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Monday, December 25, 2006

Christmas Story - A Perspective

Mary

“Now that’s something you don’t see every day. An angel shows up to tell you you will become pregnant. And without relations with a man. He called me ‘Blessed one’. I’m not even sure what he meant. What kind of a greeting was that? What brought me favor with God? I don’t understand. And what a child! The Son of the Most High? The King? I don’t understand at all. Who can I tell? Joseph is a nice enough guy. We will be married, after all – I hope. But he wouldn’t understand. Who would? I’m carrying the Child of God! Well, Gabriel said that my cousin Elizabeth has a miracle baby on the way as well. I have to share this with someone. I’ll go see her.”

Joseph

“Oh, this is bad. This is really bad. Pregnant? My fiancé is pregnant? How could she? Mary seemed like a nice enough girl. Now she gets herself pregnant? How will this look? This is bad, really bad. I really don’t want to do more damage to her reputation than is absolutely necessary. I’ll have to break off the engagement and send her away. It won’t be pretty. I’ll do it quietly. But this is really bad.”
Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:20 22).
“Oh, now this is bizarre. When was the last time you had a visit from an angel in your dreams? Was I dreaming? Was it real? Seemed real. Maybe I imagined it all. But who makes this stuff up? Conceived of the Holy Spirit? He will save us all from our sins? This is not the kind of thing one imagines on his own. It must have been real. My fiancé isn’t merely pregnant. She is carrying the Savior. Really bizarre. We should probably get married soon – the sooner the better. This is really strange.”

Joseph and Mary

“Hi, Elizabeth. Can I talk to Mary, please? Hi, Mary.”

“Oh, hello, Joseph. I suppose you’re here to tell me it’s over between us.”

“Actually, Mary, no. I’m here to ask you to marry me sooner.”

“Sooner? Haven’t you heard? I’m pregnant.”

“Yes, but I was told who the Father is.”

“Oh, you know then? This is really strange.”

“Tell me about it. But if God wants to father a child through my fiancé, I’m fine with that.”

“How about naming Him ‘Jesus’?”

“Oh, you got that information, too? Yes, the angel that visited me said the same thing.” (Aside: “See, I knew it was too bizarre to be imagined.”)

“When do you want to marry?”

“Well, we have this requirement from Rome to go to our home town. Marry me before that, and you can go with me.”

“As you wish.”

God

“This is going to be tricky. I’ve planned for a peasant girl to be pregnant without an earthly father involved. I’ve planned for her husband to raise the child. I’ve planned to get them to Bethlehem, where I told My people the Savior would be born. I’m dropping my Son, my Only Begotten, into human form, into the form of a baby. I know that Satan, that dragon, is waiting for Him. I will need to protect Him from Satan, guard Him from Herod, and carry Him along the path that I have foreordained He will walk. This is going to be very tricky. Shouldn’t be a problem at all.”

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