dreams, really everything, changed in an instant.  God had plans for her that were bigger than any that she had ever imagined.  No wonder that Gabriel said, "Don't be afraid, Mary."  (If an archangel appeared to me, I would need to hear that too!)  Gabriel shared God's plan with her, and Mary responded just as suddenly, "I am the Lord's servant.  May everything you have said about me come true." 

An angel appeared to Joseph suddenly while he was sleeping.  (See Matthew 1:18-25.)  And again, the angel's first words are, "Do not be afraid...".  Joseph's life changed just as suddenly.  He took Mary as his wife, even though she was already inexplicably pregnant.  God asked him to raise Jesus, who was not his biological son, as though He was.  This baby, who was God and man and the fulfillment of a promise made hundreds of years before, was now Joseph's son to teach and train.  The Bible does not speak of any hesitation on Joseph's part.  Joseph did what the Lord asked of him.

I am certain that the actual birth of Jesus was not sudden for Mary.  She had been carrying a growing baby inside of her for months.  She had been preparing physically, emotionally, and mentally for His birth. 

But, the birth of Jesus did come suddenly for the shepherds, and the Bible uses the word "suddenly" twice in Luke 2:8-20...That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep.  SUDDENLY, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them.  They were terrified, but the angel reassured them, "Don't be afraid!" he said.  "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior - yes, the Messiah, the Lord - has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!  And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."  SUDDENLY, the angel was joined by a vast host of others - the armies of heaven - praising God and saying, "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

The shepherds also responded suddenly.  They hustled off to Bethlehem to see the amazing thing that the angel told them about.  The Bible says that after they saw the Baby, they told everyone that they saw about the angels and the Baby Jesus.  Their lives must have been changed forever, even though they are never mentioned again in the Bible. 

How does "suddenly" apply to us today?  Our world is influenced by an enemy who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy, and those things can happen just as suddenly.  But, Romans 8:28 promises that God works in ALL things for the good of those who love Him.  Those times of sudden loss are not from God, but He will work suddenly in them for our good.  Our lives can be "suddenly" interrupted by God.  In an instant, He can change everything, even when we are unaware that we need His intervention!  And, when God shows up, we should respond to Him in the same way that Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds did...SUDDENLY!

Merry Christmas, my friends!  I pray that your lives will be suddenly impacted by God Himself!