Beauty Amidst Chaos
Tendi is an Ordinand at Gas Street, studying at St. Mellitus College.
Luke 2:1-7 (NIV)
In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.
The countdown to Christmas Day is officially on! It’s the week before Christmas! Schools are closing, post offices are sending last orders, travel plans are being finalised, Christmas food shops are ready and presents are nearly all sorted. The city centre is a hive of activity with people enjoying the Christmas market or popping from shop to shop to get their last-minute presents - you can imagine how busy and slightly chaotic the city centre is. There is a general feeling of being rushed, panicked and stressed as people ensure they get the perfect gift for their loved ones.
In today’s passage, we can imagine a similar buzz. A census was announced in the entire Roman world, and everyone had to travel to their hometowns to be counted. Roman roads would have been packed with families travelling from cities, towns and villages. It would have been very busy and very chaotic. A simple but profound and beautiful story comes in the middle of this chaos. Mary gave birth to a son.
If it were any other story, we’d probably miss that detail amidst the hubbub of the census gathering, but this detail is a world-changing event. This Son would grow up, perform miracles, heal people, preach wonders, find a new eternal kingdom - and go on to die on a cross and then rise again! During the rest of this week, we will look at the story of this Son and how his story is the greatest story of all, but today, I’d like you to pause and take a minute to reflect on who this Son is to you.
Prayer - Father, we thank you for sending your Son to be born. Please help us to see the beauty of that story today.