Month: December 2020

Hope for Messed-up Plans

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(Matthew 1:18-24)

If we had to choose just one of the themes throughout this series as an appropriate caption for 2020, this morning’s might be it: the year of messed up plans. Back still near the beginning of the year in March, children had to adjust their plans to accommodate online learning from home while adults across the board learned to work from home. Remember being hit at Easter with the reality of not being able to worship in a sanctuary filled with lilies and flowers (maybe some with allergies didn’t miss it!)? High school and college graduation plans needed to be altered. Summer vacation plans changed. Back to school plans were up in the air until the last minute. Thanksgiving plans and Christmas plans, together with many time-honored traditions, have been tweaked or set aside. This is the year of messed-up plans!

Such messed-up plans can be like riding a rollercoaster. Some people love them, while others can’t stand them. Some of us may actually handle the unexpected ups and downs and roll with them quite capably, occasionally even finding them thrilling, appreciating the spice and spontaneity last-minute changes bring. But those same ups and downs make others nauseous and fill them with anxiety. Those who crave routine and structure and familiar schedules have really struggled with messed-up plans. But even this year has tested the limits of everyone, even those who typically handle messed-up plans effortlessly. 

Yet as hard as 2020 has been, we also have to acknowledge that sometimes messed-up plans are our own fault. Sometimes we fail to plan anything at all. We talk about what we hope will happen or what we want to happen but never set a single step toward completing any goals or plans. Other times our plans just flat-out stink. We plan poorly or don’t seek the counsel of others or of God. And sometimes we even go directly against God’s will when we know better, downplaying it as no big deal or justifying it in this case or that one. In these cases should we be shocked when a dumpster fire results? Of course not – the messed-up plans were our own fault!

But what about when plans were made – and made well! – and didn’t violate God’s will, and they still didn’t turn out the way we had hoped or expected? When this happens, we sometimes draw the wrong conclusion from it: that if it didn’t happen the way we thought it was supposed to, then it must not have been God’s will. We interpret a messed-up plan as a clear indicator that it somehow opposed God’s will. This or that didn’t happen, so we shake it off and tell ourselves and others that it wasn’t what God wanted, because otherwise, it would have worked out. Of course, we don’t draw the same conclusion when bad things happen to people, that God clearly must have wanted it to as part of his plan. But we have no problem applying that logic to when something good that we have planned doesn’t come to fruition – then God must not have wanted it to happen. 

Consider a current issue to help see how flawed it is to presume God’s will or plans on the basis of how ours play out. One Christian has been fervently praying for a vaccine to put an end to COVID, knowing that vaccines have been a blessing in many ways to help eradicate certain diseases in the past. Another Christian, however, who has researched the possible risks of vaccines, has been fervently praying for some solution that doesn’t require her to be vaccinated. Which one was correctly praying for God’s will? Do we wait until there is a clear-cut “winner” to determine which Christian was praying for the right plan of God and which one was praying for the wrong one? 

No – whether or not our plans play out as we had hoped is not the clear sign from God that a plan was or wasn’t aligned with his will. What we DO know about God’s will is clearly recorded for us in his Word; apart from his Word, though, it isn’t our place to try to determine his plans. One plan may work out and God may bless it accordingly; another plan may not work out and… he may still bless it accordingly! His plans are not dependent upon ours; rather, we’re much better off binding our plans to his. But what DO we know when it comes to plans? We know this: our failed plans don’t deter his faithful promises. The backstory of Jesus’ birth shows us that. 

How’s this for messed-up plans: planning to get married and finding out your bride-to-be is suddenly a mother-to-be as well, even though you know with 100% certainty (because you paid attention in biology class) there is no way you are the father? Welcome to Joseph’s world! Whatever plans he had for his dream life with Mary were suddenly out the door! And so, as messed-up plans require, Joseph adjusted his. “Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” (v.19). He didn’t want to see Mary’s name dragged through the mud, but that didn’t mean he was going to be played for a fool and stay in that relationship, either. His plans were messed-up, so he made different ones. He may even have concluded that since Mary had gotten pregnant and he wasn’t the father, it must clearly have been God’s will for him not to follow through with his marriage plans.

But he would have been wrong. For just as soon as Joseph had in mind to change his messed-up plans, God had a way of changing Joseph’s mind. “But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (v.20-21). Suddenly it turned out plans weren’t as messed-up as he thought; rather, God had been involved in the planning process all along!

Stop there for a moment. Does that help us realize that when our plans go south, it doesn’t necessarily mean that God’s have? No, it could very well be that God’s plans involved your plans going south all along! Do you see that in the case of Joseph? Our failed plans don’t deter his faithful promises. How many times in your life has a plan fallen apart or something undesired and unexpected soured it like spoiled milk… only to see a greater good result from all of it in the end? Do you remember the stories around 9/11 of people missing flights or having to miss work that morning – wouldn’t those classify as messed-up plans? Yet, many of them are still alive today because of those messed-up plans! How many other stories like that, if even on a much smaller scale, have we experienced? Again, our failed plans don’t deter his faithful promises. 

