Holy Chaos
What was it like on the night that Christ was born? Beloved artwork and treasured Christmas songs offer a sense that Christ’s birth was an occasion of quiet, peaceful beauty. Parents serenely gazing at their perfect child. Sheep, donkey, and cows sleeping restfully alongside the newborn. Harmonious angels announcing the good news to shepherds and their flock. Maybe it was just like that… …I’ve come to imagine something quite different though. Luke tells us that Mary and Joseph have travelled to Bethlehem because the Roman Emperor has ordered a census; apparently requiring everyone to travel back to their hometowns to be registered. This meant all sorts of people would have been traveling. No wonder there was no room for them at the inn! Bethlehem would have been anything but a peaceful, idyllic village. Rather, it would have been crowded; homes overflowing with distant relatives; friends reuniting ove...