Nativity

As I sat there in the sanctuary this evening, I can’t help but be in awe by how far we have come since that humbled birth so many years ago.  Tonight, and for the next twelve days, a significant population of the world will be celebrating Christmas.   Many more have been celebrating already in the weeks prior.  Yet, what we have come to adore, that which we have come to accept as the norm- the many social gatherings, the elaborate festivities, and the exchange of holiday spirit; that all originated from a simple birth.  A birth that was shrouded in uncertainty, and hardship.  A birth that began with a pregnancy which was at that time potentially scandalous, immaculate or not.  A birth that began with a woman’s acceptance of G-d’s burden, and a man willing to honor his word and defend the honor of his fiancé.  A birth that took place in a manger because the world was cruel, and two wearied travelers, despite being in dire straits, was denied charity and regulated to the status of livestock.  Even in the celebration of his miraculous birth, we see the threats of death that are already presented to his person, in the form of the gifts presented by the wise men, and in their avoidance of a jealous king’s ambition to slaughter a potential heir. 

The nativity bespoke of a troubled time, and we seem to forget that.  The holiday season has become a joyous occasion, as it should be.  However we must not forget that it is a product of hardship.  We must not forget that it was to the mean and lowly shepherds sleeping in the fields with their wards that the news of a birth of a king was announced.  We must not forget the meager settings in which said king was born. 

Hope, hope that warms the heart, hope that fans the flames of faith, did not in fact come in glory, but in darkness, and in suffering.  As we sit together this Christmas season, may we remember to embrace that element of our faith.  Tradition dictates that we celebrate, that we put on a happy face, and share the joy with friends and loved ones.  Yet, as we sit together ready to laugh, may it be acceptable as well to share a tear or two for the harshness endured.  Christ did not come to this world as meekly as he did so that we can rave, but he did so that we may look upon our subjectively ineffectual lives and realize that we have the potential to make it better.  As we lament and bewail the dark times that have befall us, may we have the opportunity to realize that we are given the ingredients to a remarkable success story.  While we may feel downtrodden, while we may feel left out, defective at this moment, there is no telling high we may soar someday.  No one wants to hear a success story where everything went right; it is hard to relate to that kind of “perfection”.  Instead, we want to hear a story of hardship overcame and obstacles conquered because there is hope for us to do likewise.  At the core of the nativity narrative is not so much that Christ is born, but Christ came to this world significantly disadvantaged and still made it big. 

And so it is during this holiday season that I implore you to reflect on your lives, to confront the darker elements, and be not ashamed of that which you were unable to accomplish.  I pray you can embrace the rawness of your own narrative, the vulnerability of your humanity as Christ was with his own.  We all have humble beginnings, and as bad as it may seem to you and yours at this moment, I hear all the hallmarks of a success story in the making.  Celebrate, for it is meet and right so to do; more importantly, hope. For what good is a candle in a lit room?  No, Christ came as a beacon in dark times.  If you have the light of faith, share it and rejoice.  If your flame is flickering in the cold, no worries, the dryness of winter is what gives twigs their essence to burn brilliantly.   

Lastly, Merry Christmas wherever you may be;  be it enroute on a long and arduous trek to your own personal Bethlehem, getting rejected by an allegorical inn keeper, sitting in a lowly manger, or basking in the glow of afterbirth, surrounded by the adulation of shepherds, wise men, and angels.