(This post continues the series 2020-2022. Unposted until now, it explores ideas that occurred in real time. Date: 12/16/2020)
I love to watch Christmas movies. The old movies portray everything as perfect. The conditions are perfect, the endings are perfect, and even the songs are perfect! (Imagine “White Christmas” playing in your ears right now.) These escapes from real life create idealistic worlds for us to enjoy. The feed our warm feelings of nostalgia and fuel our desire to provide similar experiences for our families.
We are all looking for the “perfect” Christmas, aren’t we? We want the food, the tree, the decorations, everything, to be perfect. We just can’t seem to obtain it. It seems particularly elusive in 2020, doesn’t it? Whatever our idea of the perfect Christmas may be, we must realize that life isn’t perfect. Even the very first Christmas, while perfect in our imaginations, was far from perfect. Life is messy and has always been messy.
Imagine being an innocent teenage girl being told by an angel that she was going to have a baby. Imagine being told that the name of the baby means “God is salvation,” and that the baby will be holy. Now, imagine being told you were favored by God and the Holy Spirit would be the father of the child. What a confusing situation for a young lady. Mary must have been fearful.
Mary soon learned that her cousin, Elizabeth, a barren lady, had conceived and was in her sixth month of pregnancy. Seeing this miracle probably helped Mary accept her role more easily. Elizabeth’s barrenness, something that was disgraceful during those days, was healed. Elizabeth’s disgrace had been taken away. Mary moved from fearful to faithful. She sang a song declaring her acceptance of the news and her trust in God.
Joseph and Mary were betrothed. In those days, this meant they were almost as good as married. They were definitely engaged. The minimum age for betrothal was twelve for women and thirteen for men. (Among some, it could even be considered disgraceful to remain unmarried when one was in his or her twenties.) Betrothal demanded a year of separation and preparation for marriage. The couple was in a waiting period. Usually, a betrothed couple lived at their respective parents’ houses while the future husband prepared a place for their future life together. During this waiting period, Mary was found to be with child. Joseph was physically separated from her. He had every right to leave her, seeking a decree of divorce. Joseph must have been concerned about his reputation and even more concerned about what had taken place with Mary. Under the law, Joseph did not have to continue his plans to marry her. He was a good man and decided to quietly divorce her quietly without fanfare.
God appeared to Joseph in a dream. He told him to continue with his plans to wed Mary despite the controversy. He said the baby was of the Holy Spirit. God instructed him to name him Jesus. He told Joseph that this child would save his people from their sins. When Joseph awoke, he did as the Lord commanded him. Joseph moved from concerned to committed. He became committed to following everything God commanded, he became committed to be a husband to Mary, and he became committed to raise Jesus, the Son of God, as his own.
Imagine having to shoulder the responsibility of parenting the promised Messiah at such a young age! We should let the faith of these two “kids” be an example to us. Mary, initially fearful of being an unwed mother, accepted God’s revealed intentions for her. Joseph, initially not all that sure about the “virgin birth,” was originally considering divorce but became deeply committed to serving as a husband and stepfather. Mary and Joseph learned that the only way to follow God was to “trust and obey.”.
Life is messy. Jesus was going to be raised by a stepfather, but Mary could have been a single mother. The first Christmas took place in the midst of real-life challenges. God’s Son was born in less-than ideal conditions. We would never have called the situation perfect, but a perfect God sent a perfect Son at the perfect time into an imperfect world for imperfect people. For this, we are eternally grateful!
This young couple traveled to be counted appropriately in the census, resulting in Jesus being born in Bethlehem. He was born in the humblest of circumstances. The King of Kings was born in a stable. The Lord of Lords was laid in a feeding trough instead of a crib. God knew what He was doing. Jesus came to take away the penalty of sin for ordinary people like you and me. The people were looking for a political king. We were given God in flesh, Emmanuel, Jesus the Savior.
Friends, this year, particularly, let’s stop trying to make Christmas perfect. Nothing is “normal” this season. Let’s make it real instead of ideal. Let’s focus on the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Let our homes be warmed with God’s love and our love for one another. Let our conversations be of things which matter instead of those that are material, purchased out of obligation. Let this Christmas be perfectly simple, perfectly pure, and perfectly focused upon the truth of God’s love.
May God bless you and yours this Christmas.
kevingarrett.org 