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Luke 2:21-40
There's always a letdown after Christmas, isn't there? Christmas demands so much of us and then suddenly, it's back to the real world. There are bills to pay and extra pounds to work off. I like how one unknown author describes this letdown in a poem:
Twas the month after Christmas and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste.
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt—
I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"
So–away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie–not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore—
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!
We can identify with her sad plight, can't we? But that, of course, is why health clubs are so full in January.
That's how some of us feel a few days after Christmas. I wonder how Mary and Joseph felt after the shepherds had left them, and the wise men, and the angels were no longer singing. After these amazing events, they had to return to the real world just as we do after Christmas. They went on with their lives.
There were good times and bad times. Mostly there were just ordinary times. They weren't immune to the trials that trouble all of us. They were poor. Joseph had a trade, though, he was a carpenter, and they got by. But life wasn't easy. Have you ever noticed? Life's not easy for most people.
Mary and Joseph didn't escape life's trials. Neither did Jesus. He was a child like any other child and had his bumps and bruises growing up. There are some people who think Jesus must have had some kind of protective shield surrounding him growing up since he was the Son of God. That's not true. It's important for us to understand when Christ came into our world, he emptied himself completely and became as we are so he might experience what we experience. And bumps and bruises are part of what it means to be human.
Jesus faced obstacles common to other boys of his time. He probably faced bullies like boys and girls face bullies today. He had to learn his lessons just like we learn our lessons. To complicate things, it seems likely his earthly father Joseph died during his teenage years. Nothing more is said about him after the visit to the temple when Jesus was twelve. There were several younger brothers and sisters. As the oldest son, Jesus would've had to take on adult responsibilities. Maybe this is why he didn't begin his ministry until he was thirty. Jesus experienced fully what it means to be human. Any problem you or I face today, in some form, he faced it too, as well as Mary and Joseph. What did this young family do during the parts of their life that aren't recorded in scripture? They went on with their lives. They did what you and I do. They did the best they could, and they trusted God.
I wonder if Mary realized how short her time with Joseph and Jesus would be. Maybe she did. Life spans were much shorter than they are now. But no one's really prepared to be widowed, are they? Particularly when they're quite young. Mary may have lost Joseph when she was still in her twenties or early thirties, and there's no record of her ever remarrying. She was likely in her late forties when she experienced the unspeakable tragedy of watching her son die an excruciating death on a cross. Imagine how she hurt. "A sword will pierce your soul," it was predicted for her. I wonder if she had any idea her time with her beloved husband and beloved son would be so brief.
When the World Trade Center was brought down by terrorists, many families had their lives forever torn apart. One man got home from work the evening of September 11th to hear a message from his wife on the answering machine. She worked in the twin towers and on the answering machine, she asked him, "Honey, can you pick the kids up from soccer today? Someone in the carpool can't make it. We're out of pasta if you think of it for dinner. I love you. See you around seven." And in the days following the destruction of those twin towers, he sat, playing that message over and over.
I doubt Mary thought very much about losing her loved ones until it happened. That's really for the best. We'd worry ourselves sick if we did think too much about losing those we love. I guess it's best we don't know what the future may bring. Life can be very cruel even to the best of people, even Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Why should you and I think God will build a wall around us to protect us from life's trials? Mary lost the two most important people in her world much too early, but it's always too early. None of us knows what tomorrow may bring.
Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were a family, and they sustained themselves with love and with faith in God. In the end it really didn't matter what life sent their way. A birth in a stable, a flight to Egypt to escape persecution, the loss of Joseph, Jesus' problems with the religious authorities and finally his death on the cross. No event was serious enough to destroy their love for one another. Oh, there were times when they disagreed with one another just like we sometimes disagree in our families. Jesus' relations with his family were quite strained at one point early on in his ministry. His Mother and his brothers were as confused as anyone else at some of the claims he made. Yet both Mary and his brothers and sisters were active participants in the early church following his death and resurrection. They were still a family. And they still had their faith. Of course, they had even more faith after his resurrection. They knew then they never need be afraid of life's many heartbreaks ever again. He had overcome the world. They could overcome the world as well. That's a lesson you and I need to learn with our families, too. God will take care of those we love, and God will take care of us. Mary and Joseph went on with their lives following Christmas, and so shall we. They faced life's many challenges, but they did it with love and with faith in God. It wasn't easy, but they knew God was with them, just as God is with us.
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Rev. Charles Eldredge is a member of Maitland Church of the Brethren. He has a Facebook page and can be contacted by email: ce1133 @verizon.net.