Let us pause to reflect on this ancient story. It has been told to us so often that we can become indifferent to its deep meaning and significance.
Let us begin with a teenager named Mary and a carpenter named Joseph. An angel had told Mary that she would conceive miraculously and bear the saviour of the world. In response, she allowed God to do this because even at her young age she desired action from God for the sake of this fallen and corrupt world about her. She was indeed waiting like so many faithful people, waiting for God to turn the world upside down. She was in a pre-marriage contract with Joseph, so when he was told of her pregnancy he thought she had been with another bloke. An angel appeared this time to Joseph in a dream to convince him to believe her story and marry her.
This happened to be the time when the Roman Caesar called for a census of the empire. Every man and his family had to return to the place of his birth to be counted, so Joseph took his wife, then in the late stages of pregnancy, to Bethlehem, hundreds of miles to the south. At Bethlehem they found living space almost non-existent because of the so many travellers had come in for the census. It was in the stable of one of the places there that Mary gave birth to her son and they named him Jesus as directed by the angel.
Shepherds were the group that God announced the birth to. They were keeping watch over sheep that were likely destined for sacrifice at the temple, not far from them in Jerusalem. God wanted to tell them about the birth of the lamb that will take away the sins of the world. They were an appropriate group to be notified and God's host of angels made a great impression on them.
Far away in the east, a totally unrelated group of people had noted a travelling star that indicated the birth of a great king. In faith they set out to find the young prince. After many years of travel and causing a flap amongst the authorities in Jerusalem upon arriving, they were further led by the star to Bethlehem itself. It was there that they found the boy with his mother. Their gifts turned out to be gold, frankincense and myrrh – gold fit for a king, frankincense for priestly use, and myrrh for anointing a dead body for burial. Each gift had a meaning that one had to ponder over.
This happened to be the time when the Roman Caesar called for a census of the empire. Every man and his family had to return to the place of his birth to be counted, so Joseph took his wife, then in the late stages of pregnancy, to Bethlehem, hundreds of miles to the south. At Bethlehem they found living space almost non-existent because of the so many travellers had come in for the census. It was in the stable of one of the places there that Mary gave birth to her son and they named him Jesus as directed by the angel.
Shepherds were the group that God announced the birth to. They were keeping watch over sheep that were likely destined for sacrifice at the temple, not far from them in Jerusalem. God wanted to tell them about the birth of the lamb that will take away the sins of the world. They were an appropriate group to be notified and God's host of angels made a great impression on them.
Far away in the east, a totally unrelated group of people had noted a travelling star that indicated the birth of a great king. In faith they set out to find the young prince. After many years of travel and causing a flap amongst the authorities in Jerusalem upon arriving, they were further led by the star to Bethlehem itself. It was there that they found the boy with his mother. Their gifts turned out to be gold, frankincense and myrrh – gold fit for a king, frankincense for priestly use, and myrrh for anointing a dead body for burial. Each gift had a meaning that one had to ponder over.
Afterward, the wise men went a different way home and Joseph was clued up, in yet another dream, to quickly leave Bethlehem with his family. The authorities in Jerusalem were stirred up enough to attempt to stop the predictions and extinguish the life of the prince. Joseph's family slipped away to Egypt, the gold helping pay for a passage by sea to Alexandria.
We enacted this story during a Sunday worship time at Gembrook Retreat, utilising the fine outdoor setting.
We enacted this story during a Sunday worship time at Gembrook Retreat, utilising the fine outdoor setting.
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