The Snow Globe Effect

Luke 1:46-55

Imagine holding a snow globe in your hands. All the snow is settled, stagnant at the bottom. What’s your first move? I don’t mean to get divisive in my Christmas sermon, but I imagine our answers to this question might split the room. Some of you I imagine will shake it up while some of you might flip it upside-down. While our methods might be different, our motives are the same: to get things moving. This is because it’s beautiful to watch the snow move and swirl and dance. Beauty is worth the effort.

When God first created the heavens and the earth, the spirit of God stirred the waters and filled the land, and sea, and sky with living, moving things. A beautiful swirling, dancing world that brought God great joy. Then God set us, humankind, in the midst of this beauty that we might enjoy it, but also that we might take care of it and keep things moving the way they should. But through sin, we severed our world from the stirring of God’s Spirit, what the 4th century theologian St. Augustine of Hippo termed “the Fall.”

Imagine holding all of creation in your hands. All of nature has fallen. What’s your first move?

When I think about redemption and salvation, I think about God lifting up that which is fallen. But what if creation functions more like a snow globe and our redemption and salvation is not so much being lifted up as it is being shaken-up and flipped upside down?

Throughout the eons the methods of the leaders and priests and judges and prophets have been different, but their motives have all been the same: to keep the people of God moving. To stir them up in a flurry of faith.

Thinking of the Kingdom of God like a snow globe brings a new understanding to the purpose of Christmas. I’m particularly struck by the song sung by Mary to celebrate the movement of new life within her womb. Listen to the opening line of that song from The Message: “I’m bursting with God-news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior God.” The work of God is already beginning to stir things up. But Mary continues, “God bared his arm and showed his strength, scattered the bluffing braggarts. He knocked tyrants off their high horses, pulled victims out of the mud. The starving poor sat down to a banquet; the callous rich were left out in the cold.” Mary is explicitly celebrating a God who is shaking things up and flipping things upside down--a God who is setting something in motion.

While Mary marveled at the movement, some were less joyful about the jostle. Those who were settled in positions of power remained prone to the paralysis of fear--partial to thinking that the view from the dance couldn’t possibly be better than the view from the top. How do you convince those who are satisfied with staying where they are that the beauty of the Kingdom of God will be worth the effort? How does God do it? Christmas.

When the angel Gabriel saw that Mary was troubled, he told her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, God is with us, God is joining the dance!” And to the shepherds in the field, “Do not be afraid, I bring you good news of great joy for all people! God is with us, God is

joining the dance!” And to us, “Do not be afraid! God has abandoned the view from the top and has come to join the dance!”

We talked about the significance of this yesterday as we lit candles from the flame which symbolizes God’s love for us. It was a powerful and worshipful moment to watch as you were literally moved to get up and light candles symbolizing someone whose love still shapes your life, fills your heart, stirs your soul; to watch as you gave witness and testimony that the love of God can and has and continues to work through human form to move you. I got to watch from the dance floor as you performed the liturgical dance of remembering and responding to the love of God made flesh.

That’s Christmas.

God’s love for us takes human form and invites us to dance, calls us to move, stirs our souls. May we respond like Mary, bursting with this God-news and dancing the song of our Savior God. May your lives become a beautiful flurry of faithfulness in the snow globe of God!

Merry Christmas! Happy dancing!