Luke 2:1-20
A
couple of weeks ago, I read this comment: the crèche is crowded. The author of
the article was referring to the tendency we have to put all the figures in the
nativity scene when we put it out in early December.
In reality, there are few people in the stable at
a time. Once Mary and Joseph arrive in Bethlehem they find themselves in a
cave, or the lower level of the main house where animals are housed overnight,
or in an outbuilding sort of barn. Jesus is laid in a bed of clean straw. Normally,
there would have been a midwife present – either Mary’s mother, another female
member of the family, or perhaps a professional midwife, trained to see to the
safe birth of the child and the health of the new mother. She isn’t
mentioned, though she must have been present.
Once the baby was born, an angel went to announce
the birth of the Savior to shepherds in the fields nearby. Why shepherds, we
should wonder. Shepherds were nobodies in the ancient world of Jesus’ time.
Smelly, often accused of theft, unable to give witness in court, shepherds were
among the least-respected people of their day. And yet, the image of shepherd
as the leader of the Israelite people persists as an ironic witness to the
desire of God to have a caring relationship with God’s people.
The angel says, “I have great news for you! The
Messiah, your Savior, has been born.” And then, more angels showed up singing
praises to God.
The angels are in the fields, not in the stable.
The shepherds went to find the baby. They told Mary
and Joseph about seeing and hearing angels with good news. Their news confirmed
for Mary what the Angel Gabriel had told Mary nine months prior. The shepherds
went back to their sheep, glorifying and praising God as they went. They do not
remain in the stable.
In the East somewhere, a few astrologers noticed a
strange sign in the heavens. It seemed to them that the star they noticed was
pointing at something special, so they packed up a caravan and set off to see
where the star led them.
Assuming the star appeared when Jesus was born,
the journey took them many months. No location is specified for the Magi, but
we speculate Persia, which is known for its astrologers at the time. When they
finally arrive in Palestine, they first visit Herod, whose scholars indicate
Bethlehem is the likely place for the new king, based on a verse in Micah.
The magi travel a few more miles to Bethlehem, and
find the star pointing at the home of Joseph and Mary. The next story tells of
Herod’s order of the massacre of any child under the age of two. So, we can
guess that Jesus was about 18 months old at the time. By this time, then, the
family is settled in a home, not living in a stable or cave. The magi give
symbolic gifts to the family, and honor Jesus as a king.
The star and the magi, then, belong to the family
home, not the stable.
And yet, the crèche has become a symbol which
pulls all these stories together. We like it that they all go together, even
though they mostly were never together at the stable.
So, who are they, then?
Angels – God’s messengers, watching over the
affairs of God and God’s people as they intersect in human time and place.
A mother, wondering why God had chosen her, IF God
had chosen her, and how she could be the mother of the Messiah.
A father, not the biological father, wondering how
he could be father to the Son of God.
Shepherds – dirty, smelly, unwanted people,
outsiders.
Magi – wealthy, powerful, mysterious. In the image
of the crèche, I notice that the magi are of different races, even as they
believe in different gods.
All of nature is present – in the animals that may
have been in the stable, in the animals that brought the magi, and in the star
which pointed the way.
Whoever we are, rich or poor, respected or
mistrusted, believers or skeptics or worshipers of other gods, we are welcome
in the stable.
Tonight is the night to place ourselves in the
stable, witnessing the birth of the Savior.
Tonight is the night to place ourselves in the
crèche, finding a place with everyone else there.
Tonight is the night to remember we are loved by
God as much as human mothers and fathers love their children.
Tonight is the night to glorify and praise God for
this amazing, wonderful, good news of great joy for all people.
Please pray with me. Loving God, we praise you for
the gift of the Son, the Savior, sent to share your love and mercy with us. We
glorify you for your arms which open wide to welcome all people into your
heart. We sing with the angels and celebrate this moment in history and this
moment in our lives when we remember with joy your great gift to us in Jesus.
Amen
