Mary Had A Baby

In Seminary, some of my favorite classes dealt with theology – or what I refer to as the very big things of God. At Christmas, Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth. Because I’ve spent a good chunk of my adult life sharing the Christmas Story with children of all shapes and sizes in Sunday School, I’ve spent lots of time thinking about Mary and Baby Jesus – even more time than I’ve spent combing the aisles of Hobby Lobby and Michael’s looking for supplies for Base Camp service projects.

Various aspects of the Christmas Story continually blow me away. First, there’s the Incarnation – or how the Word became Flesh. God sent his Son Jesus to live amongst us. In John 1:10-14 we read,” He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Then, there’s the Virgin Birth. Jesus was not conceived via intercourse or a laboratory procedure, as occurs with some infertile couples today. In Luke 1:26-38, the angel Gabriel – the figure we suspend by a thread from the peak of the stable in our nativity scenes – informs Mary that she will be with child and give birth to a baby whom she will name Jesus. Mary, a virgin, is stunned. Let’s pick up the conversation at verse 35: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."

Other facets of the Christmas Story intrigue me as well. Joseph, Mary’s future husband and Jesus’ earthly father does not attract much attention. I wonder how Joseph reacted when Mary told him she was pregnant? Life back then was far different than it is today. Joseph not only had the right to divorce Mary, under Jewish law she could be put to death by stoning. God sent an angel to Joseph to verify Mary's story and reassure him that his marriage to her was God's will. Joseph willingly obeyed God, in spite of the public humiliation he would face.

Mary most likely was a teen mom. Though my mom gave birth to me when she was far too young, many of my friends waited until they were in their thirties to have children. They had husbands, homes, jobs, and money in the bank.
Mary was not only young, but she also gave birth in conditions that today's moms would deem both unsanitary and uncomfortable.  Whether she had Jesus a quaint stable that looked like the nativity scenes we grew up with (not that likely) or a stone cave dug into the side of a hill, or spent the night in someone's home where the animals slept on the lower level (far more plausible), Mary did not give birth in a spacious suburban medical center.  

Furthermore, there were no epidurals available.  Natural childbirth was a woman's one and only option.  Mary’s friends didn't host a shower where they bestowed her with onesies from Baby Gap or Hanna Andersson either. Mary wrapped her son in strips of cloth known as swaddling clothes. Life sure was different back then.