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)

I grew up with The Charlie Brown Christmas Special and particularly loved the scene where Linus recites the Lucan Birth Narrative. It has always made Christmas feel special and right. It made me wish I had been there, to have been one of the Shepherds, to have heard the angels, to witness the arrival of the Maji. It makes me wonder why Jesus wasn’t a bigger deal from the beginning!

But if I had been there, would I have known what was happening? Would I have recognized that this little baby, beautiful as all babies are, was special? Would I have realized that this couple was more than just another couple traveling to fulfill an imperative of the occupying government’s decree? Would my angst over the economy, the unjustness of the Roman occupation of our land, and the polarization between the Zealots and the religious leaders have allowed me to feel the peace portrayed in Linus’ reading of the story?

I’m guessing maybe not. After all, I’m having trouble feeling that kind of peace and joy in the environment we’re living in today, and if you look closely at what I wrote above, the environment in Ancient Israel was not too dissimilar to today’s!



And yet, despite the turmoil of culture, the turmoil of the temple and the religious leaders, the turmoil of government, God was still at work… sending Jesus into the world as one who was powerless and still the one who would transform the world with his message of grace, love, forgiveness, and healing.

Sometimes, despite my work with Christ’s church, I wonder if God is still at work in our world. Sometimes, I have to confess I have trouble seeing the Christ child in the manger, hearing the Angel’s sing and joining the Shepherds and the Maji to offer my gifts of praise and service to Him.

And yet… even though I don’t see it… even though I don’t feel it… Christ is being born anew in a new place in our world every day. Christ is being born in the hearts and lives of others, and they are experiencing again the Miracle of His Birth.

When I remember this, some of His peace, joy, and love begins to grow in my heart, which is not ten but often twenty sizes too small. 

I don’t know how small your heart is this Christmas… how clear your vision is of the Christ Family as it proceeds to Bethlehem… but I pray that you will remember that even if you can’t see it or feel it… Christ is being born this day in the Bethlehem of other people’s lives and maybe even in the Bethlehem of our hearts.

Prayer

Lord, open my eyes, soften my heart that I may see, feel, hear… Witness you coming alive in our world today. We know that you will not forsake or abandon us… so touch and teach us that we may know you more dearly. Amen.

By Rev. Dr. Steve Van Ostran

Executive Minister

American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains