Faith Challenges: It Ain't All Comfort

We are besieged by Hallmark pictures of some idyllic setting for Christmas, sanitized and sparkling manger scenes, steeped in a sense of joy and wonder and stripped of the reality of living. We picture angels singing to shepherds, Mary and Joseph dressed in clean clothing, and a stable devoid of barnyard smells. None of that seems to do justice to what the gospels actually tell us about the birth of Jesus, even if they don't dwell on the details. Matthew tells us Mary was pregnant and Joseph was surprised, recognizing he was not responsible. He was getting ready to end their engagement when he had a dream of an angel telling him God was blessing Mary's pregnancy and to go ahead with the wedding. Matthew tells us Joseph's own lineage included several women who were outcasts, outsiders, and victims of sexual abuse. He sets the stage for Jesus growing up under a cloud of shame and being considered a bastard son very much in keeping with elements of his ancestry. Just as

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth turned hard as iron, water like a stone. Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow, In the bleak midwinter, long ago. — Christina Rosetti, c. 1872 Frozen children seeking answers to their plight, Yearning for redemption mid the wintry night. Cold invading ev’ry heart, gripping ev’ry breast, Plaguing weary mortals, too distraught to rest. Hope is light in darkness, blossoms in the chill. Light is life in winter, overcoming ill. Promise holds no meaning once the spring is come, Yet we claim its comfort mid the howling storm. In our bleak mid-winter icy winds may blow, Seeking to extinguish hope for all below. In our midnight yearning promise is reborn. Hope re-lights our candle, we await the morn. — ©Copyright 2004, Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/ My latest books  can be found here on Amazon