Imperfect Settings
- December 18, 2000
A funny thing happened at church last Sunday. It was
time to light the third candle of our advent wreath and
as our pastor was explaining the significance he looked
down and discovered the wick was buried in wax. As he
tried to free it, the wick broke off. He gave a running
commentary of his actions and the congregation chuckled
at the mishap. No big deal, we still had three usable
candles so Pastor Steve walked to the alter to light one
of the brass candle lighting sticks (I'm sure they have a
name) from the alter candle. He lit, turned, and the
flame went out. He lit again this time made it back to
the wreath to hand off to the family waiting patiently to
read today's scripture and light the candles. The dad
started to light and wouldn't you know it, the flame went
out again. Back to the alter! All during this time there
were expectant chuckles from the congregation wondering
what would go wrong next. I was thinking if our service
was televised, the producer would be pulling his hair out
by now. And yet the perfect message of the incarnation
came through in the midst of an imperfect setting.
God is no stranger to imperfect settings. When Mary
was pregnant with Jesus, I'm sure she was like any mother
expecting her first child. I bet she had a special place
set aside in their home that was fixed up just right for
the new arrival. She probably pictured herself gently
placing her precious baby in the brand new crib Joseph
had lovingly crafted in his carpentry shop. Then came the
news. The family was going to have to pack up and go to
Bethlehem. And what for? A dumb Roman census. What a
waste of time. Didn't they know she was about to give
birth and should be at home instead of wandering around
on a donkey? But, reluctant or not, she went.
I can just see them when they arrived in Bethlehem.
Joseph scurrying from inn to inn to find a place for his
wife so she could rest comfortably after a long, hard
journey. I can imagine Joseph's feelings of failure when
the best he could find was a cattle stall. This was not
what either had planned. I wonder if Mary as she started
feeling the pains of labor thought "not here, not now,
not this way." And yet the perfect message of God came to
this world in a very imperfect setting.
God still uses imperfect settings to carry His perfect
message of salvation to the world. He could use His
angels to regally proclaim that Jesus is the Messiah, but
instead he chooses to use stumbling, stubborn, sinful
servants that are anything but perfect. He chooses to use
you and me. We are the candles he uses to bring light to
a dark world. But candles can't light themselves. We need
the fire of the Holy Spirit to ignite our lives so will
burn with the fire of truth. From time to time our flame
may flicker and grow dim. That's when God reaches down to
trim our wicks and clear away the buildup of pride, lust,
self-centeredness, greed and a multitude of other wrong
attitudes and sin so we will once again shine forth His
light.
I think God grinned as He watched our candle fiasco
last Sunday. The same way He shakes His head and smiles
when we once again do something utterly stupid and
foolish. Yet He continues to let us represent Him and His
life-changing message. When you see a manger seen this
Christmas season, take a moment to thank God that He was
born ... and continues to live in imperfect settings.
