(my apologies for the delay in posting December 22 and 23. Life with work and family is busy)
As Joseph and Mary traveled to Bethlehem, I wonder if they knew how necessary it was for them to be in Bethlehem for Jesus’ birth. They are devout people, so they may have remembered Micah’s prophecy seven hundred years earlier: “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village in Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel will come from you, one whose origins are from the distant past. The people of Israel will be abandoned to their enemies until the time when the woman in labor gives birth to her son. Then at last his fellow countrymen will return from exile to their own land. And he will stand to lead his flock with the Lord’s strength, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. Then he will be highly honored all around the world. And he will be the source of our peace” (Micah 4:2-5a, NLT). Imagine Mary saying to Joseph, “do you think that prophecy is about me?” with a mixture of amazement and humility. What incredibly joy they would have experienced to know that they were a part of the fulfillment of God’s word!
Whether they remembered Micah’s prophecy at that time or not (they surely remembered it when the magi would come and tell their story), the day had come. The baby came right on time. It may not have been in the place that Mary and Joseph had hoped for, but according to God’s schedule everything had worked out perfectly. Luke tells us, “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7, NIV). I can only imagine Joseph delivering a baby on his own. Overwhelmed, exhausted, shaking, but so happy to see his child alive and breathing. Since his Child was the Son of God, you would expect fireworks and an amazing light show, angels trumpeting throughout Bethlehem and much pomp and circumstance. After all, this is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, (Isaiah 9:6). In the town of Bethlehem, the “house of bread,” the true Bread, the Bread of Life (cf John 6) had come. But while many amazing things were to come, none happened immediately at the manger. The gospel tells us only that the child came, and Mary wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and tucked Him in a manger.
Such a quiet beginning. Joseph and Mary beheld their Child in the best place they could find, a manger. Did they talk much, or did they just stare in wonder at the Christ-child, now with them? While much could be said about His coming, it would do us well to take some time to be quiet and “stare” at the Christ-child this Christmas eve. The timing may seem rushed, you may not be “ready” for Christmas yet, but neither were Joseph and Mary in that sense. Yet, God deemed them ready, and they were able to pause and soak in the miracle of the Promised Son. Beyond the trees and stockings and presents and hoopla of Christmas with family and friends, beyond legends and traditions of time, lies a devout family, bearing Christ into the world, quietly nestled in a stable with a manger. Let’s rest with them in the amazing reality that Christ has come!!!
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