The Most Wonderful Time of the Year?

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year

With the kids jingle belling

And everyone telling you to be of good cheer

It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”

Andy Williams goes on to croon about the happiest season and all the glories and joys that go along with it.

Glad tidings, merry songs, and a message to buy that perfect gift fill our ears.

Fancy decorations, glittering lights, and festive décor feasts our eyes.

Yet for many, this is not the most wonderful time of the year. The sparkles, glitter and music fade away into a distant memory when left alone with their thoughts.

For many, this is the first Christmas without a loved one.

The first Christmas with a broken relationship.

The first Christmas without the host of presents under the tree.

Our circumstances may lead us to feel that it’s the first Christmas without hope, peace, joy or love. Maybe for you, it’s multiple Christmases without any of those positive vibes.

But what if it doesn’t have to be that way?

Way back around 2 BC, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census was to be taken of the entire Roman world. Everyone was to return to their ancestral home to be counted. For Joseph and his betrothed Mary, they were to return to Bethlehem, the town of David. Joseph was from the house and line of David, and Mary was expecting a child.

I can’t imagine how dark of a time they were going through.

Mary and Joseph were not yet married, and Mary was very heavily pregnant. A pregnancy outside of marriage would have been an incredibly shameful experience at the time, and Mary was undoubtedly treated like outcast in her society. Joseph probably didn’t fare much better.

Months earlier, the angel Gabriel had come to Mary and told her that even though she was not yet married and a virgin, she would birth a son. The Son of God. How confused and astounded she must have been to have found such favor with God that would in turn flip her world upside down. The months in-between must have been terribly difficult with the insults, jeers, and shunning that likely came her way.

So, here they were, Joseph leading a very pregnant Mary on the back of a donkey into the town of Bethlehem. For anyone who has ever been pregnant, you know that the end of the pregnancy is incredibly uncomfortable. There are not positions of ease, and while better than walking, riding on the back of an animal over rough ground would not have been pleasant.

I’m sure they had Divine presence during this whole time period, but did they always have hope? Did they always feel at peace? Were they always joyous? Did they always experience love?

They must not have been among the first to arrive, as once in Bethlehem, there were no rooms available.

I wonder what they would have thought and felt. For Joseph, he would have been unable to properly care for the woman that he loved and planned to marry. A baby due, and no warm place to house his betrothed and soon-to-be-born child. Men typically were not present at a human birth, and he may have felt at a loss for the right thing to do.

Mary would have been absolutely exhausted from the trip. There most likely would not have been a midwife, or anyone other than Joseph to help her with the birth. She probably would have given birth (a very messy process) on the manger floor with no real way to clean up after. Did they bring swaddling cloths with them, or did they need to tear some of their clothing in order to make some? Were the stalls clean, or were they covered in animal filth?

In the most lowly of places, in some of the least desirable circumstances, our Savior was born.

Like any new parent, Mary and Joseph must have been in awe of their new little bundle. However, this birth was extra special. This small child wasn’t just a baby, he was also the Son of God. A profound happening that I can’t even begin to comprehend.

Dirty, alone, and weary, these outcast parents welcomed into the world the most glorious thing of all. They didn’t have fancy, sparkly decorations. They probably weren’t warm and comfortable like we would desire.

Yet there were glad tidings, and a host of songs more glorious than we can imagine.

Because with the birth of that one small child, all the people of the world were given hope. We were all given a source of peace. We were all given a cause of joy. And we were all given the greatest source of love.

We were given a Savior, the Messiah, our Lord.

Our circumstances may not be perfect, and in fact they may seem quite dark and dire. But, our circumstances are temporary, and we can have a hope that springs eternal.

Whatever is happing in your life today, I wish you hope. I wish you peace. I wish you joy, and I wish you love.

Merry Christmas.

-Amy

I would encourage you to read the biblical account in Matthew 1:18-2:23, and Luke 1:26-2:40.