A month has sped by and I’m remembering the fun and fury ushered in during December 2023. I describe it as Christmas chaos. Having downsized to a two bedroom condo, my husband and I have little space to offer guests. The challenge to occupy our modest place with our visiting family began three days before Christmas and lasted a week.
The days were noisy and chaotic, thrilling and extraordinary, full of food and surprises. But nighttime didn’t bring the needed rest as the toddler slept on a small bed with us, his grandparents, in one bedroom and the baby slept in a crib by his parents in the other. Terror, tears, feedings, and fears beset us all as we dealt with the two young children adjusting to a cramped and strange environment in a different time zone. Sleepless nights evolved into bleary days.
As time ticked on, we gathered together with extended family members, creating more disorder and at times, discord. Tis’ the season, right? To gather and give thanks for the Savior baby with the families we love who also infuriate us. Merry Christmas.
Whenever I got the chance to hold my four month old grandson, I wondered about Mary and her baby boy. What a chaotic mess to be pregnant and traveling by donkey to the hometown of her husband. Arriving and awaiting delivery, they found no place to stay. No room in the inns.
They finally settled into a stable as a birthing room and placed the newborn babe in a manger or trough where animals feed. Mary probably felt some anxiety and stress. But oh to behold Him, the One who was a special delivery from a Heavenly Father. What honor and joy she must have felt to bring into a chaotic world the Prince of Peace, Immanuel the God with us.
Silently studying my grandson as he lay defenseless in a crib, I realized his helplessness. With stillness all around, I thought of my God, my Savior, the Creator of the world. He came into our world, the one He created, to live like His created ones. What sacrificial surrender! What supreme humility! What amazing love!
Suddenly the chaos became hushed harmony. Behold, shepherds and magi came from afar to see the fulfillment of the promise of a newborn King. And far off into the future, many more people gather to celebrate the birth of this Promised One, Jesus the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
Praise the God who entered our chaos and gave us a silent night of promise.