December 25: Great Expectations

The Nativity of the Lord

Christmas can be disappointing. We remember the Christmases from our childhood, all the joy, the excitement, and the fun we had. When we grow up, we have to shop for gifts, write and mail the cards, put up the decorations, and do all the preparations that seem to stress us out. We may be sad that the day did not meet our expectations. Now that most of that is done, (unless you are reading this on a break from cleaning house before the grandkids arrive) we can reflect on how the first Christmas upset all expectations.

I’m sure Joseph never expected to have a child so soon. Or to have the baby born in a stable miles from their home in Nazareth. The shepherds never expected to be awakened by angels. And those Jews who looked forward to the coming of a Messiah never expected him to come as a baby. Yet God had reasons for coming in this way.

The nativity scene looks so peaceful and beautiful, but the reality was not so romantic. The messiah came not to the sound of war horns, but the cry of a helpless infant. He was born in a stable because no one had room for him. The first to see him were the shepherds, the migrant workers of the time. The political leaders (Herod and friends) wanted to kill him.

Jesus was born in this way to show that he came not for the important and wealthy, but for the poor and outcast. As an adult, he would continue to surprise: he ate with sinners and tax collectors; he challenged the religious leaders of Israel. He was executed as a criminal.

So today he continues to come to us in the homeless, the undocumented immigrant", the sick, those in prison, the unborn infant, that we might find him where we least expect. Can we learn to see him in the unexpected, in our trials and difficulties, our own weaknesses? When we do, we will celebrate what Christmas is truly about.

Tom Schmidt