Who is God? Merry Maverick, Aficionado of the Abnormal, Instructor Amidst the Irrational

Mom was simply wrong. No, the 20-year-old 3-foot-tall outdoor “Hymnal Singers” covered in crumbling duct tape were not awesome. Besides, 14-year-old me had genuine concern the ancient brown cords connected to rudimentary light bulb sockets might burst into flames. Still, every December my mom insisted on, much to my embarrassment, dragging those “vintage” plastic carolers front-porch-center-stage.

Our “festive” living room presented no improvement from the outdoors. Mom gave nary a whit about focal points, spatial planning, or color schemes. Year after year, I pulled our artificial tree out of storage, knocked off any formed mud dauber nests, and set it up for Mom to swamp the plastic pine with every ugly bauble imaginable. Handmade ornaments from my days in kindergarten through 5th grade held prominent spots. Various branches held up dreadful winged cherubs knitted by my grandmother and her yarn-loving friends. A myriad of unsightly handmade or hand-me-down knick-knacks sat on table tops, shelves, and on top of Dad’s baby grand piano. Sure, at 6-years-old I thought they were “neat,” but also at that age I remember asking Dad during our local Christmas parade why horses festooned in green tinsel and red bows trotted down Broadway after the final float bearing Mr. and Mrs. Clause. Dad chuckled at my confusion and assured me, “The horses always come last.”

Older and wiser, I now understood the intelligence of placing a herd of watered and well-fed horses at the tail end of a parade, yet mom’s obsession with gaudy and mismatched Yuletide adornments seemed to me illogical and even absurd. When I visited friend’s houses, I observed with jealous awe their classy décor and Douglas firs covered in lights coordinated with store-bought frills and finery. Why couldn’t we have a “normal” tree?

An Illogical Promise

“Irrational” didn’t put a dent into what a terrified priest heard one afternoon in the 1st Century BC. Minding his own business and performing ritual duties (alone) in the holy temple with precision, an angel, without notice, appeared to the right of an incense altar. Gobsmacked and frozen in fear, Zechariah, the priest, listened as the messenger from the God he served delivered quite a doozy of an announcement. Nothing made sense to him as the angel declared he (most likely in his 60s or older) and his childless wife (“beyond childbearing years” - Luke 1:18) would soon conceive a son who would do all sorts of amazing things, among the most pivotal, “prepare the people” for the coming Messiah! Zechariah, wide-eyed with disbelief at this bombshell of a promise, floundered in his faith. Did the God of Israel truly intend to again (remember Abraham and Sarah) defy basic laws of human reproduction?

“I’m old! Do you have any proof? My wife is also over the hill!” Zechariah retorted something similar to the angel (Luke 1:18).

Unimpressed with his “logic,” the angel supernaturally swiped Zechariah’s voice. At least 9 or 10 months later (and lots of practice with sign language), he uttered his first words since the miraculous temple encounter when his wife Elizabeth gave birth to their miracle baby, John, later to hold the nickname, John the Baptist. As astounded family and friends congratulated Elizabeth not on retirement but motherhood, God continued with all things confounding in this Savior Sending Season.

Laws of Nature vs. Almighty Maker

It must have been a mistake, or worse. Silly didn’t cross his mind, but scandalous may have. Joseph gasped at the shocking revelation - his betrothed pregnant? God-honoring, gentle, and kind Mary? By whom? When? Why? Unlike today, an unwed and pregnant woman in ancient Israel created more than an uproarious stir among the masses - the enraged public gathered stones. A brutal death from hurled rocks most likely awaited mother and unborn child for such crime.

Even though Mary’s pregnancy made absolutely no sense at all, the “honorable” Joseph (Matthew 1:19) determined to spare her from public shame and possible execution. Intending to break off the marriage agreement in secrecy, Joseph fell into a deep sleep one evening and had a doozy of a dream. An angel announced to him God’s astonishing message: Yes, Mary is a virgin. By the power of Holy Spirit, she is pregnant with the Son of God. Don’t be afraid. Marry her anyway. (Luke 1:30-35)

I can only imagine how Joseph’s heart raced after waking from such a vivid, life-altering dream. God, Ultimate Maverick and unconcerned (to say the least) by any natural law, brought forth the Savior of the World in a most unconventional, highly controversial way…with a smile, no doubt!

Purpose in the Puzzlement

 Mom was right. Well, not stunning in appearance, but her dilapidated 1960s BECO plastic mold illuminated Singing Choir figures held great importance I didn’t understand at the time. Now, Forty-seven-year-old me finally figured it out. Although at this point, I still have my mother physically with her warm smile, her memory is completely gone. Alzheimer’s disease has stolen every last remembrance, even her knowledge of who I am. I wish I’d kept at least one of those awful choir singers. When we moved Mom to Kentucky to live with us, I carelessly dragged them to the garbage pile. Thankfully, I kept other unlovely but sentimental decorations Mom treasured, and despite my 14-year-old daughter’s protests (she’s a budding design specialist), I’ll display some this Christmas.

I realized Mom, for many years, surrounded herself with nostalgic, albeit unattractive pieces large and small, to draw her heart each holiday season, rightly so, to family and friends (living and in heaven), and fond memories. Her affinity for outdated Christmas décor I once considered annoying, now makes perfect sense. Like her Creator, she found joy and significance in the offbeat and abnormal.

The Biblical account of Jesus’ birth shows us exactly how unorthodox God’s actions can be, but at the center of those presumably crazy plans, The Almighty always has incredible purpose. Besides two miraculous pregnancies, God threw the entire world for a loop when His son arrived not in a grand palace, but in a smelly stable littered with soiled hay, donkey dust, and goat hair. Lowly shepherds, not leading sovereigns, first heard of The Messiah’s arrival. A virgin birth informed humanity God has total, sovereign authority and fulfills His word - Isaiah prophesied 700 years before Jesus’ birth, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” Jesus’ humble childhood proclaimed The Savor is accessible to everyone regardless of status.

As Jesus matured to adulthood, even his disciples initially believed he would rise as King of Israel, leading a successful revolt against the Roman Empire. Instead, Christ corrected their faulty thinking and continued to teach them about God’s mysterious ways. In an unbelievable act of grit and selflessness, Jesus allowed himself to suffer unimaginable pain and death on a cross. The throne Christ ascended to after his resurrection stood firm in heaven, not earth. This sacrifice offered salvation to not only people living in 1st Century Israel, but all generations, all nations, all people, for all time! Extraordinary? Irrational? Jesus could have become the greatest, wealthiest earthly king of all time, surpassing by far the splendor of Solomon, yet he obeyed God and became Immanuel. How to describe this unexpected, break-the-rules, illogical love? I think Mom would have said it best: Awesome! 

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