We have had several Nativity sets during our marriage. Our current one is a real beauty by Jim North. It is very large and gives a folk art depiction of the scene. Our Mary is shown kneeling with her eyes gazing lovingly at her son.

The Bible doesn’t tell us a lot about Mary. We are told she was a virgin engaged to be married to a man named Joseph. She must have been well versed in the Jewish religion. Since women were not highly regarded at that time, the fact that she knew her scriptures speaks well of her family.

We can postulate that she knew of a savior to be born. Just think how the angel’s words must have turned her world upside down. She didn’t hesitate or make excuses. She accepted his words and asked how it could be. Then she burst forth in song and glorified the Lord. Would this be our reaction to startling news? We humans like to plan our lives and even our days. Mary accepted and praised.

I think that I can learn a lot from Mary – acceptance, praise, adoration, and patience. The Christmas season is so busy that nerves seem to wear thin, thus I‘m going to try to focus more fully on praise, adoration and accepting things as they are. I‘m sure that this will make my Christmas a more God-pleasing one.

At the center of the manger scene stands Joseph.

Joseph is easily overlooked in this Christmas story. Mary is the mother of the savior of the world and Jesus is the savior of the world….but is Joseph the “father of God”? I haven‘t heard anyone calling him that.

Mary had the baby, to be sure. Joseph stood passively by and watched. And so do we.
Recall, however, that Joseph also had an angel visitant who told him all that was to transpire: a son ( “The son of the highest,” “Emmanuel”) was coming to the world “through him.” He was not “out of the loop.” God seems to have been as concerned about Joseph’s part in this miraculous birth as He was concerned about Mary’s part. “Don’t be afraid to take unto thee Mary thy wife…” Joseph was afraid of what people were going to say about his fiancée, about the mystery of the whole prediction. But God sends an angel to him and assures him that it‘s all right.

We who know this story backwards and forwards may well find ourselves thinking something along the same lines: I am a Christian; Jesus is within me! What a miracle. But what will “they” say when they learn of my savior in me? Will I trouble myself to walk on foot to Bethlehem with my most-loved friend? Am I willing to risk the reputation of be-ing different from most of my friends? Will I trust God to meet the needs of my expanding family, especially when I “didn’t ask for this”?

Joseph quietly, obediently and faithfully acted upon his assigned (and unasked-for) task. He was the faithful husband (and, we assume, father, as well!), the provider, the role-model, and so on. And what did he get out of this? Becoming a small sculpted figure placed dutifully in a Wal-Mart crèche each year, trotted out and forgotten soon after?

The consistency and faith of this man is remarkable. May I, may we, too, do our appointed part in “birthing Jesus” into the world each day of our lives. Fame or anonymity, let it be as God the great Father wills and determines. May we be
willing to “play our part” as assigned and rejoice in the blessing of being in the cast at all.

No one knows what happened to Joseph after the birth of Jesus except for the trip to Jerusalem when Jesus was about 12. Other than that, he just sort of fades into the
historical past. May we all be willing to be just as obscure, just as faithful as this man who, whatever else he was, was privileged to be part of the Holy Family, just as you and I are members of God‘s holy family. Overlooked? Perhaps; Used in the service of God? Definitely! What could matter more?