A Bundle of Myrrh

Does your Christmas seem a million miles away from Mary’s miraculous birth of God in Bethlehem, the wise men divinely guided by the illustrious star, the angels sublimely singing God’s praises in perfect harmony? We would like amiraculous, eye-opening, and awe-inspiring Christmas this year, like thefirst one. More likely, the real result of Christmas is strained relationships, stressful travel arrangements, crunched finances, and annoying preparation. At first glance, our Christmas seems unrelated to the first Christmas. At a closer look though, it is apparent that the actual meaning of Christmas is only truly grasped by those who are trapped in an ordinary, mundane, and unsettled life.

Mary had a strained relationship with Joseph, because it took an angel from heaven to convince Joseph not to ditch his pregnant fiance. The first Christmas was not a trouble-free or cozy get-a-way. Traveling to paying taxes is not glamorous or inspirational, but that is the only reason we sing “O Little Town of Bethlehem.” Not only that, Joseph was at his wits end trying to find lodging, but was unprepared and out of luck. The wise men had a star to follow, but they were mostly clueless as to what they were doing. They were so confused they went to Herod, the wicked baby-killer, for advice on what they were looking for. Their journey was no cakewalk, it included struggles and detours. Finally, the shepherds in the country heard the angels sing, but they knew about tending animals, not peace, goodwill, and other profound concepts. They must have been perplexed—what learning or education did they have to understand the greatest news ever told? Why did the angels only tell the dull and ordinary shepherds what Christmas is about?

The story of Christmas is the story of normal, everyday people searching for relief and comfort from their commonplace struggles. The ordinary circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus tells of God’s mercy to lowly and humble people. A miraculous baby was born among stressed, troubled, and mediocre people, in an unremarkable way. At the first Christmas, the remarkable was ordinary, to show us that the ordinary can be remarkable.