A Perfect Christmas?

The star, the angels, and the shepherds — that’s the scene I think of when I picture the birth of the Saviour, Jesus. A tiny baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, with animals in that place. Hold that thought for a moment.

I heard a message on Faith FM on my way to the hospital one December day. The person giving the message contrasted Martha Stewart’s Christmas preparations with Erma Bombeck’s. In fact he read what might have been letters between Martha herself and the more relaxed and humorous Erma. I don’t know if they were real letters, or if someone else wrote it. It was pretty “over the top” Martha, and a humble Erma — definitely not perfection, nor did she try to conjure a perfect Christmas. I had to chuckle at the contrasts.

The person on radio then reminded listeners that the first Christmas scene that we picture was definitely not perfection, along with the phrase “what good could come out of Nazareth,” offering a glimpse of Nazareth’s rough history.

Mary and Joseph probably would have much preferred to stay home rather than travelling all the way to Bethlehem with a baby soon to be born. They surely were not expecting to stay in anything less than their own homes. But the governor of the time demanded that they be in Bethlehem.

If you’ve ever been in a barn, while it’s warm with the animals gathered, it doesn’t always smell pretty. Having grown up on a farm, I know those smells.

Perfection came out of their obedience though. The Saviour, the answer to people who’d struggled long under Roman rule, harsh taskmasters, and high taxes. The one who would save us from our sins.

It is my hope that you can celebrate Christmas, remembering this precious gift of grace, and that you are warm in your home, with clothing to match the weather, as well as enough food on your table. I also wish you good health and happiness, with enough to share as you are able.

Merry Christmas!