Humble Creche

 

 

A friend on Facebook shared this picture. When I first saw it, I chuckled at it and thought it was clever. As I went through my day, that image kept reappearing in my mind. The more I thought about it, I realized that it was more accurate than I had ever realized. You see, I want to believe that Jesus’s birth was like the Christmas pageants we observe during the holidays. I want to think that Jesus’s birth was a peaceful event just like the nativity scene that adorns my mantle. But truthfully, it is more like the simple scene in this photo.

I do not claim to be a Bible scholar by any means. I did some research on each of the parts of our humble nativity scene. It was quite interesting and wanted to share them with you.

The crèche — We know that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, however the time and place are unclear. We know that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem because of a Roman census. Tim Chaffey, who writes for http://www.AnswersinGenesis.org, tells us that Mary and Joseph would have stayed with relatives during this time and not at an inn or motel like we have today. He writes that the Greek word for inn in this scripture means a guest room.

Joseph and Mary probably stayed with Joseph’s relatives in Bethlehem. Because of the large influx of people, the house would have been crowded and the guest room was full, he writes. Chaffey also explains that modern archaeologists, who have excavated first century homes from the Judean hill country, have discovered that the upper level served as a guest chamber. Lower level rooms served as the living and dining rooms. Oftentimes, the more vulnerable animals would be brought in at night to protect them from the cold and theft. Thus, Mary and Joseph could have been in one of these guest rooms with a few animals – not in a barn as so many Christmas pageants portray.

The camel – The camel shouldn’t even be part of a nativity scene because it is believed that the wise men came to see Jesus as a young child and not an infant. Chaffey writes that the Greek word for young child is used to describe Jesus in Matthew 2 at the time that the magi arrived. However, he warns that no one knows Jesus’s age or why the family was back in Bethlehem when the magi arrived. These mysteries contribute to this misconception concerning the nativity.

The angel – The Bible tells us that the angel announced Jesus’s birth, and the multitude praised God. Chaffey tells us that surprisingly, the Bible doesn’t state that the angels sang. We don’t know what they did, but we can be assured that it was magnificent. We do know the angels spoke to the shepherds but we don’t  know if and when the shepherds actually visited the Holy family, he adds.

Mary and Joseph – I can’t help but have admiration and respect for these two. They were put in a terrible situation and yet, they trusted God and his plan. At the time of the divine conception, Mary and Joseph were betrothed, which was as legally binding as marriage is today. They were regarded as husband and wife, and a certificate of divorce would be required to dissolve that union. Chaffey tells us that Joseph could have charged Mary with adultery because of her pregnancy. She could have been stoned to death. Joseph wanted to put Mary away secretly, which means he was planning to obtain a legal divorce, Chaffey writes. But after the angel appeared to Joseph, he chose not to press charges and keep Mary for his wife.

Jesus – I find it interesting that our Lord and Savior was placed in a manger. This is the equivalent of a feeding trough. I am thinking that maybe Mary needed to rest or take care of some personal business and so she laid Jesus in the manger. Possibly the floor was dirty or cold. It wouldn’t be my first choice to put my child and I’m sure it wasn’t Mary’s either. Of course, Jesus didn’t come to earth just to inspire heartwarming stories and glorious holiday pageants. He came to live a sinless life. He revealed to man who God is and modeled how we should live. He died a horrible, sacrificial death on the cross for our sins, and conquered death by rising from the dead!

It’s been my observation that God likes to use the most likely of circumstances and people to get a task done. He didn’t choose the largest brother to conquer Goliath. He chose the youngest one, a teenager. He didn’t choose a great leader to head up a trip to the Promised Land. He chose a man who needed his brother to speak for him. We both know how both of those stories turned out.

Many of God’s prophesies were fulfilled that night, but not with the splendor and magnificence that it should have been. I believe God uses humble people of the world, so that we can really see His glory in action. When we see what God can do with ordinary people, we realize that He can do the same with us.  We are all empty, everyday objects just like the ones in our nativity. But with God’s power and plan, these ordinary objects and people can do wonderful things and touch others!

