The First (Unplanned) Christmas

(This was my message at Reservoir Presbyterian Church at a community Christmas event. It was great to share Jesus amongst this community.)

 

There are certain times in your life where it can be exciting to go somewhere without having everything planned. Being a young adult and heading interstate and just driving until you decide to stop can be a great experience and a great way to meet people. 

But there are also times in life when you don't want to leave home without knowing exactly where you are going. One of these times would be when you are pregnant. And yet this is precisely the position that Mary and Joseph find themselves in. Pregnant - heading to a different town - not sure where they will stay. 

What brought them to this position? What made them leave their home town of Nazareth where things were a little more settled, pack their things, and make the long journey to Bethlehem? And why would they do it at that time? 

The truth is, that for Mary and Joseph, this was an unplanned pregnancy and an unplanned journey. They were planning to get married, but before that happened, Mary was pregnant. How did this happen? The Bible records the story of Mary being met by an Angel named Gabriel who told her, "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus." (Lk 1:31) This was clearly going to be a problem for both Mary and Joseph, and for their families as well. 

Joseph isn't sure what to do, but after his own visit by the angel takes Mary home as his wife. Perhaps now they can begin life together and make their home ready for the birth of this child. 

Or so they thought. 

Their peace together is broken when they hear that a census has been called and instead of sitting where they are and answering a few questions, they need to return to their ancestral home. So, because Joseph is from the house of David, a towering figure in the history of the Jewish people, they need to travel south to Bethlehem. 

Now, there's every chance that neither of them had been to Bethlehem before. So try and imagine how they are feeling. Recently married and pregnant. Leaving the town they call home in Nazareth, and the people who did support them. Travelling together, walking the dusty highway between the towns. And where would they stay when they got there? 

I wonder if somewhere along that journey they talked about what was happening for them. And I wonder if one looked at the other and said, "You know, if God wanted us to have this child, this Saviour, couldn't he have organised it so we didn't need to make this journey?" 

I wonder how many times you have thought that God could have, or should have, organised things in your life differently. Perhaps you would have preferred not to have taken a journey you have taken. Perhaps you would have liked things in your life to have worked out easier then they have. Well if that is your thought, be encouraged. Even the mother of Jesus had a difficult journey in life. 

So eventually they arrive in Bethlehem and it is time to find a place to stay. Without 'Air BnB' or 'Trivago' there was no way to plan ahead. And pregnant women don't walk too fast so maybe they were some of the last to arrive in the town, but maybe that won't matter. After all if Joseph is heading to the town of his ancestors, surely that means that many of his extended family will be there too. Surely someone there will help him. 

But it seems that his family didn't help him. Luke, who wrote about this, simply said, "there was no room for them in the inn." 

So if it isn't enough for this couple that they have an unplanned pregnancy to deal with, then a long unplanned journey to Bethlehem, it seems they also need to cope with a family that don't want anything to do with them. 

Again, I wonder if either of them looked at each other at some point in this and said, "God could have made this easier!" 

And who would blame them for asking such a question. It seems strange to us that the one who willingly does the work that God has asked of them should suffer. We would think that such people should be acknowledged and rewarded. But this isn't what is happening for Mary nor for Joseph. Instead it seems that ever since they accepted God's choice for them and committed themselves to what God was planning, their lives had been changed in many ways and none of them positive. 

They have an unplanned pregnancy before marriage in a time when such a thing is seen as an offence and could be seen as proof of adultery, which could be punished in terrible ways. They have an unplanned pregnancy which cannot be explained in ways that would be believable to anyone around them. But, at least they have each other, and Joseph has a trade that will keep him employed.

Until they learn about the census. And now they have a journey to take. How long will they be away? What do they need to take with them? Can they get out of the census? Is there an easier way to get to Bethlehem? No. The census will happen and they need to go. Bethlehem is where they need to be, and so they must join the crowds of people who are travelling from one town to another. And Bethlehem is their destination. An unplanned journey.

Was it an unplanned journey? For Mary and Joseph it was, but not for God. Many years before one of the prophets had indicated Bethlehem was the place where the Saviour would be born: 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.’” (Mic 5:2)

Was it an unplanned pregnancy? For Mary and Joseph it was, but not for God. I remind you of all that the angel said to Mary. He didn't just tell her she was going to have a baby, he also told her what his name should be - 'Jesus'. And that wasn't all he said either. Listen to what he also said about this child: "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.” (Lk 1:32-33)

This is the child we celebrate at Christmas time; the child who is great and is called the Son of God; the one whose kingdom will never end. 

Mary's journey to Bethlehem had a great purpose - the birth of a Saviour. Here on the other side of the world, some two thousand years after that event, we celebrate that birth. We don't celebrate a life and wonder what he might have done if he had lived longer. In Jesus we celebrate a life that goes on; a life that has conquered death; a life that brings salvation and forgiveness of sin. 

We celebrate Jesus. 

And in Jesus our life can not only have a great purpose, it has a great destination. I pray that it is not just the angels who will sing about this king. I pray that you too might be able to sing:

"Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

"Veiled in flesh the godhead see

hail the incarnate deity"

"Born that man no more may die

Born to raise the sons of earth

Born to give them second birth"

These aren't just old words we sing in December. These are songs about Jesus, and these are songs about you. Celebrate the one who gives life. Celebrate Jesus.