The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Not just Mary, the mother of God
But Joseph too was visited by an angel
An angel who encouraged him to stick with it
and prepared him to welcome
the birth of the Messiah
Meantime, I wonder how Mary prepared?
Her cousin Elizabeth
with whom she visited
was also a novice in childbirth.
So who shared with Mary hints and tips
for pushing a baby into the world?
Who told her how to
breathe into the pain?
Who told her when to push?
Who told her about the afterbirth?
Was there anyone who could help her
with the toe curling pain
of getting her baby to latch on and feed?
Or help her deal
with the cracked nipples
and bone crushing weariness
of birthing
and sustaining
new life?
Mere details
that don’t get a look in
when the focus is on
fulfilling prophecy.
The TMI
of the Nativity.
The TMI
of the Nativity.
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