Tag: Nativity

The Monster in the Manger

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year… you can’t read those words without adding the tune, at least in your mind. Christmas is a wonderful time because it is the time of celebration of the coming of the long-awaited Messiah. He was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea (Micah 5:2). Christians recognize the Messiah to be the baby born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). The sign to the shepherds was finding the baby lying in a manger (Luke 2:12). So, much of Old Testament prophecy pointed to this great event in the life of the community.

In America, we have removed the Messiah in the manger and replaced him with the monster in the manger. To a few people, it appears to be offensive to make any reference to Jesus during Christmas, preferring to emphasize Santa, reindeer and good old fashioned consumerism (dare I say, materialism). In a lot of places we have to remove the word “Christmas” and insert “holidays.” Hey, if this is the only persecution the church receives, it is pretty mild compared to what believers are enduring around the world, just for professing faith in Jesus Christ.

Today I want to remind you of an over-used story in the Bible (although never to my knowledge is it in the context of Christmas). It is used often in the context of choices, women’s roles, discipleship, service, or the need to spend more time with Jesus (Luke 10:38-42).

38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

This was a family whom Jesus loved very much. It was sort of like family coming home for the holidays. The first thing I notice is that Martha spent so much time serving Jesus that she had no time to enjoy his company. As a pastor, I fear this happening in my life and must constantly be on my guard against it. After all, Jesus called his disciples to first BE WITH him (Mark 3:14) before he sent them out to serve him.

Frustration apparently arose over Mary not doing her part to help out. Everything had to be perfect for the guest who were coming over. That which started out as gladness and celebration ended up in resentment and envy.

Christmas is a special time when we want everything to be perfect… the right thoughtful gift that expresses our feelings for someone; the party plans require cleaning, and shopping, and invitations, and cooking, and decorations, and all of this leads to exhaustion. If it is not perfect, then we are just a failure. How many times have you been so spent physically and emotionally that you are unable to enjoy the Christmas season?

We must keep the baby in the manger as our primary focus during Christmas, because we can be all about being so busy during Christmas that we forget what the nativity is all about. If the Messiah is being diminished, we are replacing him with a monster!

Even if what you are doing is for the glory of God, God will not ask you to do something that will hinder your relationship with him! Spend time with him rather than just serve him. Sometimes we actively serve him and at other times we quietly sit at his feet.

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Nativity Mythbusters

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This past Sunday we looked at the census, the announcement to the shepherds and the young couple’s experience at the nativity in Bethlehem. The focus was on the popular image that we have of the nativity, and how Christmas cards influence our understanding of the birth event more than our knowledge of the realities of childbirth.

We often sanitize the event, ignoring the dirt, smells, stench, pain and chaos that would have been present during a birth in a stable some 2000 years ago. We “holify” the couple as superhuman characters who deal with all of these challenges. We don’t hear the baby cry, smell the soiled diapers, or see Mary sneezing due to the hay.

I love that show Mythbusters. What would Adam and Jamie discover if they visited the nativity?

  1. Were there angels singing? Luke 2:10 says the angels were speaking, not singing. Luke 2:13 mention the angels praising God and “saying…” Busted.
  2. Was Jesus born on the same night they arrived in Bethlehem? Luke 2:6 only mentions that while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. It could have been several hours or several days or several weeks. Not clear.
  3. Was Jesus born in a stable? The Bible does not mention a stable. It is only from Luke 2:7 that we get this idea, since the baby was laid in a manger, a feeding trough for animals. Busted.
  4. Was there an innkeeper? Luke 2:7 simply mentions a fact that there was no room in the inn (inn is found in more traditional translations), but there was no record of an innkeeper closing the door on the desperate couple. Busted.
  5. Was there “no vacancy” at the Bethlehem Holiday Inn? There is an interesting word comparison in the gospel of Luke. Luke 2:7 and Luke 22:11 use the same Greek word (kataluma) translated inn and then guest house. Both would assume a place of lodging for guests, but read on. Perhaps Mary and Joseph were planning to stay at the home of relatives. A typical home arrangement would be a central courtyard with rooms arranged around it, guest sleeping in a barracks-style formation. A larger home might have a second floor called the upper room (like for Jesus and His last Passover). Since the house could have been full of relatives (all coming to Bethlehem for the census) this crowded home was no place to give birth (remembering the realities of childbirth – pain, screaming, blood, etc.). So, Mary may have descended to a more private place for the birth, away from children and other relatives. Interesting possibility.
  6. Was Joseph alone with Mary to deliver the baby? While Scripture is silent on this, the assumption is, yes. But if the scene above is a possibility, female family members may have been there to aid Mary in the birth. Interesting possibility.
  7. Where’s the little drummer boy? Nice story, but totally made up. The importance of the holiday in church life has given rise to many auxiliary stories and legendary characters! Strike all the stories about Frosty, Santa, Rudolph, Scrooge, and even Christmas Shoes. Busted.
  8. Were there three kings from the orient? The Scripture mentions that magi came, following a star, which led them to Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1-2) and then to Bethlehem (Matthew 2:9), but it does not mention how many. Magi were the wise men, perhaps the astronomers of the day, not kings. The only reason we sing about three wise men, is because there were three gifts given. Busted on kings, three is ambiguous.
  9. Did the magi visit Jesus in the manger? Matthew 2:11 mentions that they came into the house to present him their gifts, not a stable. Busted.
  10. Does your nativity have shepherds and wise men in the same scene? A closer look at the story indicates two separate events. Matthew 2:16 tells us that Herod sought to kill all males two years old and younger, according to the time determined from the magi. Perhaps it took a while for the magi to arrive in Bethlehem. Busted.

The emphasis is that Mary and Joseph, although willing to go along with this whole Messiah plan, might have felt that this was not what they signed up for. This is unfamiliar territory, being harder than they anticipated. The lesson for us should be that when we follow God’s leading, and life gets harder, keep the faith! We cannot be like the freed Israelites wanting to go back to Egypt just because it gets a little tough in the wilderness!

Merry Christmas to you all. Keep the Son in your eyes,

Scott

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