Nativity of the Lord - Proper II Year B (December 24, 2014)

This is the second of three readings for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

 

I included this image because it is likely typical of where Jesus was born, in the lower half of an overfilled family dwelling in the section where the animals were also brought in for the night (safety for them, warmth sharing for the family.)

As a child, my dad would often read us the story of Jesus's birth from the bible on Christmas Eve. Often I read it myself because I treasure that memory. But this year, I'm not really in the mood for that. Possibly that is why of these readings, I liked Titus 3:4-7 the most.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we had done, but according to his mercy, through the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Although I think we should walk our talk, I also believe that we follow a merciful god and that it is nice to remember that the birth we are commemorating/waiting for is also what brought us mercy and renewal. I know so many people right now personally who need mercy and renewal - not to mention our whole nation.

Image: Altdorfer, Albrecht, ca. 1480-1538. Holy Night (Birth of Christ), from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46265 [retrieved December 24, 2014]. Original source: http://www.yorckproject.de.

Nativity of the Lord - Proper 1 Year B (December 24, 2014)

This is the first of three readings for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Grotto of the Nativity

Not to ignore the readings in this proper, but I was so inspired by this photo of the Grotto of the Nativity, where Jesus is traditionally believed to have been born and the commentary on the photo in Vanderbilt’s Art in the Christian Tradition site that they paled in comparison.

The commentary:

This picture provides us with a stark contrast to the traditional artwork of Christ’s birth. Normally we will find Mary – who of course is a wealthy European woman – with a halo glowing above her head. In her lap is a healthy blond-haired, blue-eyed boy. And all around them are wise men, shepherds, and angels them in deep veneration.

But this picture brings us back to reality. The truth is that she was a young poor girl; pregnant, but not by her husband, terrified, and forced to give birth in a cave. This picture humbles Christmas. It is a reminder of the nature of Jesus’ birth and life. These candles show respect to those humble origins. In fact, it may only take a stiff wind to suddenly transform this space from the sacred to the ordinary. Leaving it much like it was two thousand years ago – a cold, dark, damp hole.

Sometimes we forget, under the layers of so many traditions, just how miraculous things were in the very way they happened. Jesus, the Word made flesh and Savior of all humankind, was born on a cold night, in a dark cave, in the company of livestock. So this picture, unlike ones of Mary as the throne of God, gives us a story that seems somehow so much more miraculous. -- Patrick Darnell

The Grotto of the Nativity, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=54126 [retrieved December 24, 2014]. Original source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chanc/2143769590/.

This realistic Mary and realistic Jesus, realistic apostles, realistic early followers, etc are all so much more inspiring to me than the whitewashed (usually literally) versions that I see and hear so much of in my life.