Here is a story that appeared in the Washington Post earlier this year… He emerged from the Metro at the Plaza Station and positioned himself against a wall beside a trash basket. By most measures, he was nondescript: a youngish white man in jeans, a long-sleeved t-shirt and a baseball cap. From a small case, he removed a violin. Placing the open case at his feet, he shrewdly threw in a few dollars and pocket change as seed money, swiveled it to face pedestrian traffic, and began to play. It was 7:51am on a Friday. In the next 43 minutes, as the violinist performed 6 great classical pieces, 1097 people passed by. Almost all of them on their way to work in mid-level Government jobs. No one knew that the violinist was one of the world’s leading classical musicians. Joshua Bell is an acclaimed virtuoso, who fills concert halls. One composer said of him: “He plays like a god”. On this Friday morning Bell played on one of the most valuable violins ever made – a Stradivari valued at $3.5 million. The train station provided good acoustics for Bell’s performance. His beautiful music filled the morning air.

A reporter stood observing and recording the event. In the first 3 minutes, 63 people walked past without seeming to notice the virtuoso. Then a man stopped, looked and quickly walked on. Across the 45 minutes Joshua Bell played, 7 people stopped to listen for at least a minute. 27 people gave money. Usually, in concert, Bell gets paid $1000 per minute. This day, in total, he received $32.17. At the end of each piece, there was no applause – just silent indifference. The master musician was ignored. People walked past musical glory without giving it a second glance.

Except for two people. A postal worker named John – described as a “smallish man with a baldish head”. John had learned the violin as a youth. He recognized the quality of Joshua Bell’s performance and stood enjoying it from the distance. And then there was a demographer named Stacy. Stacy had seen Bell in concert 3 weeks before. She recognized him. “And here he was, the international virtuoso, sawing away, begging for money. She had no idea what was going on, but whatever it was, she wasn’t about to miss it. Stacy positioned herself 3 metres away from Bell, front row, centre. She had a huge grin on her face. The grin, and Stacy, remained planted in that spot until the end. Stacy told the reporter: `It was the most astonishing thing I’ve ever seen in Washington. Joshua Bell was standing there playing in rush hour, and people were not stopping, not even looking, and some were flipping quarters at him! Quarters! I was thinking, Omigosh, what kind of a city do I live in that this could happen?” In another place, at another time, the night was filled with heavenly music and brilliant light. Never has earth seen such glory. Angels sang to some workers about a majestic one – a Saviour; the Chosen One; the long-awaited One; the Lord. His arrival was “good news of great joy for all people”. Where would the workers find this glorious one? A palace? A temple? A concert hall with an orchestra playing perhaps? No. An angel gave the astonishing news: “You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in manger.” Who would expect to find a heavenly King in such a setting? Usually he lived among angels; now among cattle. No splendid costume; just the simplest clothing. And not a mighty warrior, learned scholar or majestic ruler, but a baby – humanity at it’s weakest. What a surprising place to find God. The One who made the Universe placed himself in the inexperienced hands of a teenage Mum and the rough hands of a carpenter. God among the ordinary. Most people ignored him and went about their business. Only some shepherds, who were let in on the secret of his identity, stopped to acknowledge him and enter into the joy of his presence in their world.

One of the puzzles of Christmas is why God did it that way? Why not make the angelic sound and light show a global event? I believe God came as a baby in a manger for at least two reasons. First, because God wants to be accessible to all people – even the least and lowest of us. People who impress us with their brilliance may also intimidate us. We admire them, but we do it at a distance. We feel unworthy to get close and engage with them. The high and mighty are beyond people like us. The shepherds would never have entered King Herod’s palace to see a prince like the Wise Men did. But they had no problem coming to a manger to see a baby. Babies don’t intimidate us. We don’t need to impress them. Infants smile at all classes of people. In coming as a vulnerable baby, God’s message was: “I’m not here to be impressed. I’m here to engage with you – whoever you are.” This is why the angel said it was good news of great joy for all people. To quote a writer named Ben Witherington: “Jesus came as he did to make clear that no one and no place however humble was beneath his dignity, and every age and stage of life he would make holy and save.” Like a violinist playing in a train station, God made himself accessible to the masses so we can all enjoy the beauty of his gift.

A second reason for God coming as he did is that God does not impose himself on people, rather he invites us to enter into relationship with him. God could give everyone overwhelming irrefutable evidence of his existence – like the angels appearing to the shepherds. But this would reduce relationship with God to mere acceptance. God wants more than acceptance in our heads. He wants our hearts – for God is more than truth – God is love. So God doesn’t impose himself on people. He gives an indication of his presence; then steps back – inviting us to make a move towards him. God hides a little, to entice us to seek him. God leaves his fingerprints on creation and through history. God inspired people to write the Bible. God sprinkles gifts of goodness along our way. These are invitations to seek God – to discover more of who God is and what he has for us. God’s promise is that if we seek him, we will find him. In the Christmas Story – the Wise Men saw a star, sought the King and found him. The Shepherds heard the angel’s message, sought the Christ and found him. God invites us to seek him too – read the Bible, pray, spend time with other God-seekers – and you will find him too. Finding the virtuoso in the subway, John and Stacy rejoiced. Finding Jesus in the manger, the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. This leads us to sing our closing carol – an invitation to seek and find – Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

David Devine

Christmas 2007