Almost Christmas

In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all went to be registered, each to his own town. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:1-7 ESV).

Forgive me for having a little “left-over” from our anniversary yesterday; however, it occurs to me there are some things that are similar in the events that immediately followed our wedding day and the trip Joseph and Mary made to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus. I am in no way saying that our lives are anything the same as they, not am I say that our lives are in any way as pivotal to the redemption of mankind as was Joseph and Mary. However, there are some things that make me go “hmmm.” After our wedding activities were all completed, vows exchanged, cakes cut, bouquet thrown, we changed into “traveling clothes” and dashed out of the church to the cheers and throwing of rice from family and friends. I know the origins of this wedding tradition, but that’s not the principle I want to emphasize. The contrast in our “send-off” seems to be very different that what Joseph and Mary must have experienced. In fact, when they arrived at their final destination, they didn’t even have a clean room to occupy, ultimately giving birth to their first-born son in a stable. They walked, we rode in our comfortable car; they were shunned, we were welcomed; and, they were alone, while we were surrounded by people celebrating the holiday in San Antonio. There are some other interesting contrasts. We didn’t get to San Antonio right away as we visited some of the area of Mary’s childhood first. When we finally arrived at the St. Anthony Hotel (the best in San Antonio at that time), we settled in and realized that there wasn’t really much to do on Christmas Eve. We walked around a bit. It was cold for Texas and found the only place open was St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. They were celebrating with a solemn High Mass. Mary had never experienced such and we decided to duck in. At least it would be warm and sheltered from the cold winter wind. The incense was burning and the Latin repeated as the worship proceeded. We didn’t stay long, ultimately going back to our room. Sitting down, Mary simply said, “I miss home.” Of course, we called and talked to her parents, wishing them a Merry Christmas and telling them some of travels thus far. Joseph and Mary had no such luxury when they found themselves alone in the stable. They had no one to call and no one to bolster their feelings of loneliness. They had each other and the knowledge that the Lord was with them. Just like it was enough for us, it was enough for them. We have almost arrived at our Christmas this year, 2018. Can I simply encourage you in that you are not alone either? Jesus is with you today just as much as ever!