Oh, come all ye faithful, joyful, and triumphant. Oh, come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem!

I recently gathered with a group of about 60 women, all dear to one another, to fellowship over dinner, worship and hear the story of Jesus' birth. What I wasn’t prepared for was how much I needed this time with my sisters in Christ. Even more so, I needed to hear the birth story, told by a teacher with a vast understanding of Biblical culture, so much so, it was as if a time machine took us all back to Bethlehem, to see the birth of Jesus.

When I think of the Christmas nativity and Jesus’ birth story, I always interpret it as sad and lonely. Two people traveling alone, one pregnant on a donkey, through the desert at night. Finally, they reached a town and went door to door, with no one letting them in for no one had room for a woman who was about to have a baby! What kind of town is this? Forcing her, with no other option, to give birth in a barn surrounded by animals.  

Yet what I learned as we traveled back to ancient days, to a foreign country, is that Mary and Joseph were not alone, but traveling in a caravan of 200 or more people on their way back to their hometown where everyone had to register for the Roman census in their home provenance. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the two-room homes were all full. However, each home had a cave cut out, where they would keep their flocks at night. 

During the reunion of visitors, they moved the flocks outside so there would be room for all the family members. There in the manger, in the basement of their family’s home, Mary gave birth to Jesus with Joseph by her side, not alone, but surrounded by family- and more of their family than they would have been around had they been anywhere else. Can you picture all the aunties and uncles, cousins, and distant relatives side by side celebrating the birth of Jesus?

This birth story sounds more like God’s character. For God created family. God created a God-sized family as we are all adopted in Christ! God does not desire anyone to be left out of the celebrations and joy He has prepared for us. For on that night, even shepherds in the fields were invited to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

In Luke 2, shepherds were in the fields nearby tending their flocks. Now there is some debate on who these shepherds are. Some say due to season they may be shepherds who were preparing the flocks for the Temple in Migdal Eder, but they also could have been those who had moved the sheep out of the mangers so that there was room for the many travelers back to Bethlehem. We may never know exactly who the shepherds are, but, we do know, an Angel of the Lord delivered them a message. 

God does not leave out anyone! Shepherds were considered unclean and not allowed in the Temple, yet an Angel visited them.

God’s character is revealed- He invites the unclean to be clean. No one is forgotten by God! Not only that, but the Angel tells them that this is their sign, that a baby will be wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. God gives them the play-by-play to the gamebook! Faithfully the shepherds run to Bethlehem to see the newborn baby just as the Angel had described.

When I arrived at dinner, my heart was heavy. Faithful women around me stood to worship and began to sing, encouraging my soul. I listened to the voices praising God around me and as we sang "Oh come all ye faithful", I stopped, took it all in and saw God’s faithful.

As the world buzzes around us, may we continue to be God’s faithful and may our hearts be joyful and triumphant with the knowing that Jesus is our savior!

Love you my dear Church family!

Nikki Fiedler