“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹ And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. ³² He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. ³³ He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” ³⁴ Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” ³⁵ The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. ³⁶ And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. ³⁷ For nothing will be impossible with God.” ³⁸ Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.”    (Luke 1:30-38)

“In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:1 – 7)

There was no place in the Inn, but that does not mean that Mary and Joseph were relegated to a cave, or someplace out in the barren lands outside of town as contemporary art would suggest. Joseph was returning to his hometown region. He would have been known by the people. Mary was “heavy with child” – a pregnant woman was not someone the locals would have abandoned to a lonely birth, without assistance, in a cave. Most likely Mary and Joseph were ushered into an adjacent room in someone’s home. There were adjacent rooms used by animals when the wintertime came. The animals were not relegated to the outdoors, they were moved inside so they could help with warmth, and where they were protected from the elements, and from predators. Why would we assume that if the animals were treated with care, that Mary and Joseph were not also treated with care? Jesus was still born surrounded by animals, away from their home, born into the earthy, human condition we are all born into. No matter the situation in which Jesus was born, the spectacular event is marked in time and celebrated once a year – the spectacular event of G-d coming to be with humans, in the human condition. He did not come in the manner of a king, or a prince, or like some other royalty – he was born into everyday life, to everyday parents, to live an everyday life.

Grace, favor and G-d doing the improbable – this is what the birth of Jesus is about. This Christmas season I want you to ponder these final words of Mary: “Let it be with me Lord, according to your word”. How can you and I live that statement everyday of our lives. Many people in our society suffer from “Me-ology” – “Me-itis”.  Does Mary tell the angel: “Lord, this really does not sit well with my schedule; I will think about it and get back to you later.”  Does she put herself first?  No – instead she says “Let it be with me Lord according to your word.”  That means that she is all in – no matter what this endeavor brings. It requires a personal willingness to be open to G-d – open to G-d’s word, G-d’s will, G-d’s grace, G-d’s calling – open to our G-d doing the improbable and the impossible in our lives – even when it is inconvenient – especially when it interrupts our plans. But as they say, if you want to make G-d laugh, tell him your plans. Every day we should strive to live by these words: “Let it be with me Lord, according to YOUR will.”

Pastor Dave