While that birth narrative is very familiar and comforting to us, I suspect this is not the way Mary and Joseph would have chosen to welcome their child into the world. I am sure they would have preferred to stay home surrounded by loving and doting family and friends. But this was no ordinary birth and so it is appropriate that it did not happen in an ordinary way. It was part of a longer narrative that forever changed the world.

We, too, are not living in ordinary times. So much is different this year, including the ways in which we are all going to be celebrating Christmas. No, it won’t be the way we have celebrated in past years. No, it is not the way we would like it to be. 

One of my favorite Christmas stories is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” (I happen to think that Dr. Seuss is one of the best theologians I have ever read!) You know the story. The Grinch hated Christmas and was determined to keep it from coming. By stealth, he stole all the decorations, all the food, all the gifts, and even the tree. He was smugly confident that he had succeeded in halting the coming of Christmas. But not so fast, Grinch. Christmas cannot be stopped or stolen.

On Christmas morning, all the Whos in Who-ville gathered in the public square, formed a large circle, joined hands, hearts, and voices, and SANG. They sounded joyful. They sounded grateful. They sounded loved. They sounded that way because that is how they felt. Despite all that had been taken from them, they still felt joyful, grateful, and loved. So they sang! Seeing and hearing them, the Grinch realized that “He hadn’t stopped Christmas from coming. IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! . . . Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Christmas . . . perhaps . . . means a little bit more!”

The Grinch could not steal or stop Christmas from coming. This year we will not let COVID (our contemporary Grinch) stop or steal our Christmas, either. It will come. And our hearts will once again be filled with joy, gratitude, and love. And our souls will sing our praises to God.

Yes, Christmas is going to be different this year, but the real meaning of Christmas remains the same. Through a little baby boy born, born in a stable, a manger his crib, God breaks through our darkness and surrounds us with light and love. This simple, humble birth forever changed the world, and it still has the power to transform our lives, filling us with hope and peace. No matter how you celebrate it, may this Christmas be a holy, blessed and safe time for you and your family. As you are able, I strongly encourage you to give a special Christmas gift to the church this year so that we can continue to share Christmas love and hope throughout the year with one another and with our wider village.

Love and Peace, Pastor Wendy Witt