Not Home For The Holidays
Wednesday December 24, 2014
In Asia the main family holiday is Chinese New Year. Asian people know and want to make a special effort to be with family, to return home at this time. Those who cannot make it home experience a real sense of longing and pining for what cannot be. Christmas is a family holiday in our culture and in many cultures throughout the world. For those of us who are unable to gather with family at Christmas, is it still possible to celebrate a full and rich Christmas without being fake? Joseph and Mary teach us that it is possible.
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 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 guest room available for them. (Luke 2:1-7 NIV)
Joseph and Mary were displaced at a crucial time in their lives. All alone in a stable – a rough cave in the side of a hill where animals were sheltered for the night -- they make ready and welcome not only their Son Jesus, but also other guests sent by the Angels of God. It was less than a perfect spot but they made it a place of worship and wonder.
At Christmas we celebrate Jesus who chose displacement from heaven in order to accompany us on earth until the fulfillment of time and His invitation to come to His Father's house.
This Christmas we need to look at our hearts before we look at our circumstances and see the amazing guest who has come to share this Christmas season with us. Life may not be as perfect as we would like it to be and we may be aware of our own struggles to live well. But, Jesus is here with us! Jesus has come to our imperfect world to be with us exactly where we are. Let's be at home with Jesus this Christmas as we have fun singing and celebrating His birth.
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