The Messy, Perfect Christmas Story (by Nancy Varga)

““But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.””

— Luke 2:10-11

One of the traditions in our family, like many other families, is to open two presents on Christmas Eve.  One is always cozy new pajamas to wear to bed.  The second present was a new Christmas book. Truthfully, as the kids got older the books turned into movies. One of the things we all still look forward to over the Christmas break is watching and reading Christmas stories.  The classics never get old, and we have a comfortable expectation of how the new ones will go.  (Hallmark Christmas movies anyone?)  Traditions fit like a well-worn slipper.

This month, at Amberlea the family ministry team has been working on how to tell the traditional story of the first Christmas for the upcoming Christmas events, the Drive-Thru Live Nativity (Dec. 19) and the ‘Do Not Be Afraid’ Virtual Pageant presented by the children and youth (Dec.20).  As I tell my version of the story from 2000 years ago when Jesus was born, it sounds much like a Hallmark movie. It’s quaint, simple and oh so romantic.  Somehow I have managed to imagine that Mary was pleasant and delightful while she gave birth away from home, with just Joseph present, surrounded by animals, after walking for miles, and then be visited by smelly strangers. It even comes with a happy ending when the Magi bring amazing gifts.

Even as I write this version, it sounds a tad ridiculous.  There was nothing quaint or romantic about how things went down. And the happy ending is all but snatched away, as Mary, Joseph and Jesus go on the run from an evil king. (Best laid plans for a sequel.)

As I retell the Christmas story, I easily collapse it to the narrative that is comfortable and familiar for me. (Much like the pajama pants we all live in at our house.) I conveniently leave out the messy, fearful parts.

I don’t want my story to be messy, heated and uncomfortable. I don’t want to be afraid. I don’t want to be in the midst of Covid. I want things to be normal again.

Jesus’ birth story, the first Christmas was far from perfect. It was messy, uncomfortable and scary.  

It was part of a perfect plan. God’s plan. A plan that is so much bigger than what I can see.

We are reminded through Mary, Joseph and the shepherd’s story that we are part of God’s bigger story too.  The end of the story is that all things will be made right. God’s love once displayed in the birth of a tiny baby will have the final word.  In the meantime, the story is messy, uncomfortable and even scary and Mary and Joseph and the shepherds show us, remind us how to be in its midst. Give our praise and worship to God.

This Christmas, as my heart and head go between two worlds, (gratefulness and fear), I will be grateful for the opportunity to share the Christmas story with my children and grandchildren and bringing it to life in the parking lot of the church and on a video screen.

This Christmas when I am lying in bed fretting… or sitting at the table with empty chairs… or trying to connect with family over Zoom, I’m going to remind myself that Christmas was never perfect, but God’s plan is.

“Glorify and praise God for all the things you have heard and seen.” Go and share the story of Christmas, in all of its messiness and perfection.

Nancy Varga
Family Ministries Director

Drive-Thru Live Nativity  - Saturday, December 19, 12-3pm

Go back in time and experience the first Christmas outdoors. See the animals, shepherds, angels and magi all from the comfort of your car!

Spots quickly filling up. Register for your time at www.amberleachurch.ca

‘Do Not Be Afraid’, Virtual Christmas Pageant  – Sunday, December 20, 11am

Don’t miss the wonderful re-telling of the Christmas story by children and youth. Enjoy the creative, hard work of families as they performed and filmed their parts at home, and brought them all together to make the Christmas story come alive.  

Find it at www.amberleachurch.ca and Amberlea Church YouTube

Hopes and fears are met!

How are you coping? Christmastime in a global pandemic… it still seems like something out a sci-fi movie, doesn’t it!

In our home, we are trying hard to try to maintain as much of our Christmas traditions as possible even though we may be eating in the garage, and no one other than those who live in the house will actually see our beautifully decorated tree.

