A Messy Christmas

Christmas brings thoughts of joy, peace, happiness and lovely scenes. We even picture nativity scenes that are ideals of pleasantness and beauty. But it wasn’t like that at all for Joseph and Mary. Think about what they faced:

• A pregnant teen-aged girl trying to convince her parents of her innocence.
• What was it like for her to explain to Joseph before God intervened by sending an angel to confirm the truth.
• Mary would have been the subject of community gossip and accusing looks.
• How about a 150 mile trip to Bethlehem from Nazareth on a donkey just before the birth was due? What was it like to arrive in Bethlehem to find no room available but labor pains setting in seriously?
• We’ve probably heard resentful responses like, “I wasn’t born in a barn!” Jesus was. Not much beauty or delight in that.
• How about fleeing to another country not long after the birth because Herod’s soldiers had been sent on a baby slaughtering mission to Bethlehem.

Their return to Nazareth didn’t stop the slander, it continued into Jesus’ 30’s during His public ministry. A sword of another kind slashed Mary’s heart at the crucifixion, but through it all the angelic message to teen-aged Mary was, “Fear not!” And it did turn out spectacularly well!

“Unto you is born this day a Savior who is Christ the Lord.”

We can celebrate the sunny side of Christmas but it wasn’t like that for them.

Henry Wiebe