I grew up learning stories from the Bible and picturing them in my head. The Christmas Story was no different; I remember how I envisioned it.
I could see Mary and Joseph making the trip to Bethlehem as Mary sat beautifully on the back of a donkey while nine months pregnant. I could picture the shepherds being startled by the angel that came out of nowhere, the Wise Men riding camels through the desert, all three in a perfectly spaced line, and the beautiful birth of our Lord Jesus in a stable, glowing by candlelight.
Now that I’m older and can read the Bible, ask questions, and dig deeper, I have a completely different view of the Christmas Story.
Mary was a teenager who was following God’s will, which was told to her by an angel. I’ve tried to put myself in her shoes and, if I were her, I would’ve been terrified! We know God has His hand on everything, but we’re still human and it’s hard to fully trust at times – especially in scary times. Mary did as she was told and obeyed.
The shepherds were probably shaking in their sandals when the angel came to them in the field. I can’t imagine being out in a field with sheep at night in the first place, but they still obeyed.
The Wise Men were told to travel far away to meet a small child who would be their King. Having faith is one thing, but I imagine during those years of traveling, there were a few times that, “Did I hear him right?” went through at least one of their minds! They were still obedient.
Mary was in active labor in a stable. Can you imagine bringing a child into this world that way? In the days leading up to His birth, a lot of obedience had to happen for God’s story to be complete.
When I’m in “Christmas mode,” it’s easy to go full steam ahead and not stop to think about the actual miracle it was for Jesus to be born. Obedience was the key for all those individual pieces to come together, to bring one tiny baby into this world who would forever change the way we live. Even if we don’t understand the why – but we feel the call – we should always listen to God, because what He has in store is beyond anything we can imagine.
Taylor Easttom, Edmond Campus Director of Children’s Ministry
