In 1985, as Christmas day grew near, when I was in my last month of pregnancy, I identified closely with Mary. I thought about the dreams she had for her baby, and I tried to figure out how the heck she rode a donkey. I remember once, sitting with my hand on my unborn baby, thinking that Mary must have sat like that too. It made her part of the Christmas story come alive to me.
This year I feel like the wise men, setting off on a great journey, not knowing where I am going, with only a bright star to guide me. I know that I journey towards God, trusting that God will lead me where God wants me to be.
Who are you this Christmas? Maybe you are Joseph as we see him in the Bible, standing by, quietly supportive. Perhaps you are like the shepherds, doing your boring, mundane job, minding your own business when all of the sudden something akin to a loud group of angels abruptly bursts into your life, bringing the joyous news of the Savior. You may drop what you are doing and rush off to see this miracle that the angels are singing about, and your life is changed. Or perhaps you resonate with the angels themselves, so filled with the good news that you just can’t wait to tell everyone!
The Christmas story is the bold, beautiful story of our salvation, yet it is told with ordinary people, like you and me. What part of the story do you identify with this year?
Nancy Giddings, of Blaine, Minn., serves on the churchwide executive board.
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Photo by Jeff Weese. Used with permission.
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