The birth of Christ was not a time of sentiment with warm fuzzy feelings, hot cocoa, a nice orchestra, and lots of food. Joseph and Mary were under the King’s orders to travel to Bethlehem and it was a grueling journey. For three to five days Mary – who was about to have a baby – walked, rode, and stumbled along a path.
There were no Super 8 motels along the way, no paved road, no rest areas with toilets. They must’ve stopped often looking for a tree or rock Mary could lean against to urinate. Most likely they looked in vain for clean, fresh water using only what they carried in old, stinky skins or moldy jars. The risk of thieves, storms, and cold only added to the discomfort of the impending labor and birth of Mary’s first child.
Was her mother there? A sister maybe? Probably not since Mary got pregnant out of wedlock and brought shame on her whole family, they most likely stayed away as if she’d had leprosy. We know there wasn’t a hospital; instead they found themselves in a stable. No running water, no electricity, no space heater to chase away the chilly night air. There were “meadow muffins” and “cow pies” on the ground and some of them were fresh enough to throw off steam – the smell must’ve been overwhelming.
The whole situation was untenable. None of us would’ve stuck it out. We can’t even begin to imagine the pain and disappointment and loneliness. Mary and Joseph must certainly have wondered where God was in all this. Why now? Why here? We could go on to describe the poverty, hardship and rejection that Joseph and Mary and Jesus endured in those first few days but nothing we can imagine comes close.
A close friend and pastor emailed this to me, and I wanted to share it with you as we celebrate Christmas Eve and Christmas in the comfort of our homes and with our families. It is very thought provoking, as many of us have spent the month of December baking, shopping, wrapping, and sitting in front of our beautiful Christmas trees. I have personally experienced Satan in my heart this week in his subtle ways trying to steal the peace of Gods Love from me. It wasn't until a friend recommended that I hit my knees and have my kids pray for me that the "nastiness" was lifted from my heart. Caden prayed that "Satan get out of our house, because Christmas is a time for happiness and not sadness". And Julia prayed that "Mommy feel better. And thank you for the presents." Macy simply sat and rubbed my back.
We all need Jesus! He looks upon my ugliness and sets me free...time and time again! Me and my family will be worshiping that precious baby Jesus this Christmas. I pray you will be captivated by his Love.
The God of peace be with all of you. Romans 15:33
Merry Christmas!
No comments:
Post a Comment