Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

Christmas is upon us, and we have been inundated with Santa Claus and Elves on Shelves, in toilets, in the fireplace, and even making flour angels. Why do we even celebrate Christ mass? That is what the word means. The Roman Christian Church was fighting the old Roman celebrations. Something was needed for those who were joining Constantine and following the Jewish Messiah.

The winter solstice was a time for celebration in the Roman world. Becoming a Christian should not mean the loss of a holiday. The early Church began many traditions that are remembered by Catholics. We protestants are not that up on a lot of the feasts and fasts around Christmas or Easter.

The reason for the season is the savior. Let’s begin with the story of his birth. The gospel of Luke tells us that Mary was pregnant. She was betrothed to Joseph of Nazareth. The Roman government declared that everyone should pay a tax. Registration of all citizens was needed.

Every ten years the United States does a national census. There are many reasons for this. It is mostly to remark the lines for our congressional representatives. Missouri had a problem doing this before the elections this year. That’s another column and has nothing to do with Christmas.

There were no computers in the first century and everyone that lived in the Roman Empire was requested to return to their ancestral city. Joseph left Nazareth and took his fiancé, Mary, with him. She was expecting her first child. Joseph was not the father. He had the opportunity to break the engagement when he learned about the pregnancy. We’ll share more on this when we discuss Matthew’s story of the birth of her child.

We do not know why Joseph took Mary with him to Bethlehem. It may have been that he was attempting to continue the impression that he had impregnated her. He may have been a man who felt the need to be with her when she delivered her baby. Remember that he knew he was not the biological father of this child. He loved her and wanted to protect her.

When they arrived in Bethlehem there was no place to stay.  When we read that there was no room in the inn, we may believe that all the hotels and motels were filled. This village probably had one or two of what the British call public houses. Places where a traveler can be fed and sleep for a night or two. We hear that they went to a stable and think it is an awful thing. This would have been common in this era.

The most interesting part of this story is the angels appearing to the shepherds. They announced the birth of the savior of all mankind. This was not the messiah that was expected by the majority of the Jews. They wanted a king that would rescue them from the rule of the Romans.

I hope you are not asking where the three wise men are. We’ll talk about that in a future piece. Our discussion of Matthew’s story will be the same as it was for Luke. We will read the scripture and answer questions that you may have about it. In the meantime, reread Luke’s account and comment below, if you have any questions.

©Copyright 2022 by Charles Kensinger