December 24/25, Nativity of the Lord (Isaiah 9:2–7; Psalm 96; Titus 2:11–14; Luke 2:1–20)
The God of exiles, refugees, and migrants still shines light amid today’s present darkness.
Can you imagine the feelings of Mary and Joseph, forced by a foreign government to travel a hundred miles for a census in the midst of winter, when Mary is about to give birth?
We might imagine Mary riding on a donkey, but the text does not say so. However they traveled, it must have been a rough trip, topped off by bedding down with the animals in a feeding trough. Alas, the inns and guesthouses were full. The travelers must have been exhausted.
Our hearts go out to migrants and refugees in our own day, as so many of them find themselves in a terrible situation. Their stories and ours are prefigured time and again in the Bible.
