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Stables in Bethlehem are not widely appreciated but one of them was the source of the greatest story ever told.
It was in that stable that a family of unwelcomed Galilean migrants gave birth to a child.
It was a birth would change the world forever, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse, often when rich and often when poor, always when sick and always in health since birth did us join. An unassuming shack was the venue when a distant notion of divinity wed a frightened humanity.
Although God is said to be good, his actions were often scary. He defeated enemies of faith, annihilated sinners, enjoyed vengeful calamity and only really helped when appeased by sacrifice. Believers cowered and trembled in fear before him. His demands for appeasement controlled our experience of faith and our image of self.
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Dignity
Bethlehem is the first event in the history of religion that affirms the dignity of persons. The idea that humanity is good enough for God says a lot in humanity’s favour, though we often need to address our esteem issues first. Being good enough for God does not make us automatically good either but it certainly highlights our potential to be good.
When things go wrong, as they invariably do, Bethlehem tells us to say “Sorry”, to get up and try again. That is something you would expect in a meaningful union and it is there.
Having a weakness, getting it wrong and even doing something deliberately bad does not break the strength of this union. Strong authentic unions has brought many couples through crises that outsiders imagine impossible. Rather than focusing on failures and hurts, God looked beyond the actions and chose to be a person.
Individuality
This changed religion forever. It brought the human from the level of little devotee to the fullness of an honoured spouse, equal yet different, loving not fearing. It was a huge change but it is one we are familiar with today.
Traditionally, religions paid little attention to individuality of soul. The king and the wealthy might live on as gods, the life force you have might come back as a pigeon or disappear altogether with death if you were not the king.
If you believe that you are you and will always be who you were, you have Christmas to thank for that gift. God as the son of an impoverished family revolutionised our thoughts inside and outside faith.
Believing in Christ starts with accepting the individual dignity of every single person as divine.
A Christian is an advocate for that dignity in themselves and others. This changed western philosophy.
The choice of Bethlehem underpins the concept of human rights that dominate western morality today.
Although far from satisfactory, those human rights are more prevalent in societies where the story of Bethlehem took root.
That is not a claim that the pre-Bethlehem images of a spiteful God have been washed away. Sadly not. Some people still languish under the vengeful images of the past. Slogans commencing with the words “God hates” are the ultimate rejection of the Christmas story. God loved and affirmed us first. Coming to terms with that in a culture that builds on authority: “scientific research shows”; “trusted by experts”, or, “recommended by professionals”. A lot of people expect the older Almighty and All-Seeing God to act in the same expert way.
But the God we see at Christmas is a lot less complex, a lot more human and, as church attendances show, the one we identify with the most.
Nollaig maith agat!
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