Gospel writers Matthew and Luke
are
the approved suppliers
of
the raw materials
from
which we cobble together our Christmas stories;
faith being the thread that seeks,
gathers
and ties the meaning.
The angels speak of the wonder
of
the aching God who decides to take action
and
to embrace uncertainty.
The
girl-woman, Mary,
is
a sign of human obedience
and
willingness to let God’s perplexing purposes
take
their unpredictable course.
Her
carpenter husband, Joseph,
in
determining to proceed with their marriage,
shows
the persistence of human compassion
in
the face of bewildering embarrassment.
And
the baby, strange and vulnerable,
tells
us of the mystery of divine love
found,
unexpectedly and riskily,
among
us.
So,
what of the fat man in the red suit,
intruding
uninvited into our neat nativity?
Perhaps
he is God, laughing.
©
2009 Ken Rookes