 

 

 

The Other Side of the Fence

 

 

This is my first Christmas on the other side of the fence — the school yard fence that is. For 23 years I was a teacher. All but five of those years have been at elementary schools, where there is a definite protocol of holiday events.  They seem to be similar everywhere. When I drive by the elementary school near my house,  I have observed those same school traditions.

First there was the back to school excitement. Teachers go to school a couple of weeks before the kids and get the locker tags, desk tags, and cubby tags all made and taped in their respective places.  Then there’s the bulletin boards and the classroom door. Although no formal competition for best door exists to my knowledge, there is a secret satisfaction knowing that you would win if there were.

Then came Halloween and all of its traditions, including giving out candy to the kindergarten trick-or-treaters, Halloween parties, and an occasional haunted house. In Texas, we also celebrate Red Ribbon week or Say No to Drugs week during that time. This includes crazy hair day, wear red day, crazy sock day, etc. Halloween Day is always scare away drugs day! I noticed the crazy hair, the red ribbons tied onto the playground fence, and the little Elsas and Batmans.

Now we’re in the Christmas season. I’ve observed the snowflakes on windows and the Christmas holiday countdown on the marquis. If I could peek inside, I’m sure there are Charlie Brown Christmas trees in classrooms, Santa letters down the hallways,  and glitter deeply embedded in carpets. I would see children practicing for the upcoming Christmas program and music teachers stressing because the kids don’t know their parts yet. One evening next week, there will be a multitude of cars out front of school for the grand event.

I may not participate in all these events in the same way, but I still do in my own way. I still work at a school, but the kids are bigger.  It’s a medical school at a university. It’s an interesting place to work because the people there are so diverse. Getting ready for the start of the school year was quite different. Instead of putting up bulletin boards and making locker tags, I made folders for the new fiscal year and shredded old files. I donated school supplies at my local office supply store. I know many teachers that buy supplies for their classrooms and students.

College students don’t decorate dress up for Halloween at school. They don’t have Christmas programs. Instead they have charitable contribution weeks. They sell t-shirts, brownies, and cupcakes at little card tables to benefit organizations. They have canned food drives and warm clothing drives. They put notices on bulletin boards about programs about AIDS, yoga, and diversity.  And best of all, they have a Christmas door decorating contest! Once again, a contest only for bragging rights and for confirming your secret suspicion that you are superior to your office neighbors.

On second thought, things aren’t much different on this side of the fence.

Christmas Doesn’t Come from a Store

 

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!”    — Dr. Seuss from How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! has always been one of my favorites. I’ve always hoped that if something catastrophic were to happen to my family and I that we would respond to it like the Whos in Whoville. Despite having everything stolen from them, they still sang and observed the true meaning of Christmas.

I believe that Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, but I must admit, I have been guilty of taking the Christ out of Christmas.  It can be a stressful time for me.  It especially was difficult when I still lived with my alcoholic husband. Christmas stressed him, and he responded to it by drinking more. It was the time of year when he really missed his family that had passed away and felt the pain of his own inadequacies. And I responded to this by enabling him.  I was very codependent during this period of my life. I thought I was being the “good” partner by  taking on all of the responsibility of decorating and buying gifts for our family. Instead I was setting myself up to become a financial disaster.

According to the American Research Group, Americans will spend on average $860 this year on Christmas gifts. Personally, I think this is a low estimate. Many will spend more than this and are not in a financial place to do so.  I know this is what I did when my children were small. There are a number of reasons we overspend at Christmas. Some include:

1.  Unreal Christmas expectations.  My ideal Christmas gathering would be a family grouped around a full, lavishly decorated Christmas tree. The family, all clad in matching pajamas, are opening their beautifully wrapped gifts. They thank each other for the thoughtful gifts and sing Christmas carols and drink hot cocoa. It’s a scene straight out of  L.L. Bean catalog. But few of us enjoy a scene like that. But back to reality, expectations for social gatherings with family, friends and acquaintances — that we don’t even like — is stressful. And finally, many people feel very lonely at Christmas, because they have suffered the loss of loved ones or their jobs. I can relate to all of these problems.

