The Nativity Story

I was speaking in Church last Sunday about "the Christmas Story". I always hesitate to use the word story in relation to accounts from the Bible as it suggests a fictional account rather a historical record. Although when I was doing my prep for the Sunday talk I realised that much of the story that we bandy about at Christmas time is a story in the true sense of the word. Over the years a lot of bits have been added to the biblical account of Jesus' birth and in my view have served to dumb down and sanitise what would have been considered a fairly scandalous way for the Saviour of the World to come to this earth. I would encourage to read the accounts in Matthew and Luke afresh and make note of all the things that we consider part of any good nativity that just aren't mentioned in the Bible.

For one there is no mention of an Innkeeper. There is no mention of Three Wise Men - but a group of wise men bringing 3 gifts. No mention of cattle, donkeys or other animals. And, what struck me the most, no mention of Jesus being born in a Stable. All we are told is that Mary laid her newborn in a manger (an animal'sfeeding trough) because there was no room for them in the Inn. The modern day nativity plays suggest Mary and Joseph settled down in a stable before she gave birth, but i don't think we can be so sure that things happened that way around. How do we know Jesus was not born before they found somewhere to stay? This is the person who as an adult would be said to be someone who had no place to call home - nowhere to lay his head.

It would have been considered scandalous enough that the Messiah, the conquering King of the Jews was not born with much pomp and ceremony in a palace somewhere. Jesus confounded the Jews' expectations in many ways throughout his ministry as he introduced the concept of grace - a relationship with God that is not based on rank, status, effort or anything that we do. In that light it seems obvious that his introduction to the world would be in the lowliest of circumstances. It just strikes me as odd that no one has ever told me that this could have been in the street or open air somewhere. Instead we like to think it was in a cosy barn with some kindly well-behaved animals lowing in the background somewhere.