The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
Merry Christmas friends! My favorite Christmas tradition as a child was decorating the house with nativity scenes. From small wooden sets to elaborate ceramic works of art, I just loved them – the wise men with gifts, Mary and Joseph kneeling, and especially precious baby Jesus! I liked to imagine his soft, wispy hair peeking out from the swaddling clothes, his perfectly smooth skin begging to press against your cheek, and his little translucent fingernails so achingly delicate. Every aspect of Jesus, fully God and fully man, invites us to hold him tight.
But there is so much more to the story of Christ’s birth than a quaint nativity scene. From the multi-day journey to Bethlehem, to the realities of giving birth in a stable – I have a feeling that night was much louder, messier, and tougher than the version that decorates our homes. Just imagine Mary and Joseph, both covered in dust and their lips chapped from the piercing cold. They sat in that musty room, likely accompanied by pigs snorting in the corner and mice scurrying through the hay. The door may have rattled in the wind, with no lock to keep out intruders. Was this the birth they had planned?
The Gospels don’t describe in detail what Mary and Joseph were feeling in the days and hours leading up to Christ’s birth, but I imagine they felt very human – excited, exhausted, and maybe a bit nervous to be parents. But whatever doubts or feelings they may have had, we know by their actions that they trusted God. Without understanding, without solutions, they trusted.
Friends, maybe this season has felt for you more like a dusty journey or smelly stable than a cozy Christmas celebration – and that’s okay. God never promised that our lives would be the picture perfect version of a manger scene – just ask Mary and Joseph! Rather, life is loud and messy and painful and beautiful. Like weary travelers, we may not know why some doors are closed when we knock. Instead of staring at the closed door, God invites us to step into the stable with Mary and Joseph – the door to Jesus is always unlocked. See the way they love, the way they trust, the way they sit in the muck yet experience so much joy. This Christmas, I pray we can become more like Mary and Joseph, with our eyes full of trust and our gaze fixed firmly on Emmanuel.
Kassie Manning is a molecular biologist turned consultant and co-founder of Every Sacred Sunday. When not thinking about books, she can be found climbing tall rocks, searching for chapstick, or making pros/cons lists about camper trailers. Say hi HERE!