Luke 1:16-19; (II Corinthians 12:9)

The power of the fragile

In a Woody Allen movie the controversial actor portrays a physically powerless man who describes a fight he was in, somehow trying to spin the story (I am adlibbing):” Well first he hit my chin with his fist and then my stomach with his other fist but then I got back at him by hitting his knee with my eye.”

Friends, you and I are hearing a lot of muscular talk these days.  And if you are paying attention it is not just in this country, but around the world.  There are lots of tough talking men who are going to make sure their country will stand up for itself.  It is all about the identity of the majority.  The last decade or so much of the world seemed to be moving more toward more diversity. Minorities, whether they be racial or religious or sexual have found the voice to express their unique identity.  But now majorities (and sometimes powerful minorities) are asserting themselves with shocking bigotry and authoritarianism.  The fights are going on in North Carolina, but also in Germany and Holland and France and Britain and Poland and Turkey.  In Russia the strong man has already won. China has never seen anything but strongmen. In Korea, corruption is fighting with democracy as it always has. After the gruesome truck attack in Germany’s capital, that country’s democracy is in grave peril. In moderate Indonesia, the Christian Chinese Governor of the capital region is now under fire by corrupt business men who are using the identity of the country’s poorly educated Muslim majority to squash positive change.  I saw a cartoon of a map of the world that showed not the name of each major country but instead: Russia first, America first, China first, Turkey first, Germany first.  What happens to the peace of the world when everyone wants to flex his muscles?

The child Jesus is born into a world where perhaps history’s greatest empire ruled the ancient world.  The child winds up born in Bethlehem because the emperor wishes to count his subjects. This weak child, illegitimate in the eyes of society with no room to be born, is the ultimate image of frailty.  All powers are threatened by Him.  It is weakness against power.

The story goes that after the Emperors of Austria died their coffin would arrive at an old monastery in Vienna and there the leader the procession would hit on the large wooden door with his staff. Inside one could hear the trembling voice of an old monk, who asked:”Who is there?” And the leader of the procession would say:”His imperial and royal, apostolic majesty, Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary” and then some five hundred more of such titles or something. It would stay quiet inside. After this the leader of the procession would hit the door three more times and raffle off the same mind numbing list of titles three more times. Each time again the monk would ask:”Who is there?” Finally the procession would answer:”A poor sinner.” Only then would the doors slowly open.  It turns out that the powerful emperor-king passes out of life a poor sinner. It’s the only way to do it. All his gold and wealth do not make a difference. It’s just superficial, gold leaf, window dressing.  The only way he is going to find peace is as a poor sinner.   The emperor has no clothes. Friends, I just talked to you about the old monk in the Italian film “The Confessions.” He is a man with no possessions and no agenda but he becomes an influence in a group of the world’s most powerful economists.   Weakness becomes more powerful than power. Power collapses in on itself.

The Apostle Paul comes up with the mind bending saying:”when I am weak I am strong.”  See your program cover for that.  When a believer in Christ does not have power, she or he focuses on the grace of God.  That is the message of Christmas. Inside the fragile is hidden the love of the Creator God. This is an enormous comfort to Paul and to his fellow believers. It should be to us also.

Friends, in the commercial society we find ourselves in, we are told that we have power and control and yes there is a certain power in being a consumer.  Yet we are deeply uncomfortable with our own frailty and weakness. We try to hide it and cover up.  But deep down inside we are all insecure about our abilities and capabilities. We know the limits of our bodies and our minds and our energy.  Weakness is okay says Paul at his wisest, knowing more than most people know now.  Acknowledging your weakness opens you open to contemplating God.  The birth of the Messiah remind us that weakness can be more powerful than power, for this story has outlasted kings and emperors and other strongmen who are mostly forgotten and just poor sinners in the end. Thanks be to God.