Getting out of the Manger

Matthew 2:10-11

When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

5 years out of parish ministry - and the high days and holy seasons are not any easier to navigate, or any less painful. Being on the periphery, welcomed so far and no further, is an interesting place to be, providing insight into the seduction of ‘making Christmas right’ for everyone else. It’s an insight that transcends the season, lending perspective on the way we tame the radical nature of the incarnation. We persist in cooing over the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, we smile indulgently at the boy who gets lost in the temple, we listen intently, if in confusion, to the sermon on the mount and then cringe inwardly when the baby, all grown up, gets up close and personal, asking us to renounce family, wealth and safety.
It s a bit like receiving a cute puppy at Christmas and not being able to keep up with the demands of a grown dog by Easter.
Engaged in the work of renewal, that seduction is one I see played out every day. Making things ‘right’ and ‘comfortable’ for others. Not placing too many demands on otherwise busy folk. Negotiating the least rather than the best. Sanitising a gospel that is costly and demanding and not just for those in full time ministry. Being so caught up in how things ‘should’ be done that we can no longer imagine how things might be different. Making space, in the midst of tradition and sentiment, for encounter that upsets routines and dismantles stereotypes is not a popular choice.
I’ve already packed away my Nativity scene for this year - I didn’t want the clutter any longer, the disruption to routine. I didn’t want to dwell on the storm those magi kicked up by alerting the oppressors to a threat to their power. It’s a reality that cannot be minimised but that is playing out all over our world today. It seems we’d rather gaze on the manger than be involved in dealing with the aftermath. And yet, kneeling by the manger was enough to catalyse the shepherds and the magi. Their encounter with God made flesh was enough to give them insight into a whole new world, a whole new peaceable kingdom. So what difference will Christmas makes for us this year?

Will we greet Epiphany

like a long lost friend

Full of familiar symbols

and comforting themes

Or will we allow

the jarring sounds

of carnage and chaos

to guide us to another truth

That God with us

is a message

that strikes terror

into the hearts of those

whose power is threatened

inciting violence

doubling down on oppression

resisting all that unites.

God with us

is a call

to muster courage

to move beyond comfort

to “not be afraid”

to see angels 

and starlight

that lead us on paths

we didn’t know existed 

to find our way home

by another way

journeying alongside

strangers who will guide us

by their wisdom

forged in the depths

of sorrow

and hardship

with only their awareness

of Incarnation

enabling and empowering

their every step

Such are the ones

who will bring 

the light of Epiphany

into our lives today.
But, first, we have to
move away from the manger.