I almost never read the back of church programs. 99% of the time, you find some really stupid poem or some failed attempt at art. Its the place of acrostics and anecdotes. By the way, do people even do acrostics anymore? I thought we dropped that in like ... I don't know 1st grade or something? But I digress. In my experience, the best use of the sad, hidden, oft neglected back-flap is silent note passing.
Its perfect for a quick question to your spouse or friend in the middle of a sermon ... Where are we meeting your parents for lunch? -or- Do you see what ____ is wearing? -or- What is Rev. _____ talking about?!
-DISCLAIMER: I NEVER PASS NOTES DURING SERMONS .... -
Its the sad truth but its the honest truth ... nobody reads the back flap.
Yet lo and behold, Sunday morning I stumble across it! Obviously by accident - I wouldn't have turned there on purpose of course. I stumble across the back flap of our church program only to find an absolute gem of theological artistry. It caught me off guard - as any reading of the back flap tends to do. Expecting rubbish, I found pure gold. Imagine that! SO, I would therefore like to shine light on the dark neglected region of ... dum dum duhhhh - the church bulletin back flap. So here it goes.
J. Abigail Brown writes:
HE IS YOUR GOD
Not in a pompous palace,
But a quiet humble stall.
Lies a helpless tiny baby,
God almighty, Lord of all.
[...]
Not shunning want or hardness,
But accepting servile birth.
Jesus came to live, to die here.
King of Heaven, child of Earth.
A mystery is born:
Our God, in Servant form.
Bow in awe and worship:
He is your God.
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I like my God strong and mighty. I like Him rough and tough. I like to think of Him breaking into my world and shattering reality as I know it. I like to think of Him putting to shame all the mighty by beating them down and making them submit. I like the Psalm 2 God - who breaks the teeth of those who stand against His anointed. Ya ... I like my God powerful. I suspect you do too.
But here, found in obscurity, on the dark side of the church program, I'm reminded of the mystery made manifest in Christ. The mystery in which, I can only begin to understand yet never fully comprehend, God made low for us. God's power made known in powerlessness. His great freedom and strength in the willingness to be enslaved and weak. The God who, for the sake of His sheep, lays down His life and lets Himself be born - in servant form. The God who balances Psalm 2 with Philippians 2. The God who calls me to join Him at the bottom, ironically to find that I am with Him at the top. The God who pierces all darkness with His light and makes even the low places high and the high places low.
This is my God. This is your God - as J. Abigail Brown so insightfully notes. God Almighty, Lord of all. Yes Lord of all.
So it seems that this Sunday - in the hidden obscurity of cheap neglected poems, I find the hidden mystery of Christmas. God Almighty in servant form.
//Ex Profundis//
