Two Days After Christmas

It’s two days after Christmas. The celebrations are over. The presents have been put up. Another Christmas in the books. Christmas 2024 will now take its place among all the Christmases passed.

I wonder what Mary was thinking two days after the first Christmas. It’s been quite a ride. How could she possibly have imagined a year ago that she would be a new mother. Let’s recap the last nine months of Mary’s life.

It all started with the appearance of the angel Gabriel who announces to her that even though she was an unmarried virgin she was going to have a child. And not just any child, but the promised Messiah who would save the world from their sins. I can imagine her saying to Gabriel, “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

And then, some time later, Joseph tells pregnant Mary the distressing news that Rome has called for a census and they will have to take an impromptu trip from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem.  I can imagine her saying to Joseph, “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

And then they arrive in Bethlehem and Joseph has some more upsetting news – there is no room in the guest house and they will have to spend the night in the animals’ quarters. I can imagine her saying to Joseph again, “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

And then, perhaps that night, Mary awakes in labor. She rouses Joseph and tells him the baby is coming and he will have to deliver him.  I can imagine Joseph saying to Mary, “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

And then, the baby is born and they finally get him to sleep and, wanting some rest, Mary and Joseph look for a place to lay the infant down and all they can find is a manger, a feeding trough, and they place the baby there. As they lay the baby down, I can imagine Mary muttering under her breathe, “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

Nothing has gone as expected these last nine months and Mary has to be wondering why? But I don’t believe all these surprises were accidents. I believe all these events – the virgin birth, the trip to Bethlehem, the no vacancy sign at the inn, the manger as a crib – all these events were intentional teaching us something about who Jesus is and what kind of kingdom he came to build. Jesus came as a humble king, not as a privileged ruler, to show us how much he loves us and to assure us that we can truly believe that he understands us in all our confusion. He understands us when we have those moments that leave us muttering to him, “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

Haven’t we all asked God that question - “You’ve got to be kidding me?” Haven’t we all wondered why our lives have not played out as we expected? But maybe all those unexpected surprises are not accidents. Maybe they are intentional - teaching us something about who God is. And maybe, just maybe, it’s in those “You’ve got to be kidding me?” moments that we really begin to trust in God.

And I think Mary got that. And I can imagine two days after that first Christmas her looking down in that manger at the sleeping Messiah and being in awe that God loves us so much that he came as a humble baby. And I can hear her in her amazement whispering, “You’ve got to be kidding me?”

I’m not kidding you. God became man in the person of Jesus to save us from our sins and one day by faith we will be able to thank him face to face. And on that day we will be awed by his love and overwhelmed at the eternal glorious home he has prepared for us. And in our amazement we will say, “You’ve got to be kidding me?"