Day 3: COMPLETIONS
So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
-Luke 2:6
Yet again, we are treated to the redundancy of God’s providences as Ἐγένετο makes another appearance. This time being translated only as “and” in most English versions(So it was in NKJV). The rhythm of small but necessary completions is the current, running from the beginning of our days to their end. If there were a theme braiding the lives of all people across times and places it may be this, that they did what they must. If God would be found by man, His multitudinous natural revelations notwithstanding, He must be found in the simple dignities of necessary completions, for these are the ordinary and ordained pursuits of man. Even the monumental moment of messianic manifestation was mounted in the mundanities of maternity.
The angelic appearance at conception gave way in but a wink to the unexceptional business of daily living. Each day a series of small completions conferring their cumulative value onto the next. But make no mistake, the value is conferred! The plodding has a purpose! Both the 90-mile migration from Nazareth to Bethlehem and the 9 month maternal marathon were cumulative completions of incremental previous ones. So imperceptible are those which went before, we scarce can quantify them. Yet, these are the completions that culminate in the exposition of the eternal Kingdom, the culmination of faith. The faith required to complete the work of God is no small thing. Yet, that faith is expressed in such modest daily dosage. Each day, an exercise of faithfulness which builds to the next. This humbly moderated faith is the life of discipleship, the life surrendered to Christ, the foundation of a missional life.
Application Questions
-What will be your “incremental completions” for today?
-Can you see how they might be building toward something of significance in God’s Kingdom?
-What mundanities have you been treating as indignities rather than opportunities for God to cultivate depth of character?
-Where has God’s steady presence kept you on course in daily faithfulness?
