PASTOR DAVE’S MUSINGS FROM THE HEARTLAND

December 15, 2024

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE

The adult Sunday school class I attend at Plymouth First United Methodist church is using Rob Fuquay’s On The Way To Bethlehem for the four Sundays of Advent.  Rob provides insight into the geographical and historical significance of Rome, Jerusalem, Nazareth and Bethlehem for the Christmas story.  Fuquay is the senior pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis, Indiana.

At first glance Rome would seem a strange place to begin the journey to Bethlehem.  Its significance is to be found in the second chapter of Luke.  “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.  (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)  And everyone went to their own town to register.  So, Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee in Judea to Bethlehem, the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David (Luke 2:1-4).”  An unintended consequence of Caesar Augustus’ decree in Rome was the journey of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  In this way the scriptural prophecy that the coming Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem was fulfilled.  God was at work several years before the birth of Jesus to prepare the way for His coming.

Unintended consequences are results that were not part of the actions of people and have effects that were unexpected or unintended.  They may may or may not be foreseeable or even immediately observable.  The action can be beneficial, harmful, or neutral in its impact.

When I think of unintended consequences what comes to mind are governmental rules, regulations, and laws.  I have this theory that most rules, regulations, and laws were written to address a specific, very often limited, situation.  In trying to address a specific situation, government adopts legislation and adopts regulations that have far reaching implications which cause a great deal of added w ork and grief.  When I was president of the LaPorte Council on Aging we hired eleven staff members.  We had to hire one of them just to do the paperwork. A lot of unproductive time was spent on just jumping through all the governmental hoops.

In his 1981 inaugural address Ronald Reagan said, “Government is not the solution to the problem, government is the problem.”  During a press conference on August12, 1986, Reagan quipped: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”  Many still agree with Regan’s observations today.  Daily we suffer from the harmful unintended consequences of government actions.

The Christmas story in Luke suggests that we might take another look at the actions of government.  Unintended consequences can also be beneficial.  An unintended consequence of a decree made in Rome was an important element in the birth of Jesus.  Where have you experience a beneficial unintended consequence of a government action?  How is God using the actions of government to help bring in the Kingdom of God?

(Comments may be sent to davidh15503@embarqmail.com.)