The Incarnation - love in the time of need

 Isaiah's prophesy in chapter 9 is for a saviour who breaks the yoke of oppression releasing those who live in darkness that comes with such oppression, into joy and peace (Is 9.1-7). A time of continual growth and wise leadership through a child born (Is 9.6). This is indeed good news for us and for those in Israel who received such news. This is then entwined into the Gospel narrative from Luke that grants us a sanitised version of a child's birth in the region of Bethlehem with all our traditional festive images of shepherds and mangers and inns (Lk 2:1-14). Yet, for us in today's world that is overwhelmed with the terrors of war and violence, that sees environmental destruction as normal and zoonotic disease through viral pandemic with all its accompanying spiritual and social collapse as commonplace these images are not quite sustainable or even believable.

The celebration of the incarnation of Christ is for us or should be for us, not something about material or worldly changes. At least not in the immediacy of the present. For us it should not be concentrated on this thought of immediacy in the world but rather in the long term as the immediacy is a call within our own hearts and minds rather than in the outward display within the world. The epistle to Titus puts it well in its down to earth explanation to concentrate on our own being (Titus 2.11-12). The incarnation must surely mean to us an immediacy to the change of our hearts and lifestyle that pulls us towards the incarnated presence of God within our midst. In realising the truth of this understanding we realise that it is then our actions that bring about the fulness of the Isaiahan prophecy. What is it about the prophecy that can speak to us in a world that does not consider the other but would rather see the fulfilment of each person / country's selfish desire? The image of a child born into the muck and mire of a stable, which is the traditional image, is not something that brings about hope. However, if we think in terms of a more traditional setting in the ME at that time then we might begin to understand where that hope springs from.

To open our homes to those in need when it is warmed by the lowly

The presence of a new child in the midst of hardship and danger promotes for anyone a feeling of hope and a desire for a better future. Can you remember when your child was borne? Can you really express that feeling when you first laid yes on that child? This is what the incarnation promotes but not on a singular ephemeral level for an individual but rather on a community wide basis. The traditional stable is a false reality when considering the circumstances of the birth. Middle Eastern houses at the time were built to create a warm environment during the depths of winter by having the livestock cohabit to provide warmth to the house. We should also not forget the whole setting of travelling to the family home or birth district. It is unlikely that the family would require relations to stay in an "inn" if they even existed to our standards. Rather the "inn" was probably the guest accommodation and due to the census all the family were present hence the overcrowded house. Given these circumstance it is obvious that a new born was placed closest to the source of heat i.e. the animals sheltering within the house.

It is in reality this understanding that gives the promise of the incarnation. It is in the simple ability to share hospitality and to welcome everyone into a communal setting that cares for those who are in need. What is perhaps the best miracle of the season represented in Luke's story of the incarnation is the presence of the most uncouth and despicable members of society coming to wonder at a child born in the midst of the turmoil. The welcome by what one would presume is a very anxious, frightening and precious time for a mother and child, is perhaps the most extraordinary perception of love that we could find. These outcasts are welcomed into the chaos of birth. This is the birth not only of a child but the incipient solidarity of love within a community for all, irrespective of status and connection. If we are to take anything from the stories of the incarnation it is the improbability of love's blessing that opens our stubborn hearts to accept the other with a totality of acceptance that creates a new future.