The Nativity
The story of Mary and Joseph going to Bethlehem, not finding a room at the inn and Mary giving birth in a stable/cave is a continuation of the Christmas story we hear every year (refer to previous posts).
There is much written about how Christ humbled himself to be born in a stable, there was no room, etc. What has always puzzled me about the "surprise" in all this is that being born in a stable or whatever and wherever was probably very common at the time of Christ's birth. They didn't have hospitals like many of us have today. Most births were probably at home (and not in an inn either) for rich and poor alike at that time. The wealthy Romans would have had more luxurious surroundings but essentially all children were born at home. If a woman was fortunate, a midwife was called in, but most often, other women were asked to come help a woman when her time to deliver came to be. If it was in the desert, the baby was probably born in a tent; a shepherd's child might be delivered out in the open. Things weren't so different here up until the last 100 years or so.
What has always struck me as interesting about Christ's birth narrative was not that Christ was born in a stable (which was humbling since it was God) but that it was so ordinary and that is the most humble part of all; there was nothing unique or outstanding about it. God chose to come to us in a most day-to-day manner. He was truly one of us not just in the physical sense but in his everyday existence. That is what is so amazing!
Our faith tells us that Christ is coming to us all the time; are we waiting for something big or are we looking for him in the day-to-day existence we all have. Maybe Christ will come to me in some manner while I'm doing the dishes or laundry. That's pretty ordinary! How could this happen? Well, maybe while I'm doing dishes I contemplate the water and how blessed we are to have water; how wonderful it feels when we are thirsty. Is there anything out of the ordinary about water? No, but that everyday, ordinary thing may have spoken to me about God for that day. Think how many discussions about water are in Sdripture; maybe while I'm doing the dishes, I will recall those Scripture verses and encounter Christ.
I have had some excellent examples of this in the last 2 weeks. I've directed my office to totally rearrange our offices. This may sound like a lot but not that difficult; not so! The furniture is modular stuff attached to the walls (I hate this stuff!), so in order to rearrange the offices since all of the modular stuff was configured differently, the modular stuff had to be totally disassembled, the mounting plates removed from walls, then remounted to the new office walls and the furniture reassembled. It has been exhausting. What could have taken a day or two if we just moved whole furniture from room to room is now going on 9 days since it is so labor-intensive.
But the experience has given me numerous opportunities to encounter Christ. As I've done the mounting and assembling of the furniture, I've been able to thank God for my Dad. When I was growing up my Dad was always having me help him work on projects. He taught me tool names and how to use the tools. As a kid, this drove me crazy, but as an adult it's a blessing that I know how to use these tools and am willing to try to do work requiring lots of physical and mental skills. I thanked God anew for giving me hands and a brain to attempt something new (I knew nothing about working with modular furniture).
Another ordinary way I've encountered God recently is in eating a meal. I think about all the different grains God created so that I would have breakfast cereal and I'm thankful.
I realize that we all want to see God in the "big" and "miraculous" ways but if that's the only way Christ comes to us each day, we may miss out on the myriads of ways Christ's revealing himself to us each and every day.
I'm anxiously waiting for Christ's coming every day so that I see how many unique and wonderful ways Christ will reveal himself to me. Maybe tomorrow it will be in my car driving to work or while I'm walking through my offices checking on everyone's progress. Whatever and whenever it is, I hope and pray that I don't miss it and that I take the time to ponder this new revelation. I want to savor every moment.
What about you? How is Christ revealing himself to you?
There is much written about how Christ humbled himself to be born in a stable, there was no room, etc. What has always puzzled me about the "surprise" in all this is that being born in a stable or whatever and wherever was probably very common at the time of Christ's birth. They didn't have hospitals like many of us have today. Most births were probably at home (and not in an inn either) for rich and poor alike at that time. The wealthy Romans would have had more luxurious surroundings but essentially all children were born at home. If a woman was fortunate, a midwife was called in, but most often, other women were asked to come help a woman when her time to deliver came to be. If it was in the desert, the baby was probably born in a tent; a shepherd's child might be delivered out in the open. Things weren't so different here up until the last 100 years or so.
What has always struck me as interesting about Christ's birth narrative was not that Christ was born in a stable (which was humbling since it was God) but that it was so ordinary and that is the most humble part of all; there was nothing unique or outstanding about it. God chose to come to us in a most day-to-day manner. He was truly one of us not just in the physical sense but in his everyday existence. That is what is so amazing!
Our faith tells us that Christ is coming to us all the time; are we waiting for something big or are we looking for him in the day-to-day existence we all have. Maybe Christ will come to me in some manner while I'm doing the dishes or laundry. That's pretty ordinary! How could this happen? Well, maybe while I'm doing dishes I contemplate the water and how blessed we are to have water; how wonderful it feels when we are thirsty. Is there anything out of the ordinary about water? No, but that everyday, ordinary thing may have spoken to me about God for that day. Think how many discussions about water are in Sdripture; maybe while I'm doing the dishes, I will recall those Scripture verses and encounter Christ.
I have had some excellent examples of this in the last 2 weeks. I've directed my office to totally rearrange our offices. This may sound like a lot but not that difficult; not so! The furniture is modular stuff attached to the walls (I hate this stuff!), so in order to rearrange the offices since all of the modular stuff was configured differently, the modular stuff had to be totally disassembled, the mounting plates removed from walls, then remounted to the new office walls and the furniture reassembled. It has been exhausting. What could have taken a day or two if we just moved whole furniture from room to room is now going on 9 days since it is so labor-intensive.
But the experience has given me numerous opportunities to encounter Christ. As I've done the mounting and assembling of the furniture, I've been able to thank God for my Dad. When I was growing up my Dad was always having me help him work on projects. He taught me tool names and how to use the tools. As a kid, this drove me crazy, but as an adult it's a blessing that I know how to use these tools and am willing to try to do work requiring lots of physical and mental skills. I thanked God anew for giving me hands and a brain to attempt something new (I knew nothing about working with modular furniture).
Another ordinary way I've encountered God recently is in eating a meal. I think about all the different grains God created so that I would have breakfast cereal and I'm thankful.
I realize that we all want to see God in the "big" and "miraculous" ways but if that's the only way Christ comes to us each day, we may miss out on the myriads of ways Christ's revealing himself to us each and every day.
I'm anxiously waiting for Christ's coming every day so that I see how many unique and wonderful ways Christ will reveal himself to me. Maybe tomorrow it will be in my car driving to work or while I'm walking through my offices checking on everyone's progress. Whatever and whenever it is, I hope and pray that I don't miss it and that I take the time to ponder this new revelation. I want to savor every moment.
What about you? How is Christ revealing himself to you?
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