Our daily reflections follow the M'Cheyne Bible reading plan, designed for those who want to read the whole Bible in one year. Each reflection focuses on one of the chapters from that day's readings. Darllenwch rhain yn Gymraeg.
Lord, open my ears to hear what you have to say to me; open my heart to love your word, and open my mind to understand your truth.
The shops have already been full of seasonal products for the last few weeks, but we don't read the stories around the birth of Jesus in churches until Christmas; and then they tend to get squeezed into the format of carol concerts and family services. Perhaps we should do it earlier in the year, and take more time to drill down into what happens. There are some traditional understandings of those events that don't really stand up to scrutiny – like there being 'no room at the inn' (verse 7).
One scholar who's looked at them is Kenneth Bailey, who lived and worked for many years in the Middle East. He points out in his book Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes that Mary and Joseph would have been sure of a welcome in Bethlehem, and that the 'inn' was certainly a guest room in a private home. In those homes animals and people shared the same living space, divided by a partition; the manger would have been accessible from the family living quarters, and a convenient place to lay a new-born child.
So rather than Jesus being born as an outcast, with his mother being forced to bear him in a stable, he was welcomed into the heart of a family home, cherished from the beginning. His birth doesn't foreshadow his later rejection and death; it contrasts with it. The child Jesus was welcome; it was the Messiah who was not.
God, thank you for human warmth and kindness, and for the love that Jesus experienced as he lived and grew. I pray for all children, that they will be loved, cherished and safe.
This reflection was written by Mark Woods, Bible Society's Editor
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