The Advent season is so packed with significance, both personal and historical, that we can’t even begin to scratch its surface. As the evangelist, John, writes at the end of his book—if all the things Jesus said and did were written in books, the whole world would not be able to contain them.
Each year, Isaiah’s famous prophesy in Isaiah 9:1-7 is read and lauded around the world. It is a customary Advent passage in which the then-future Messiah is described as a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and Prince of Peace. Those with ears to hear can’t help but be struck by the way in which God so often chooses the weakest things to accomplish the greatest things. “To us a Child is born,” Isaiah writes.
NOT:
“To us a warrior is trained up,” or
“To us a politician is elected,” or
“To us a windfall of cash is bequeathed.”
BUT INSTEAD:
“To us a child is born.”
And the government shall be on his shoulders.
And of the increase of said government, there will be no end.
My friend Ray Ortlund unpacks the implications of this long-term prophesy in his masterful commentary on Isaiah:
“[Jesus] will not come back to tweak this problem and that. He will return with a massive correction of all systemic evil forever… ‘Of the increase’ … forever ascending, forever enlarging, forever accelerating, forever intensifying. There will never come one moment when we will say, “This is the limit. He can’t think of anything new. We’ve seen it all.” No. The finite will experience ever more wonderfully the infinite, and every new moment will be better than the last.”
That’s the future promised to us by the Child born at Christmas.
Everlasting increase.
Every tomorrow better than today.
Every day growing younger and stronger and smarter than we were the day before.
Every season better than the last. World without end.
But I’m getting ahead of myself. Whereas Ray Ortlund speaks of the future and second Advent of Christ, what are we to make of the first Advent—that historical event in a manger that we now call Christmas—where a newborn, poor, Middle Eastern, soon-to-be refugee child is said to carry the hope of the universe on his shoulders?
What are we to make of the fact that a little child, versus some Nietzschean “Superman” (Ubermensch), is the one who will come to make his blessings flow far as the curse is found? What are we to make of the fact that a little child, and not some well-networked, well-endowed, well-pedigreed elite has come to rule the world with truth and grace, and make the nations prove the glories of his righteousness and wonders of his love?
To our earthbound eyes, this approach to world domination just doesn’t make sense.
As Tim Keller has rightly observed, if our goal was that 2,000 years from now 75% of the human race would know our name and 25% would center their entire lives around us, that our body of teaching will be the most influential in history, and that whole civilizations will be built on our vision for flourishing, then our strategy would not include being born among farm animal urine in a stable in a little town in the middle of nowhere. Our strategy would not include spending our entire life outside all the networks of economic, political, and academic power, get no credentials, then get executed early in our career as an absolute disgrace.
But this is how God chose to break into history and change things.
This is how God chose to demonstrate his rule over every person, place, and thing.
This is how God chose to assert his insurmountable government, the one that has been firmly placed on the shoulders of the Child, whose reign will ever be on the increase, from this time forth and forevermore.
God’s power, we might say, decidedly and often will manifest not through visible strength but through visible weakness. As Chesterton has said about the Child of Christmas, “God who had been only a circumference was seen as centre; and a centre is infinitely small…The faith becomes in more ways than one, a religion of little things.”
A religion not of big things, but of little things.
The Apostle Paul said the same:
“Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)
Here’s one more insight for us to consider as Christmas draws near. It’s an insight that I hope will stick with me for the rest of my days. It’s about small things. It’s about inexplicable historic realities that have no explanation except that God shows his power, and verifies his reign, chiefly through the weak things.
This insight has to do with the way that Walker Percy, the southern writer and novelist, became a Christian.
Percy became a Christian because the Jews, from whom the Child of Isaiah’s prophecy descended, still exist.
From Percy’s “Why are You Catholic?”…
“The Jews are a stumbling block to theory. They cannot be subsumed under any social or political theory…The Jews are both a sign and a stumbling block. That is why they are hated by theorists like Hitler and Stalin. The Jews cannot be gotten around. The great paradox of the Western world is that even though it was in the Judeo-Christian West that modern science arose and flourished, it is Judeo-Christianity which the present-day scientific set of mind finds the most offensive among the world’s religions. Judaism is offensive because it claims that God entered into a covenant with a single tribe, with it and no other…But for the self that finds itself lost in the desert of theory and consumption, there is nothing to do but set out as a pilgrim in the desert in search of a sign. In this desert, that of theory and consumption, there remains only one sign, the Jews. By “the Jews” I mean not only Israel, the exclusive people of God, but the worldwide ecclesia instituted by one of them, God-become-man [Jesus], a Jew.”