Christmas music has been filling our house…the classics like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause can be heard from the “All Christmas, All the time” radio station….even the Christmas carol O Little Town of Bethlehem came on.

Sometimes songs come on and we just sing along without taking notice of the words, but a line in this classic carol caught my attention, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” It struck me, as I was puddering around the house, the truth that Christmas deals with our fears.

On that first Christmas, God revealed His Son to the world in the midst of all humanity. There, in the tiny village of Bethlehem, the hopes and fears of all the years met in a Baby lying in a manger.

But Christmas is about shopping, wrapping, baking, cooking and over indulging right? It’s not about fear - but frankly fear, is one of the major issues we face when we first encounter God. There is the fear of the unfamiliar. And I would imagine that Joseph, the husband of Mary, had that kind of fear when the angel appeared to him in a dream.  This is what Matthew writes:

“Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” Matthew 1:19-20

Joseph would have been afraid of what was happening and he wouldn’t be human if wasn’t terrified about what people were going to say.  Imagine, being Joseph and your fiancee tells you that she is pregnant, but she was still a virgin.  Really?  This was definitely uncharted waters.

That’s why the words of the angel saying, “Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife” are very important. When the angel appeared to him and said, “Do not be afraid,” the angel zeroed in on his main problem. It’s our problem, too. We are afraid of the unfamiliar. When God is at work and we don’t know what God is doing, we can feel a degree of fear.  Bottom line: the things we don’t understand make us nervous.

The angel says to Joseph, “Don’t be afraid.” Don’t fear for your reputation, don’t be afraid of what you don’t understand. God is in this!” 

I don’t know about you but knowing that God is up to something in my life and in our world is an effective antidote to fear.

The message to Joseph and to you and me is the same. Don’t be afraid! Christmas is God’s intervention in our lives to bring joy and hope not fear.  Because,

“Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2:11

On that first Christmas night “the hopes and fears of all the years” were met with Jesus - Thank you God!

Listen to the angel

Over the phone, I heard something in her voice. 

“How are you doing?” I asked, “How are you, really?” And then a sniffle broke through the silence.

“I’m okay.” sniffle, “well actually…I feel quite done with all this, I don’t know how much more I can take. I am overwhelmed but what I hear going on in the world.”  There was another pause and then she said,  “Honestly, I am feeling lonely but more than anything else I feel afraid.”

We chatted for an hour after that. 

That was just one of the many conversations I have had in recent months and days. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on each of us, in various degrees —mentally, physically, financially and emotionally.

When she said, “I am feeling lonely and but more than anything else I feel afraid”, my heart both ached and resonated with hers. I wanted to say to her…

• But the spirit of fear does not come from God,

• Or quote 1 John 4:18 “No fear in love but perfect love casts out fear.”

• Or say to her, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

But at that moment what she really needed was for someone to listen. And that is what I did. After praying with her, I hung up the phone and tried to turn my head to preparing the Advent series.  I opened up to the Gospel of Luke to reread the Christmas story and there it was. It was rather remarkable.

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God.” (Luke 1:28-30)

Do not be afraid.

As I kept reading, I saw it again, this time with Joseph when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Do not be afraid”.

Keep on reading and you will see, as I did, that the angel of the Lord said to the shepherds in the field: “Do not be afraid”.

Do not be afraid.

It is normal to be afraid and it is easy to worry about what “may happen”. But what’s amazing is that the Word of God addresses this very thing and is full of reminders to the people of God to not be afraid.  

God is in control.  God is awake in the middle of the night when you feel like you are all alone.  God is in the midst of all of it — the loneliness, the struggles, the pain and the fear and even COVID— and God will see you through. God is here, waiting for us to call out to Him. God loves us so much. Don't be afraid, God is with us.  Emmanuel.

This Advent series has been inspired by you, dear one!  Thank you!  

Join me this week as we journey to Christmas Day with  Communion and Part 2 of:

Do Not Be Afraid!