2. Credit card debt. I’ve always wanted to give my children nice things for Christmas  and rationalized that I can use my credit cards to get them. I knew I could pay my balances in “easy monthly installments.” However, when you get too many of those, they eventually add up to a big mountain of debt. Mine got so big that I couldn’t make the payments.  At one time, I was making a over half of my income on credit card payments, and I couldn’t even tell you what it was for.   Years of therapy has taught me how wrong this was and I have paid off my debt now.

3.  Filling voids in our lives.  Studies also show that people with low self-esteem engage in more impulse spending and buying things they don’t need. The book Spent says we live in a culture “that teaches outer appearances and material acquisitions can sooth psychological problems and enhance self-worth.” Most of us believe that we will be more easily accepted if we dress a certain way, drive a certain car, or live in a certain neighborhood, etc. We want this for ourselves and for our children, as well.  Advertisers have spent significant amounts trying to manipulate our desires and preferences.  In reality, our trying to impress others leads to a insurmountable financial burden.

The last few Christmases, I have made an effort to keep my spending under control. I buy with cash and I use a budget. I make a list and decide on what I am going to spend on each person and do so.  I have finally realized that I cannot give love, joy, and peace to people with material things. I have learned that the gifts of saying “I love you” and “I’m proud of you” are more highly valued than things that come from a store. I have learned that time spent with family and friends are times to treasure, instead of worldly trinkets that they give us.  I have learned to include Christ in my Christmas celebrations. I have learned that Christmas doesn’t come from a store.

 

Just Say No!

I guess I’m kind of slow, but only recently, have I opened my eyes to the business of marketing.  The business of pushing the latest fall fashions, spring fashions, gotta-have Christmas decorations, etc. that makes up modern-day consumerism.

I was brought up in a “normal” middle-class, Hamburger Helper eating family.  We got the Sears catalog about mid-summer and started studying it. We’d pick out ten outfits and mom would narrow it down to about three. We’d go get us some new school shoes the weekend before school started and we were good to go.  Aaahhh, the good ‘ole days.

Sending my daughter back to school a few weeks ago was not that simple.  There are the fashions, the shoes, the new cosmetics, the new computer, and then there is the dorm-room stuff. Many department stores have complete lines of organizers and bedding for dorms. It’s expensive and nearly the equivalent of Christmas shopping.

That’s when I had to stop and ask myself why am I doing this? When did Thanksgiving become about standing in lines to buy Christmas gifts in the middle of the night? What about spending time with family and gorging yourself and watching football?

And don’t even get me started about Christmas.  In 1965, a very wise man Charles Schultz forsaw the future.  He was adamant that the true meaning of Christmas be told through the words of Linus. He was quoted as saying “if we don’t, who will?” The television executives all thought this television special would be a disaster.  They thought the American people would not approve of  the scripture reading and there was not a “laugh track”. In addition, they thought the jazz soundtrack did not belong in a children’s cartoon.  But, we know better.

We as a society have been conditioned to believe that we have to change our decor for the seasons, have the latest colored boots, have wide-leg then skinny leg jeans, etc. We spend so much time buying new things — not because there’s anything wrong with it, but because it not longer is the “in” fashion.  Companies are making millions of dollars from us “keeping up with the Joneses,” following the latest fads.

Now I don’t have a problem with us buying a new pair of jeans or boots, but make your reason because you need them or like them — not because we have to have them to fit in or be cool.  If you want an aluminum Christmas tree, that’s great. But don’t let advertisers guilt you into one so that you can be a good parent and provide wonderful Christmas memories for your children.

It was a major “ah ha” moment when I realized that I have bought so many things out of guilt or obsessing with the latest trends. Things that I probably didn’t need but thought they would make me happy.  Things don’t make us happy. Things are objects to use in our life and they don’t give us status or a “best mom” award. We can be fashion rebels, originals, and free-thinkers. We can just say no!

Until next time, Susan