From Percy’s “The Message in the Bottle…”
“Where are the Hittites? Why does no one find it remarkable that in most world cities today there are Jews but not one single Hittlte, even though the Hittites had a great flourishing civilization while the Jews nearby were a weak and obscure people? When one meets a Jew in New York or New Orleans or Paris or Melbourne, it is remarkable that no one considers the event remarkable. What are they doing here? But it is even more remarkable to wonder, if there are Jews here, why are there not Hittites here? Where are the Hittites? Show me one Hittite in New York City.”
May we all have a small, and merry, Christmas this year.
Because God prefers—no, he chooses—the small things.
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published at scottsauls.com.
“Over the years, few books have fed my soul like the periodic installments of John Piper’s The Swans are Not Silent. Those brief, accessible biographies of Christian luminaries have at once warmed my devotion for Christ and strengthened my service for Him. That’s why I was delighted to see Piper’s 27 Servants of Sovereign Joy, which compiles that series into one rich, hefty volume.
“Never have I picked up a book with my emotions as mixed as when I opened Tim Challies’ Seasons of Sorrow. For years I’ve benefited from Challies’ online content, and for nearly as long I have counted him a friend, albeit a more distant one. That’s why I agonized with him and prayed for him when, two years ago, I received the shocking news of the death of his college-aged son. That’s also why I’ve anticipated Challies’ Seasons of Sorrow, knowing that I’d benefit from reading of Challies’ dark night of the soul when he lost his son, his only son, and of the Lord’s preserving grace through it all.
“Hamilton explores, defines, and teaches how we can best understand the relationship between God’s promises in the Bible and the pattern of events in the Bible that echo those promises. He argues that the biblical authors, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, intended to communicate through typology or promise-shaped patterns. Creatively written, the book itself is constructed as a chiasm and one designed to help you love the Bible and the Bible’s Author even more.”
“This volume which marks the completion of a new trilogy biography of C. S. Lewis is one that readers and admirers of Lewis, new and old, will enjoy. Poe wrote these volumes at just the right time, following decades of his own widely-respected research, to reintroduce Lewis to a new generation.”
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“Theology in abstraction is a soul-killer. So we need constant reminders to worship in both spirit and truth, to be both hearers and doers of the word, to speak the truth, yes, but in love. I’m grateful for Kurtz’s voice in calling us back to “doing theology” like Jesus himself. We can experience the meeting of the spirit and truth of Christ in our churches today, if we will take seriously the clarion call of a book like this. Ronni Kurtz has done us an absolutely Christian service in painstakingly helping us reorient our vision of holiness to the fruit of the Spirit.”
“This is one of the most insightful leadership books I’ve read. The ten principles outlined in Turnaround can be used to strengthen virtually any organization. I highly recommend it.”
“Forgiveness is one of the easiest things to say and hardest things to do. And yet, in this timely work, Keller reminds us that our families, churches, and communities simply cannot function without a means to recognize shortcomings and restore relationships.”
“A daily time of worship is essential in the growing life of the believer. This may take different shapes during the seasons of life, Gibson’s superb volume provides an excellent resource with a clear structure for daily meditation on the Word of God and the doctrine of the church. The volume is organized into 31 days with each having a formal structure that takes the reader from a Call to Worship to a Closing Prayer. Each day brings helpful suggested textual readings as well as doctrinal confession from the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed. Additionally, M’Cheyne’s Bible Reading Plan and questions from the Westminster Shorter Catechism are provided for the worshiper. Released in January of 2022, this volume has been my constant companion for my devotional life this year and I highly recommend it as means to go deeper in your walk with Christ.”
