by Donna Chiusano
The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see, I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger."
Luke 2: 8-12One of my favorite authors is Max Lucado, a Lutheran minister from San Antonio, Texas. In his book "God Came Near", Max sets the scene into which God became human, describing the noise and bustle of the village of Bethlehem at dawn:
"Vendors were positioning themselves on the corners of the most heavily traveled avenues. Store owners were unlocking the doors to their shops. Children were awakened by the excited barking of the street dogs and the complaints of donkeys pulling carts."
"The stable stinks like all stables do. The stench of urine, dung and sheep reeks pungently in the air. The ground is hard, the hay scarce. Cobwebs cling to the ceiling and a mouse scurries across the dirt floor."
Yet, as Max writes, in what couldn't have been a more lowly place, God entered the world … as a baby.
"He doesn't look like a king! His face is prunish and red. His cry, though strong and healthy, is still the helpless and piercing cry of a baby. And he is absolutely dependent upon Mary for his well-being."
"Wide awake is Mary. Her head rests on the soft leather of Joseph's saddle. She looks at the face of the baby. Her son. Her Lord. His Majesty. She can't take her eyes off him. Somehow Mary knows she is holding God. She remembers the words of the angel. His kingdom will never end."
"Near the young mother sits the weary father. Now that Mary and the baby are comfortable, Joseph leans against the wall of the stable and feels his eyes grow heavy. He still hasn't figured it all out. But he hasn't the energy to wrestle with the questions. What's important is that the baby is fine and that Mary is safe. As sleep comes, he remembers the name the angel told him to use … Jesus. We will call him Jesus."
"Majesty in the midst of the mundane. Holiness in the filth of sheep manure and sweat. Divinity entering the world on the floor of a stable, through the womb of a teenager and in the presence of a carpenter."
As Mary held her son in her arms that night, I wonder if she had any idea that the child to which she had just given birth, would give even greater life to her …
There is no greater Christmas present.
I wish you all a Blessed and Merry Christmas.
--Donna Donna can be reach via e--mail at: monthlymed@graceriveredgenj.org