When the disciples got wind of plans to put Jesus to death, they wanted none of it. What if they had succeeded in their plans? What if Peter’s mighty swing of his sword in Gethsemane the night before Jesus’ death had been enough to dissuade the enemies from capturing Jesus and later crucifying him? Thank goodness Peter’s plans were messed up – that allowed God’s plans not to be! His messed-up plans didn’t get in the way of God’s carefully measured-out plans.

In fact, God’s carefully measured-out plans have been taking place in the midst of our messed-up plans ever since the very first one! God didn’t need Adam & Eve to take a do-over and get it right the second time when they messed up in Eden. He revealed his plan right in the middle of the mess! When Abraham and Sarah hatched their Hagar plan to fast-track God’s promise, their mess of things didn’t derail God’s plan. Not even the nation of Israel’s waywardness and unbelief, resulting in their exile from the very birthplace where the Savior was to be born was enough to botch God’s plan from being carried out! He masterfully managed all the major players in foreign kingdoms to allow a remnant of Israelites to return to their land so that at just the right time, the Savior could be born. 

From Joseph’s perspective, everything was just a mess, but from God’s, it was just right. It was just right for God not only to direct his plans from behind the camera any longer, but to insert himself into the action as the drama unfolded. He ensured the plan could not fail by not only drawing it up and keeping it on track throughout history, but also by carrying it out personally, taking it on himself to complete his plan and cement our salvation. He used angel messengers, a trusting virgin, a devout husband, and himself to complete the plan. God himself played the key role, taking the plan from the manger to the cross, attaining the perfection we needed by his holy life, and paying the price for our sin by his undeserved death. And so he leaves us with hope in the mess, the reality of righteousness and the certainty of sins forgiven. 

God is right this very moment carrying out his plans in your life… even when your own plans are messed-up. He can work in a messed-up world, with messed-up people, lamenting messed-up plans. His plans don’t require our plans to work out; rather, we ought to rejoice that even when our plans don’t work out, his still do. And they will continue to until the final phase of his plan is carried out and Jesus returns. When that plan is finalized and followed through to its end, there will be no more mess. 

It’s going to be a different Christmas than anyone could have planned 12 months ago. But only in regard to our plans. Regarding God’s plans, his plans are still right on track. He delivered the goods on the first Christmas when Jesus arrived on the scene, and his plan is still being carried out as he works through his church – believers – to bring hope for everyone.

Hope for Messed-up People

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(Matthew 1:1-17)

One of the benefits of limited gatherings for Thanksgiving and in the weeks to come? You get out of inviting that awkward family member. Now I highly doubt any of you reading this fit that description of course, but we’ve all had the experience of squirming uncomfortably as the offensive uncle opens his mouth to say what everyone knew what was coming, but hoped wouldn’t. There’s the relative with no filter whose lack of social awareness astounds more and more every year. We’ve all had those experiences.

We can joke rather light-heartedly about those awkward family situations around the holidays, but for some of us, the messed up family dynamic goes much deeper than a few uncomfortable occasions at the dinner table. We come from broken homes, toxic relationships, shame-filled experiences, all of which have shaped who we are today and significantly impacted how we deal with our family. Abuse and alcoholism, desertion and death, neglect and narcotics, the list goes on. I’m talking about real trauma that still affects some of us today. These are not just movie subplots – this was childhood for some of us. There was no Leave it to Beaver romanticized, idyllic version of home & family growing up; dysfunction and disorder were the norm.

That can result in real shame and embarrassment regarding our families, and understandably so. There was no eagerness to bring home a date to meet mom or dad, but instead every effort to avoid any possible interaction at all. Being seen in public with certain family members was terrifying. Having to cover up or conceal the dysfunction from others brought stress and anxiety into many of the routine daily activities that other people just take for granted. Thoughts of family-time or being home for the holidays did not evoke warm, nostalgic feelings, but raised anxiety levels and involved thinking up plans to avoid any such occasions. Instead of the home and family being a place of safety and security, they were a source of shame and resentment.

This can all lead to two unfortunate extremes: one – I completely cut myself off from family. Anticipating the day you move out of the house and thinking about getting as far away from family as possible surely seems like a quick fix if family has equaled nothing but resentment and regret-filled relationships. Admittedly, there are occasions when that may even be the best option for a time, especially when abuse puts one at risk. Such a step may result in years or decades of having little to no contact with family. However, where real trauma or tragedy have taken place, it can be extremely challenging for the one who experienced it to process it in a healthy way without some sort of reconciliation or repentance from the offending party. So cutting our messed up families out of our lives may not be the best long-term solution.

A second extreme may be for the individual from a messed up family to start to identify the same way. “I come from a messed up family, which means I’m messed up, too.” When a person starts to identify in such ways, his or her own life can spiral into a tailspin of either self-destruction, or worse, perpetuating that same behavior onto others, including his or her own current family members. Then the cycle repeats itself. Sadly, this is a not at all uncommon result of broken homes. Hurt people hurt people, because their belief that they too are messed up is so strong that it validates any corresponding destructive behavior to self or others.

