Luke 2:6-7

And while they were there in Bethlehem, 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.

The birth of Jesus was such an incredibly important moment in the history of the world that the circumstances of it are deeply shocking. This was no way to welcome the Son of God, but all of this serves to remind us of the love of God in sending his Son to be part of our broken and disordered world.

Many people have questioned why Joseph took Mary on the journey to Bethlehem. He himself was obliged to go because his family line came from that town, but it is unlikely that Mary needed to be there. So why did he take his heavily pregnant wife along with him on the arduous and dangerous 80-mile journey? It is quite likely that he did so because Joseph knew the people of Nazareth might cause problems for Mary due to the unusual circumstances of her pregnancy. Joseph didn’t want to leave her side, so she needed to go with him.

In Bethlehem, far from home, there would have been no family members to support Mary. She herself had to wrap her baby in strips of cloth, a task which someone else would normally have performed, and the only place to lay the baby was in the unhygienic setting of an animal’s feeding trough. Hardly an appropriate resting place for a newborn baby, even for the poorest people.

Lodging places in little Bethlehem would have been few in number and incredibly basic. Please put out of your mind the sort of ensuite hotel rooms that you may have visited! Accommodation would probably have been in the form of bare rooms off a central courtyard, and travellers would have been expected to take their own food. The innkeeper would only offer food for the animals and a fire on which travellers could cook. Even this incredibly basic accommodation was not available for Mary and Joseph. They were probably left out in a courtyard, where you would expect to find an animal’s manger.

All of these details emphasise the wonder of Jesus’ birth and the amazing love of God in sending him to be part of our world.

Question

What do the circumstances of Jesus’ birth tell you about God?

Prayer

Lord God, thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus. I praise you for the wonder of your love. Amen