Advent 17 - Tuesday 15th December 2020
‘Even in the strangest times’ – a reflection from perspective of Joseph
As for you, Bethlehem of Ephrathah, even though you remain least among the clans of Judah, nevertheless, the one who rules in Israel for me will emerge from you. His existence has been from antiquity, even from eternity.
Micah 5:2
It could be worse you know, Christmas 2020.
Having to stay at home in your cosy houses
And having to obey Government decrees
And travel restrictions
Designed to keep everyone safe and well.
How I wish it had been like that for us
That first Christmas!
How I wish we’d been given a special exemption
Treated differently because of our circumstances
Allowed to stay in our wee bubble
So the baby could be born at home in Nazareth.
But the Romans don’t do exemptions!
So instead we had to fight our way along crowded roads
On the long journey south.
Mary heavily pregnant,
But trying not to complain.
As we made our way slowly and painfully towards Bethlehem
For the great reunion of the whole clan of King David.
It had all be kindly arranged by the new King in town –
The great Emperor, Augustus.
It was his version of Track and Trace
A census of the entire Roman world
All designed to ensure none of his humble subjects escaped
From paying their taxes to Caesar.
It was a logistical nightmare.
Just imagine:
The whole population travelling at the same time over just a few days!
Public transport struggling to cope.
Donkey and camel jams on all the roads.
Everyone arriving late, tired and fed up.
And when we finally got there
The place was mobbed.
Technically we might all have been one extended family group
But there were literally thousands of people
All trying to cram their way in
To the little town of Bethlehem.
And no one had heard of social distancing.
Fortunately, the hospitality sector was still open for business
And all the inns and B&Bs were doing a great trade.
But by the time we got there, there were ‘No vacancy’ signs in all the windows.
And we ended up having to make do with a ramshackle stable
An outhouse with no heating
And just some straw to keep us warm.
So we settled down to try to sleep
Doing our best to ignore the sounds and the smells of the animals.
It will just be for one night, I promised.
It wasn’t long before I felt a dunt in the ribs. Was I snoring already?!
But no, it was something else.
Mary’s waters had broken
And she was having contractions.
Of course, it had to be that night didn’t it?
Maybe it was the journey that brought on her labour
Or maybe it was the time set by God
Either way there was nothing I could do to stop it
Once it started.
So all of a sudden there’s me the carpenter
Learning on the job how to be a midwife!
And poor Mary suffering from my inexperience and incompetence.
We could hardly see in the darkness
It seemed to take for ever
But at last, by the light of the stars
The child was born!
I held him in my arms
Tiny, naked and helpless
Wondering what on earth to do with him!
Then Mary saw some strips of cloth lying on the ground
So we wrapped him up in them
And laid him down to sleep
In a feeding trough that had seen better days.
It was the most undignified birth imaginable
For the Son of God.
It was a million miles away from the Christmas we had planned and hoped for.
But he was here.
He was alive.
He was with us.
And that was all that mattered.
I kissed Mary’s cheek and we enjoyed a brief moment of joy and relief
Mary had done everything God had asked of her.
And we offered up a brief prayer
Giving thanks for His goodness and love.
Before we collapsed, exhausted.
We were nearly asleep when out of nowhere
There were men shouting and shining lights in our faces.
The baby woke up and was crying
And I was on my feet angrily asking what on earth was going on.
They looked filthy and stank of sheep
And they didn’t say a word
But just stared open-mouthed at Jesus
And then they started smiling and laughing and shouting Hallelujah!
It turned out they’d seen an angel as well.
And before you knew it, the whole town had heard the
news that the Saviour had been born.
He wasn’t just one more descendant of David to count in the Bethlehem census.
He was the promised Christ, the newborn King, the Son of God Himself.
In some ways it was the worst Christmas ever!
Nothing went the way we had hoped.
But it was also the best Christmas ever
Because it was what God had planned.
And at the end of the day all that really matters is the baby, lying in the manger.
So have fun celebrating Jesus’ birthday!
And if your Christmas feels a bit different this year, maybe it’s a wee bit more like the real thing!
Rev Graham Nash, Church of Scotland
Prayer
Lord, in this holy season of prayer and song and laughter, we praise you for the great wonders you have sent us: for shining star and angel's song, for infant's cry in lowly manger. We praise you for the Word made flesh in a little Child. We behold his glory, and are bathed in its radiance.
Be with us as we sing the ironies of Christmas, the incomprehensible comprehended, the poetry made hard fact, the helpless Babe who cracks the world asunder. We kneel before you shepherds, innkeepers, wise men. Help us to rise bigger than we are.
Amen.
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