Thoughts for the Day

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.’ So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

When I was the Rector of East Bergholt, there was a lovely tradition. Each Christmas a baby and their parents were invited to be Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus in a tableaux during one of the Christmas services. The family were dressed suitably and the baby was placed in a life-sized manger. Most of the infants were amazingly well behaved, as they gazed in wonder at all the strange things (including often a donkey), and not least at their adoring parents dressed in strange clothes.

A newborn child has such potential. What will they become? Will they grow up to become a nurse or doctor, a builder or a train driver, a teacher or a farmer? Will they be athletes or musicians, artists or actors? At the carol service and the midnight service I was always greeted with confident men and women who would greet me with "I was the Christmas baby X years ago". They would introduce me to their partners and their own children, tell me about their life and generally share their Christmas joy with me!

If we look at our reading from Luke's gospel we see another newborn baby. It is the shepherds who see his potential - those men who couldn't obey the Law of Moses because they lived much of the year in the fields or mountains with their sheep and who were thus shunned by the religiously correct. It is these who hear the angels message that the Messiah had been born, and who go to Bethlehem to praise God and to worship His Son. Throughout His life it was often the poorest and humblest who saw the truth - that God's Son was born as a man to offer us salvation.

Almighty God,
we thank You for those who saw
the potential in a new born baby,
and who believed that He was the Messiah
who had come to save them.
May we celebrate with joyful hearts
this festival season,
and help to put 'Christ'
back into 'Christmas'.
Amen.