After the Christmas Party sucks!
Just look around you. It is typical, after a wonderful Christmas party, to confront the clean-up. The whole house has to be cleaned again. The irony is never lost on you that you have cleaned it thoroughly before everybody arrived and, just like the Aussie Jingle Bells song, everybody shoots through at the end of the Christmas party before the washing up.
How depressing!
But consider Mary’s position. She has just had a baby and now she is confronted with well… everything.
But before I can expect you to understand a little of what Mary went through, I need to give you a bit of bible study.
First of all, we all know that Mary was a single girl when she became pregnant. Now over time, people’s memories fade on these sorts of things. But for that time, everywhere she goes, except for those who really love her, she is confronted with “that Look”. You know the one. It’s never overt. You can never quite catch people doing it. But you know it is there. So in reality I think it is fair to say that Mary was probably not all that unhappy about having to go away somewhere to have her baby. Somewhere that it was likely nobody knew her. Except that when she arrives in Bethlehem she is relegated to a stable because all city accommodation is full.
Now stables of the Bible, not an open drafty wooden barn. So at least it would have been protected from the elements.
[See Feature Photo]
Shortly After The Birth
But shortly after the birth, along come the next-door neighbours. Well, perhaps they weren’t literally from next door. they were shepherds from the fields. But despite Jerusalem being a major city of its day and not quite in the sticks, in those days the fields would not have been that far away. Today, we would probably classify ancient Jerusalem as a rural town. So the shepherds were kinda like the curious invited neighbours from down the road.
The point is now we have a real party.
With all the wonderful stories that are coming out about angels and “Oh what a beautiful baby”…
Finally, the shepherds go home.
You can just hear Mary say, “I’ve loved having these people but I’m so tired and I thought they’d never leave. At least I don’t have to tidy up. After all, it is a stable”. But there are still more parties to come.
Another Party
Do you think Mary has any post-natal depression?
It’s possible. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think that, that was all part of Lk verse 19: “Mary treasured all these things in her heart and always thought about them.”
But as with all these things no one really has time to think. Eight days after his birth, the baby Jesus is taken for his first check-up and a minor surgical procedure. He is circumcised.
You can see Mary looking on as all mothers would during this procedure. Like watching your child have their first injection your heart goes out but it has to be done. Still, the detached nature of the doctor or in this case the priest is almost reassuring. After all, it’s no skin off his nose. (Pause for groan)
40 days after the birth they are back at the temple, this time to redeem their child. Isn’t it ironic that the one who will redeem the world is here going through the redemption process? Here we are told they are poor because they use the sacrifice of the poor man.
At this point, Mary is given even more to think about. A priest and a prophet are just over the moon about seeing this child. All their Christmases had come at once. (Pause for groan)
A Sign That Will Expose
Mary could not help but be amazed and then she was hit with this: This child is the reason that many people in Israel will be condemned and many others will be saved. He “will be a sign that will expose”.
At this point in our story, things get a bit vague. No one knows whether Jesus’ family settled in Bethlehem for a while, or if they went to Nazareth and came back to Bethlehem, but sometime between going to the temple and anything up to 2 years later the three wise men turn up in Bethlehem.
No, they didn’t come at the same time as the shepherds it was months if not years later.
Again there is a Christmas party and spirits are up and there are more angelic visitations. But at the end of this party worse happens. Jesus’ family are forced to pack up and head off to Egypt. Leaving behind them, many murdered babies and it’s not over when they get back. They have to sneak into Nazareth.
What a roller coaster ride!
But God did not bring Jesus into this world for fun. Even at his birth and in amongst the celebration and praising of God and the declaration of his majesty via Angels. Jesus just by being born carries in his wake a trail of pain.
And why do I point that out?
The After-party is Not Always Fun
Please, believe me, I do not want to rain on anybody’s Christmas celebrations. Christmas is a time for parties, but the after-party is not always fun. My intention is only to introduce hope no matter how bleak it may get.
You see there are two ways you can look at Jesus. Either he is the biggest party pooper or he is our only hope.
Does Jesus bring destruction in his wake or is his coming the beginning of a path of destruction because he is banishing evil as he goes?
I don’t know but the priest Simeon was right on the money when he said He “will be a sign that will expose”.
With Jesus, there is only exposure. Without Jesus, there is no real hope. Everything else is false hope and it will be exposed. He gave everything so that we can have everything that is worth having and believe me there will be a party in heaven when we are taken up and meet him on his return.
But if you’ve only come to Jesus for the party you are going to miss out on all the wonderful things that he has in store and you will be left with only the washing up.
Our only hope is to follow Jesus with all that we have and all that we are. Because it is only then that we are truly prepared to confront all that life throws at us. It is only by loving Jesus with all our heart as did Mary that we can have the hope to confront what comes after the party.
Amen
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