This Christmas is a very special Christmas, because it comes on the heels of a very unique year. The year 2020 has been one to remember. Wildfires have ripped through much of the western United States ravaging property and threatening life. There has been loss of human life due to violence. Some of the deepest political division folks can remember have tested our social groupings often near the breaking point. Many relationships have suffered. But the biggest challenge of all has been the worldwide pandemic known as Covid19. 

The pandemic has challenged us in so many ways. Countless jobs and businesses have simply just vanished. Meaningful social interaction and support has been ripped apart by the need to distance and stay home. Millions of people are sick. Hundreds of thousands of people have died. And even though we are thankful for the development of vaccines; we are not out of the woods at all. Our lives have been disrupted. That is why we are worshipping outside and online. 

There are a lot of parallels to the Christmas story, actually. There was social unrest at the time of Jesus’ birth too. Jewish people were divided about how to faithfully follow their religion and live under Roman rule. There were extremist movements, and religious and political leaders divided about how to live. There was violence. We read that there was a mandate by the Roman Caesar for a census. We also had a census this year. But this mandated action of the government totally disrupted the lives of Mary and Joseph.

Mary and Joseph were literally forced out into the cold in Joseph’s ancestral home of Bethlehem because there was no room in the inn. Too many people were travelling. So when the time came for Mary to have the baby, they simply had to make do. They had to improvise. They had to think creatively about what they could do with what they had at their disposal. They had a manger, that is a kind of trough for feeding animals. That is where they placed the Christ child, the baby Jesus. Mary and Joseph had to make do.

Make Do Because of Christmas courtesy Malcolmon Flickr

Right after the baby is born a delegation of angels goes and announces the birth to shepherds keeping watch of their flocks by night. The angels tell the shepherds that a savior has been born. A savior!  A savior is born! Christmas is so special because yes it is Jesus’ birthday, but it is also more than just a birthday. The saving work of Jesus begins as soon as he is born. He is the savior! So what is it that a newborn child does to save? He gives Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the animals, and everyone a purpose and a reason to keep going when times are tough. He gives them a reason to make do. Mary and Joseph didn’t have time to wallow in the misery of being out in the cold, they had to take action, they had to make do! Now here we are two thousand and twenty years later and Jesus our savior is still giving us a reason to make do!

Our good friend Jeremy who is also godfather to our children was born early. Very early. He came premature. When his mother Jaimee went into labor the story goes, she was upset because they didn’t yet have a crib for the baby. Greg, Jeremy’s father, was a sheriff’s deputy. As a part of his training he took a course on childbirth in emergency situations. So when Jaimee expressed her worry about not having a crib, Greg simply said, we’ll make do. We have a laundry basket. We can just use that and put a towel in the bottom! Can you imagine the look on Jaimee’s face!? But they made do! Why? Because when you have something as precious as a baby to take care of, it puts things into perspective, and you make do. The baby child saves you from despair and the “paralysis of analy