The gift of a child - A Christmas message

Our cribs during Christmas, paint a pretty picture of Jesus, Mary and Joseph smiling with joy, but we often forget the struggles they went through up to that point. Do we forget that while at one side we have shepherds, wise men, angels and parents who joyfully welcomed the child Jesus, not far away we have King Herod who wanted him dead and orders the killing of thousands of innocent children when he hears of the birth of the Messiah because he fears his own power and reputation. The situation in our world today is no different, we have those who welcome children but at the same time there are those who may view children as a burden or a disruption to their lives.

For Herod, even the thought of this child gave him sleepless nights. His whole reign was filled with insecurity as he knew the people would never accept him as their rightful king, because he wasn't from the line of David. He feared the child who was called 'The King of the Jews' because this child was promised by God but he wasn't ready to be replaced by a child.

Behind every child that is born, is a mother who said 'Yes' to the gift of life. It may not always be the right time or circumstance for her, but like Mary who risked it all to ensure the child be born, she deserves respect. Mary must have been really young at the time, as girls were often married off as soon as they hit puberty. She was engaged to Joseph when the angel appeared to her and told her she would bear a child. Being a Jewish woman, she would have definitely known that she would be shamed or stoned if anyone found out she was pregnant out of wedlock. She must have feared that Joseph wouldn't understand or want anything to do with her once he found out she was pregnant. At a time when woman had no voice unless they had a male representative, she could have been all alone. Of course, she had to know, no one would believe her if she told them she was still a virgin, ridicule was soon to follow. What made her say yes, under such circumstances? Her trust in God, had to be greater than her fear of men.

Joseph is someone to be admired, because he really didn't have to be there in the manger that day, but he chose to stay by their side. He could have easily done away with Mary when he found out she was pregnant. God convinced him in a dream of what he had already known as a Jew, the prophecy of Isaiah, that a young woman would bear a child who would be God among men. He took his responsibility seriously, being a source of strength to Mary when she was most vulnerable and protecting the child against all dangers.

The wise men and the shepherds, show us the importance of community in the upbringing of a child. Throughout Jesus' life, people questioned his identity and ridiculed him because they didn't know who his father was. Out of the thousands of Jews who knew their scripture so well, not one acknowledged the scriptures being unfolded before them. It took three gentiles from the East, to believe in the prophesy of Micah that the promised shepherd of Israel would be born in Bethlehem. They traveled far in search of a child who was destined for greatness. Even as a child, they acknowledged him for what he was, bringing him frankincense symbolic of his divinity, gold symbolic of his royalty and myrrh (used to embalm dead bodies) symbolic of his mortality. After they encountered the child, they did their bit to protect him by not going back to Herod and reporting what they had seen.

'It takes an entire village to raise a child' is a popular saying that holds true today. We hear of the evil ways in which innocent children are treated, they are mistreated because they are vulnerable, but do we forget that they have the potential to grow up and change the world. This Christmas, while we adore the child Jesus, let us also reflect on those who safeguarded the savior of the world when he himself was a vulnerable child. And reflecting of this, we may come to see the potential in each child and our responsibility towards them.

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