“The sheer ordinariness of it all”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Monday, December 25, 2023
Luke 2:1-20 (Forward, p. 47) CEV p. 1056
There is something about this ‘royal birth’, the entrance of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords into this world, that strikes a person as being strangely unusual. Generations of the children of British royals have been born inside the private Lindo Wing of the non-National health Service maternity unit of St. Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London. It is fully expected that the births will take there, much to the delight of the waiting British public. And, of course, there is all the security arrangements and arrangements for privacy that you’d expect.
And, in like manner, when the British royals travel, or, for that matter, the Prime Minister of Canada or the UK, or the President of any country, or even many performers as well, it is quite customary for there to be a security detail, and various ‘handlers’ and officials that orchestrate the accommodations, travel and every possible detail of the journey.
None of this was present, none of this was in place, for the greatest of all royal births, that of Jesus Christ. No advance arrangements had been made, and in fact, there was no room for them in the local inn. And, what is more, they had to settle for a stable, of all places. But at least it was private, away from ‘the maddening crowds’, and relatively warm and clean and protected. However, for anyone expecting something better, it was quite a ‘downer’, quite a disappointment. But Mary and Joseph simply took it in stride.
And, as for the throngs awaiting announcing the royal birth at St. Mary’s, here we only have a bunch of smelly, grubby, working class folks, a bunch of ordinary folks, shepherds in fact. And instead of a ‘town crier’ as with our British royals, they had to settle for a bunch of angels. Apart from that, everything else about this was totally ordinary.
But that, indeed, is the whole point of Jesus’ birth. He was born into humble beginnings and into a totally ordinary family. He attended the synagogue and the Temple and presumably received instruction at the former. He was a dedicated Jew and kept all the traditional practices of His faith. And, from His adolescent years onward, He worked in His father’s
shop as a carpenter. And He experienced all the emotions, trials and temptations that we face. There was nothing, nothing at the first anyway, that marked Him as being different, as being out of the ordinary.
And so, He is totally one of us, one with us—with us ordinary people. And so, we have an Emmanuel, God with us, who totally understands, and, because He has defeated sin, guilt and death once and for all, stands ever ready and able to help us. Thanks be to God for such an indescribable gift: an ordinary Saviour for all of us terribly ordinary people.
Forward notes: “Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people; to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord’” (verses 9-11).
“The shepherds are hanging out in the fields with sleeping sheep when the sky lights up like a great lightning storm or unidentified flying object. Wouldn’t you be afraid too? But God’s messenger, an angel, offers blessed assurance and comfort.
“Have you ever been in a situation where you started out terrified—and then somehow, for some reason, you found peace? My brother’s daughter split her lip open while jumping on a hotel bed. He rushed her to an emergency room, where he learned the nearest surgeon was 45 miles away. My brother was worried when suddenly a calm presence came over him and a spirit of peace descended. Like the shepherds, he stopped being afraid.
“The shepherds play a pivotal role in the story of Jesus. When ordinary people open their hearts, the world is transformed.”
Moving Forward: “Are you afraid? Ask God for strength and peace.”