God at Work (ADVENT-URE 16: Census Papers)

In Philippians 2, we can see a passage that can serve to remind us that God is working in and around
our lives:
12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;
13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

In the Christmas narrative, we see the short-term events as they unfolded, but they were part of a much, much broader story, one that had been pre-determined since before the creation of the world. The coming of Jesus wasn't merely a reaction to the sin of humanity, rather it was part of God's original provision, knowing the capacity that human beings had - and have - to depart from God.  So, God worked that perfect plan, culminating in the birth of Jesus.  Short-term, He orchestrated the events surrounding that birth - including getting Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem to fulfill the Messianic prophecy.

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The call was issued by the emperor of the Roman Empire - all residents had to return to the place of their birth to be registered. Luke chapter 2 says:
1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2 This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3 So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.

Joseph and his pregnant wife Mary were in a city called Nazareth and set out on a journey to his birthplace of Bethlehem.  That's about 70 miles - by foot or, as we commonly think, by donkey.

On the 16th day of December, we pick up on another symbol that points to the coming of Christ and its significance.  Today, the census papers - the means of registration, how the Empire kept track of its citizens, or subjects.  Remember, the Scriptures stated that Jesus, the Messiah, would be born in Bethlehem.  But, Mary and Joseph were in another place; God had to get them to the right place for "prophecy to be fulfilled," as my friend Jimmy DeYoung would say - oh, and by the way, God is orchestrating world events even today to set the stage for the second coming of Christ, just as He did for the first coming of Jesus, who fulfilled hundreds of prophecies written about Him.

We can acknowledge that God is at work, moving in our lives, perhaps moving us to another place - physically and spiritually, in Him, so that He can fulfill His purposes.

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It was gratifying to me to see the list of Golden Globe nominees and see that a film that I have featured on The Meeting House win three nominations.  That would be Hacksaw Ridge, which was nominated for not only best drama, but its lead actor, Andrew Garfield, was nominated for best actor, and quite notable, the director of the most popular faith-based film of all time, Mel Gibson, snagged a best director nomination.  He had won the Globe for best director for Braveheart, for which he also won an Oscar.

Variety relates this:

The trio of nominations comes a decade after Gibson was arrested in 2006 for drunk driving and was caught on tape making anti-Semitic remarks to his arresting officer. He subsequently apologized following his arrest but was shunned during the awards season that year for his film “Apocalypto” and had not directed another movie until taking on “Hacksaw Ridge” in 2014.

“Hacksaw Ridge” centers on the story of Desmond T. Doss, the only conscientious objector to ever be awarded a congressional Medal of Honor for heroism. Portrayed by Garfield, Doss was a Seventh-day Adventist who became a medic while adhering to his religious convictions of not carrying a weapon. He saved 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.

As I recall, it was thought that Mel Gibson would not work in Hollywood again because of the strong faith material expressed in The Passion of the Christ.   The unfortunate 2006 incident served to erode his reputation.  I don't know where Mr. Gibson is spiritually, but there certainly does appear to be a comeback professionally, with a film that contains a strong faith message.  You can hope that God is taking Mel to a new place in Him.

And, even Hacksaw Ridge star Andrew Garfield may be going to a new place spiritually. CBN.com reports that Garfield "will be starring as a Jesuit priest in director Martin Scorsese's new historical drama 'Silence,'" described as "a story about two Jesuit priests who face persecution as they search for their missing mentor in Japan."

The story says that:

Garfield and his cast mate, Adam Driver, were sent to a Jesuit retreat to prepare for their roles. Their days were immersed in scripture, Jesuit traditions, and prayer.

Garfield says the retreat gave him direction in a time of spiritual confusion. "I was filled up with all this information and all this longing to spread the teachings of Christ, which I truly started to adore," he told Hollywood Reporter.

But, Andrew certainly hasn't arrived.  He says: "I'm not a Christian person. I consider myself pantheist, agnostic, occasionally atheist, and a little bit Jewish, but mostly confused..."  But the story relates that, "Despite his questions, Garfield says his doubts drive him to understand the truth about God."

Oh, by the way, here is a another film that deals with matters of faith that is acquiring quite a bit of attention.  Hopefully, it deals with matters of religious practice in a much more respectful way that Scorsese's effort, The Last Temptation of Christ.  According to The Guardian, the new film was screened for 300 priests recently and the director had a special meeting.  The report says:

Nearly three decades after his film The Last Temptation of Christ was deemed “morally offensive” by officials in the Roman Catholic church, Martin Scorsese met Pope Francis at the Vatican on Wednesday.

The American director, who is said to have considered joining the priesthood when he was a young man, met the pope a day after his new film, Silence, about Portuguese Jesuits in 17th-century Japan, was shown to an audience of 300 Jesuit priests at a pontifical college.

You don't know what God might be up to in these high-profile people's lives, but when there is a God-stamp that is present within current stories, we can be propelled to look at our own lives and consider important lessons.  First of all, we need to be responsive to the movement of God.  He may be prompting our hearts to action, or we may can even identify ways in which we are seeing circumstances lining up in our lives that may indicate that He is working.  I think we do well to acknowledge where we might see Him showing up.

And, we can consider that His work is in progress.  We may not see Him in apparent ways, but we can be confident that if we belong to Christ, then He is executing His plan for us and demonstrating His purposes.  That confidence can produce joy and expectations for us.  Mary and Joseph knew that God had made some pretty incredible promises to them, and their journey points out how God will orchestrate events in our lives, to get us into the right place, His desired place, so that He can be glorified.