I acknowledge that this is not an easy topic to cover. It can be especially challenging because revisiting such messed up family history and trauma as some have experienced can run the risk of reopening those wounds all over again. But if the hope we speak of in Jesus is going to be more than just a seasonal buzz word or a theological concept, then we have to be very real about the hurts that hope can heal. That good news is wrapped up in today’s promise that Jesus brings hope for messed up people. That includes your messed-up family – past or present.

If you come from a messed up family, you’re in good company: so did Jesus. Matthew provides us with Jesus’ genealogy. Genealogies in Scripture raise a number of questions for us, and this is no different. There are questions about the significance of whose names were included and whose names were excluded, questions about why Matthew chose to divide the groupings up the way he did, and so on. But there is one rather obvious conclusion we can draw about Jesus’ family from this genealogy: his family was messed up! These were messed up people, including liars, deceivers, adulterers, idolaters, murderers, prostitutes, polygamists, and even flat-out unbelievers! So much for the sinless Son of God being able to claim a squeaky-clean lineage!

Tracing one’s lineage has become a very popular interest today. Many want to discover more about their family history and, thanks to DNA, we are able to trace back our ancestry and find out some pretty fascinating details about our families. While there is certainly satisfaction in just learning more about those details just for the sake of becoming more familiar with our roots and where we came from, don’t we also imagine how exhilarating it would be to find out we have some connection to royalty or fame somewhere in our past? Of course we would enjoy sharing those discoveries with others. But… what if instead you traced back your family history and discovered you came from a line of criminals and convicts and despicably awful people? How readily would you be broadcasting such a discovery to others? Yet such was the family line of Jesus!

So what does this say about the sinless Son of God?  What does this say about Jesus? He can relate. He came from messed-up people. Our real flesh-and-blood Savior descended from a real messed-up family. But there is a takeaway that matters far more than Jesus coming from messed up families; it’s that he came for messed up families. Had Jesus’ genealogy somehow been made up of perfectly righteous people (pretending of course, that such people could ever exist!), might we imagine those to be the types for whom he came? Might we question if he actually came into this world to have anything to do with the likes of my family or even me? But we can relate to a Savior who came from messed-up people to save messed-up people.

Because that means he came to save messed-up me. Paul embraced that in our Second Lesson today – his letter to Timothy. He didn’t have to hide who he was or pretend he was something he wasn’t. “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst” (1 Timothy 1:15). Paul makes a point that ought to resonate with each of us: I can own not only my messed-up family and a world filled with messed-up people, but even my own messed-up self, because then I fit the description of the exact types for whom Jesus came: sinners. If Jesus means hope for messed-up people, then count me in!

Since God doesn’t differentiate between the only slightly messed-up and the severely messed-up, I am included. You are included. We are all included. Though we can’t say with certainty why Matthew breaks down the genealogy listings the way he does, it appears to me there are three classes of people: family men (patriarchs), royalty, and no-names. What do they have in common? They’re all messed up! So if you’re expecting to find the model family headed by the model father-figure in Scripture, keep looking, because you won’t find it! You think you’ll have any better luck finding people who have it together because they’re royalty? You won’t find it among that list of kings! And the last list of those returning after the exile – who even recognizes those people? It’s a list of no-names! What do they all have in common?

Look at the name that matters more than all of them; the name listed at both the beginning as well as the end of the genealogical mess: the Messiah himself. If ever there was an appropriate time to say it, truly it is here: we put the “mess” in Messiah! Or rather, God placed the mess of our sin entirely on his Son, the one chosen to be the Sin-bearer of messed up people. Jesus didn’t run away from sinners during his life’s ministry but gravitated toward them with his gospel. Jesus didn’t run away from sinners in his death but died for them. Jesus didn’t rise from the dead to get away from sinners, but to ensure their resurrection for an eternity with him. 

So see the messed-up people of this world and the messed-up members of your family differently, the way Jesus sees messed-up you. See in them the very types of people Jesus came to save. They are the ones who are looking for hope when there doesn’t seem to be any because they’ve made such a mess of things. They see lives unraveled and the collateral damage that resulted from their selfish decisions and shameful actions, and conclude their is no hope for people like them. The mess is too great. 

Could you be the conduit of hope they need? Could you be the one to resuscitate them with the news that Jesus didn’t come for the know-it-alls or the have-it-alls or the goody-two-shoes; he came to be the Messiah of messed up people? He came to bring the gentle touch of his forgiveness to heal hurting homes, to reconcile ruined relationships, to fix-up fractured families. 

It may not be easy. In fact, it may be even more difficult when the messed-up people are the very ones who hurt you the most. But friends, the pain they caused you in the past isn’t greater than the hope you have in Christ in the present and future. That hope frees us from holding onto hurts, from bearing grudges, from withholding forgiveness. That hope works so powerfully in messed-up people like us, that it longs to be extended to everyone else, too. Is there someone in your life who this Christmas is in need of the greatest gift you could possibly ever extend to them – both for their benefit and yours? Could you unwrap for them this gift: Jesus provides hope for messed-up people?