Last night at Pipe we discussed the Christmas story from the perspective of the Holy Family. One of the themes we have hit on consistently, over the last several months, is the importance of understanding the scriptures in context — i.e. through the lens of history, culture, traditions, etc.
The story of the birth of Christ is incredible, no matter how you look at it. That said, it is no secret that so much of what we think we know about the scriptures is, at least to some degree, shaped by our own cultural norms and experiences. This isn’t always a bad thing, but certainly there is often something to be gained from a more holistic understanding of the context in which these stories are told.
A couple years ago at our Christmas Eve service [shameless plug: our Christmas Eve service is this Friday night at 5 p.m.], Pastor Novak offered some context surrounding the birth of Christ that many (I suspect most) Christians have never heard. He cited the work of a renowned near-eastern scholar who has devoted his life to understanding the culture and traditions present at the time and place of Christ’s birth.
He suggested three basic assumptions about the Birth of Christ that are more than likely wrong:
- That Mary and Joseph were all alone in Bethlehem.
- That there was no vacancy at the Bethlehem Hotel.
- That mangers are only kept in barns.
Please take a moment to watch the above video. In it, Pastor Novak dives in to the profound implications of these assumptions. What if the Christ Child was born in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a family reunion, little different than what many of us will experience this week?
What if, he asks, the “…arrival of Christ comes in the exact middle of the ordinary, in the everyday parts of our lives?”
Merry Christmas!
The Pipe 