Probably a relative of Joseph.  Does that surprise you?  The actual nativity account is somewhat different to how we picture it, but when we take a closer look, we see that it is better than we imagined.   

The traditional nativity play involves Joseph going from door to door, looking for a place for him and Mary to stay.  Each time Joseph asks for a room he is met with the same reply, “Sorry, we’re full!”  The third innkeeper is usually given some extra lines, as upon hearing Joseph and Mary’s predicament they reply, “I have a stable round the back, it’s not much but it’s warm.  You’re welcome to stay there.” This imagined reconstruction comes from a phrase in Luke’s Gospel:

‘[Mary] placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.’ – Luke 2:7

However, the word translated ‘inn’ does not refer to an ancient Travelodge but to a separate guest room within the family home.  This has been made clearer in the latest Bible translations which say, there was no space in the ‘guest room.’  The average first century Jewish house would have comprised of a single-family room, with space for the animals.  Visitors were honoured to stay in an adjoining guest room, however, when Joseph and Mary arrive that room is already taken.  It’s likely that Mary and Joseph stayed in the main family room and when Jesus was born, he was placed in one of the nearby animal troughs.  It’s not the image we’ve come to imagine but the reality turns out to be so much better.  Jesus isn’t found in the peace and tranquillity of our imagined cattle sheds, where the oxen are gently lowing.  Jesus is born in the midst of the busyness, mess and the chaos of a family home, under the oppression of Rome. 

So often at Christmas we try to create and capture magical moments, to escape the darkness of December and of life.  The good news of Christmas is that God comes to us, in the mess and chaos of everyday life.  He comes into the darkness to bring us His light and peace.  We don’t need to create the perfect environment to experience the peace that we long for, Jesus moves toward us so that we might receive the peace He brings by receiving Him.  

In addition to our 4.30pm carol service on 14^th December we’re going repeat our DIY Nativity at Therfield Chapel on the morning of the 21st.  There’s no need to learn any lines, we act it out in the moment.  You can come dressed in nativity gear, or we’ll have some dress up items available – there’s no age limit either!  If you’d rather not participate on stage, you can enjoy the ‘pantomime’ performance.  Come as you are, because that’s the message of the real nativity – Jesus has come to meet us where we are at, so that He might lead where we could never dream.