Merry Census/Missing Christmas - Part 1

The weeks just keep getting busier. Mandatory parent meetings for school related activities, extra choir rehearsal to prepare for the Christmas musical, along with everyday chaos and a "small" construction project yet to be finished.

Every year I tell myself that I'm not going to get caught up in the busyness of Christmas only to be disappointed later when it's almost over and I wonder where the time went. Am I only observing the season? I have good intentions of keeping my focus on the true meaning. Have I really stopped to reflect on why we even have this holiday?

What about that first Christmas. There are some amazing similarities about what happened then and what goes on in our world today.

For starters, Luke 2 tell us that there had been a decree issued that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. So everyone had to return to their own town to register. So there was going to be some traveling. Which brings us to the town of Bethlehem.

What was perhaps a quiet little town, it was now full of people everywhere. Busy people. People consumed with all kinds of things. Some things important, some not. There was family to see, old friends from the neighborhood to look up. There may have even been those set up at the city gate (tail-gating) just to see who came home. There was also money to be made with all of the out-of-town guests. Shops stocking up on their goods hoping to sell their treasures. I think it is safe to say this town was a-buzzing.

Now Joseph had to take Mary with him to go and register. They had travel about 70 miles. A long way when traveling by donkey express. They were exhausted. Don't know what kind of "traffic" they may have encountered along the way but I doubt that was nothing compared to being very pregnant and riding on a donkey. They set out to look for a place to stay.

The innkeeper was probably in high stress mode - preoccupied with taking care of his business. We don't know if he was rude, unconcern about Mary's condition or if he even knew she was pregnant. He was just busy.

Just like we sometimes get. We become consumed with activities. Things that keep us running the roads kind of busy. We've got shopping to do, Christmas banquets to attend, office parties, school activities, dance recitals, decking the halls, and the house and the yard, Christmas cards to mail, Christmas cards to read, cookies to bake, menus to plan, and on and on and on. All these things competing for our time.

Back to Joseph and Mary. They had no place to go. The baby's on the way. All they know is there's no room. They find a quiet little place. Not the best of surroundings, but a place to bring this precious baby into the world. I'm sure it's not what Mary had planned. She probably wanted her mother to be with her there to offer support. Perhaps Joseph being a carpenter had made a beautiful cradle for their child. But now she finds herself there in a barn about to have her first child, all by herself. I know Joseph was there, but let's face it she had to do most of it by herself. It wasn't what she had planned.

Sometimes my Christmas's don't always turn out like I hope they would. When the day is over and things have quieted down, and I'm sitting among the clutter of wrapping paper, boxes and ribbon did I miss it? Did I miss Christmas?