Sign Sign Everywhere a Sign

Luke 2

And this will be a sign for you; You shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 

Here’s the question that comes to mind for me: 

What kind of sign is this? 

This question might well give rise to some other questions.
Like: Do you expect us to understand this sign?
Were we to expect this sign?
Did we ask for a sign?
and there might be some other questions we might ask. . . 

Like: What does this sign say?

What does it say about God? 

What does it say about you? 

What does it say about me? 

What does this sign say about this whole story we gather to celebrate on Christmas eve?

So often - thinking a bit about the richness of Christmas - the place I go is Emmanuel. What a wonder that God has chosen to be with us in the person of Jesus Christ. . . 

This sign, I suspect, speaks of the sort of God who has sent those angels to sing to the shepherds. The sort of God who would find Godself in a manger, as an infant, amongst refugees.

I saw this last week (I think) and set it aside for this post. It is from an article about the book, “An Agnostic’s Quest” by Michael Krasny. The article suggested that the agnostic writer, might perhaps have “spiritual envy” of a believer. In the excerpt from the book he had quite a quote:

I was struck by a memorable line from the British writer Julian Barnes, who said, "I don't believe in God but I miss him." That statement resonated for me, not so much the part about not believing, but the part about missing. As a boy I was certain God was with me, watching over me, a friend and confidant I could rely on. Excerpted from Spiritual Envy: An Agnostic's Quest by Michael Krasny 

“I don’t believe in God, but I miss him.”

I wonder if that doesn’t name the experience of countless people. People who don’t believe, and deeply miss God. Or their believing is a belief in such a God, that they don't really feel like THAT God could possibly have anything to do with them and with their lives.  And, so, they too, as believers, miss God, as much or more as anyone.
And I also wonder, if part of the missing of God, has to do with a looking for God in all the wrong places. 

God will not be found “somewhere over the rainbow.” (to sort of keep the odd, alluding to song lyrics theme going here.)

This will be a sign for you.

This is from the opening paragraph of Luther on the Magnificat

When the holy virgin experienced what great things God was working in her despite her insignificance, lowliness, poverty, and inferiority, the Holy Spirit taught her this deep insight and wisdom, that God is the kind of Lord who does nothing but exalt those of low degree and put down the mighty from their thrones, in short, break what is whole and make whole what is broken. LW 21 p. 299

Not only does God exalt those of low degree, and put down the mighty. God chooses to dwell with those of low degree. God chooses to be found among the refugees, with those who are broken, those who are lost and considered of no account. God chooses to come to us, not with power, not inspiring fear, but bearing burdens, bringing healing,proclaiming forgiveness, offering peace, entering death itself, so that you might have life.

This will be a sign for you.