My Christmas Story

     He (Joseph) took with him Mary, to whom he was engaged, who was now expecting a child. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born.  She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. (Luke 5-7 NLT)

     I fashion myself as somewhat of a storyteller. If I had written the story, I might have rendered it differently. I guess that is why I am not God.

     First, I would have probably choreographed it a bit differently. I would have had Joseph make reservations at an elegant inn. God wanted to bring the King of Kings into the world with a common experience we all share. Instead of the stable, I would have spruced it up a little. Life is a bit rough around the edges sometimes.

     Second, I would have made the story a little more plausible. Can you imagine how often people said to Joseph, tell me again how your fiancé conceived this child? After about the fiftieth time he was asked, he probably gave up trying to answer it. God must have wanted his Son to be understood only by faith.

     Next, I would have made the story a little more respectable. A couple that was pregnant and not married? The bigger that Mary got, the more people talked. Nobody has done anything significant for God without first losing their reputation through no fault of their own. It doesn’t matter what people think, only what God knows to be true. Our moral compass must be directed towards deity and not humanity.  I would have picked people a little more gentile than Mary and Joseph. I would have pictured them as being more cultured, refined, and educated, yet God chose people more like you and me.  God wanted us to ponder the divine attributes of the babe in Bethlehem, rather than the temporal trappings surrounding his birth.  This baby did come to build a kingdom, but not based on power, privilege, or possessions, but goodness, kindness, and righteousness.

     Lastly, I would showcase my presumed excellent writing skills by creating an event that everyone in the world has to see. The occasion is so momentous; I would assume its entrance must be likewise. God must have wanted to show us that when he brings greatness into this world, we often do not recognize it. God wanted to demonstrate humility instead of pride.

     I could not have written the Christmas story because I would not have been qualified to do so. Too much of the time, I seek position and applause rather than goodness and righteousness. Too often, I think and act like I am the center of the universe. Jesus came to show us what God is like, and I don’t have enough of that image to be credible to write the story.

     Yes, if I were God, I would have written it differently. Aren’t you glad that I am not God?