“The politicization of our culture is no surprise to anyone. As Christians seek to helpfully engage the culture, Watkin reminds the believer that our authority is the Word of God and not our cultural moment. Accordingly, Watkin helps believer look for the biblical “diagonalization” – the place where the Word of God transcends the polarities of culture – so we can see the better, more God-honoring way that supplants both extremes. For pilgrims wondering how to walk with boldness in the midst of today’s craziness, this is a fantastic volume that deserves to be read.”
“In Beautiful People Don’t Just Happen, author Scott Sauls provides a compelling and practical outline for how to rightly align the pains of the flesh—regret, hurt, and shame—in the pursuit of ‘the secret of contentment.’ With a clear picture of the Gospel and its impact on the Christian life, Sauls uses personal experiences and Gospel truths to encourage and equip Christians to understand the redemptive work of Christ in our lives.”
“In a time when the Church has been ridiculed and denigrated, Dustin Benge’s The Loveliest Place lifts the church above the opinion of the world by unpacking how God views the church. With rich theological truth and personal storytelling, Benge inspires the reader to reorient their heart so that ‘by beholding such radiant beauty and loveliness’ we may ‘lift our collective and worshipful cry, ‘Indeed, the church is the loveliest place on earth.’”
“Crossway’s republishing of Stephen Charnock’s Existence and Attributes of God this year gave me the opportunity to read through this massive theological work for the first time. What I found was not only theological expertise, but devotional insight applied with pastoral care and wisdom. After describing each attribute in detail, Charnock shows how a failure to uphold the attribute can lead to a host of vices in one’s life. He applies theology in such a way as to lead me to prayer and gratitude to God for who He is in Himself. If you don’t have time to read through the whole treatise (though I’d highly recommend it!), I’d suggest starting with the section on the goodness of God – it’s truly awe-inspiring. In the new publication, the added chapter summaries and updated language is yet another reason that make this my favorite publication and book of the year. It’s one of the most helpful theology books I’ve ever read.”
“Missions books today are a dime a dozen, but not all missions books are created equal. In God Shines Forth, Michael Reeves and Daniel Hames develop the theme that delighting in God is both the fuel and fruit of biblical mission. In the missionary task, Christians are meant to reflect the glory of God in their expressions of joy and delight in Him. Anything less borders on misrepresenting God. This treatment on missions encapsulates a more holistic approach to the Great Commission. Not only should our delight in the Lord drive us to missions, but God’s delight in Himself as Trinity should cultivate a more compelling reason to go than what has traditionally been offered – guilt trips and shame filled tactics were never sufficient. Rather, as they write, ‘Happy mission presupposes happy Christians.’ To the extent that we grow in our delight in God, we will grow to reflect his heart of pouring out for the sake of others.”
“Tackling a topic that can easily make readers give up on the church, Dr. Kruger practically identifies the causes, symptoms, and cures of spiritual abuse so his readers can know what it is (and isn’t) in order to thrive in Christian community. Whether you have experienced spiritual abuse, been unfairly accused of it, inflicted it, or none of the above, this book is for you. Kruger’s research and “perch” from theological education shines a light on a subject Christians should see to better help their congregations and pastors.”
“It’s unfortunately common for women to wonder how they “fit” in Christianity. Jesus Through the Eyes of Women reminds us that women are vital to the Good News by insightfully collecting the interactions between Jesus and women in the four canonical gospels. This is an excellent individual or group reading experience, with discussion topics at the end of each chapter. McLaughlin can address the skeptic on why the witnesses of the four gospels matter, remind the Christian who Jesus is, and reinvigorate all to cherish the God who values all peoples and genders for His glory and His plan.”
“Biblical Reasoning demonstrates the primary importance of the Holy Trinity and Christology in biblical exegesis by giving theological principles and rules for exegesis of Christian Scripture. The Holy Trinity is the true subject matter of the Holy Scriptures such that work of apprehending knowledge of Him and His works should be determined by who He is in Himself. From inseparable operations to partitive exegesis to the beatific vision, the goal of biblical reasoning is the goal of Scripture itself: to shape readers into disciples who pursue the vision of the triune God in Christ. We should pray, then, like Anselm: ‘May I receive what You promise through Your truth so that my joy may be complete.’”