Christmas in the midst of chaos
For many of us, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. As we look around we can see beautiful Christmas lights and trees, surrounded by joy and happiness. Many of us also look forward to gatherings with family and friends and holidays. The popular image of Christmas is also captured in the famous Christmas carol Silent Night which tells us that ‘All is calm, all is bright’.
However, as we learnt this week in the passage of Luke 2:1-7, the first Christmas actually happened in the middle of tremendous chaos. Starting from the census.
The Census (v. 1-2)
While Joseph and Mary were still fighting with the chaos they had in their own marriage with Mary’s pregnancy, they now had the news that a census had been called. For them, it seemed like the worst time for a census to be called.
There is a common saying ‘when it rains it pours’, meaning that when something bad happens another bad thing is sure to happen. It seems like this is exactly what was happening for Mary and Joseph. Then, there was the trip to Joseph’s home town.
The Distant City (v. 3-4)
In order to conduct a proper census, the Roman Empire required everyone to return to their city of birth. As Joseph and Mary were at Nazareth at the time, they now had to walk back to Bethlehem which was about 160 kilometres away, which would take around five days. To make things worse, Mary was also very close to birth!
Although it would never be their intention to make this trip, God was working in the background to move the Roman emperor to conduct the census at this time so that the couple could make their way to Bethlehem. This was required so that the prophecy in Micah 2:5 would come true which prophesises that Messiah would ultimately be born in Bethlehem.
Joseph and Mary did not know about the depth of God’s plan, just as we may not know in our own lives. Then came the couple themselves.
The Couple (v. 5a)
Joseph and Mary were specifically chosen by God to carry out one of the most crucial assignments in the history of mankind. The literal salvation of the world hinged upon this couple. Although they were engaged to be married, they still had the attitude to be faithful to the end. Only God could have chosen them because many others would have given up under the chaos of confusion. God waited until just the right time and the right season and the right couple, Joseph and Mary, to be parents of His precious son.
The Divine Baby (v. 5b)
In the midst of all confusion, Mary was close to giving birth and the angel had foretold Mary that the baby was going to be a baby boy. This would be a birth unlike any other birth as the baby was the divine son of God, Immanuel, meaning God with us. Parenting the son of God would be no mean feat. Mary and Joseph were thus unlike any other parents and had to bear the pressure of raising up the boy who would become a redeemer for everyone’s sins.
The Daunting Conditions (v. 7)
As if the confusion wasn’t enough, upon the couple’s arrival at Bethlehem, they were unable to find space at an inn, even with Mary about to give birth. The only room available was a small room behind the inn where livestock were fed. Surely not the cleanest environment, but as a lamb of God so he was born in a manger.
From the life of Mary and Joseph, we know that God can use confusion and chaos in our lives. You may feel like your life is in chaos; you may be experiencing relationship breakdowns, conflicts, rejection, loneliness or family problems. Jesus was not born into a night of peace and prosperity but one of chaos. However, it is because Jesus was born in chaos that we may say Christmas is good news. While in the eyes of man, the Christmas story seems filled with chaos and confusion, in God’s eyes He was delivering on His great and almighty plan which was to send Jesus to shine his light into the darkness. And he is more than willing for us to welcome Him into our chaotic lives. One day, this same Jesus will return to bring order and redemption to the chaos of this world. Let us rejoice in that.
Dear God
We thank you for planning everything perfectly from the beginning. Even though Christmas was a chaotic moment for Jesus to be born, we thank you for making everything beautiful according to your plan. Thank you for sending Jesus to save us from sin and death so that we may be reunited with you. We pray that we would continue to reflect on this as we approach Christmas.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen