Chaotic Christmas

I don't know about you, but this time of year feels a bit like losing your mind. We're supposed to have it altogether so that we can have a perfect Christmas.

What does that even mean? What is a "perfect Christmas"?

Does it mean that we gather with all our family and best friends? Is it eating all the delicious food and collapsing in a food coma? Is it giving to charities? Is it observing fun traditions like looking at the neighborhood lights? What does a perfect Christmas mean to you? How do you create that?

I'll tell you what. The whole reason we celebrate, the first Christmas, was far from perfect.

Imagine with me, will you? A young woman, who's minding her own business, receives a visitor from an otherworldly creature. That creature tells her that she will have a baby, even though she's a virgin. Oh! And this baby will be God. Name Him Jesus. What?!? Ok, sure, fine. But she's betrothed to someone already and what in the world will he think? After her fiance is greeted by another otherworldly creature with the same message, he agrees to stay betrothed. This likely causes all kinds of shame to the couple who are not married. Talk about tea being poured everywhere. Okay, life goes on. Then, he receives a notice that a census of the people is happening and he must go back to his hometown. So now, despite his fiance being extremely pregnant, they must travel miles to another town. (No mention of a donkey or camel, so who knows?) They arrive at the town and find that everyone else is there too. (Imagine going into Toronto during a Blue Jays game, a DC comic con and a Taylor Swift concert.) Everyone and their brother are packed into this city and the hotels and motels are booked solid. While they were there, she gave birth. Again, they had nowhere to stay, so they used a stable. Let's pretend that it's like finding a shed in an alleyway where stray cats hang out. Not exactly sanitary conditions for a baby to born. (That's not even half of the chaos. Go read Luke 2 in the Bible. It's a great story.)

And yet, this is exactly why Jesus was born. He came to live among us in the cold, dirty unforgiving, broken world. God could have come in pomp and circumstance as a great king, showing Who He is, but He didn't. He came in humility. He came to our chaos to rescue us out of it.

Hosea 11:9

"I AM the Holy One, and I am among you."

Luke 2:10

"The angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, because I am bringing you some good news. It will be a joy to all the people. Today, your Savior was born in David's town. He is Christ, the Lord.'"

So if your Christmas feels less than festive and chaotic, remember the Savior of the world was born into chaos. He is God with us-Immanuel. He is your hope in this dark world.

Merry Christmas!