Hope in the midst of Chaos

Have you heard the song Silent Night? You know, the one that goes “silent night…all is calm, all is bright”? Well, if you really think about the Christmas story, it was anything but a silent night. Don’t believe me? The Bible tells us that the Roman government ordered a census and a tax was to take place, much like what we experience today. One key difference though, is that with this census, all families (on the male side of the family) where to travel to the place of their ancestry. This meant, for Joseph and Mary, a trip to Bethlehem. Now imagine the population of the Roman empire, quite large at the time. Then imagine a city full of people who had to travel for a government ordered census and tax collection. I don’t think we’ll find too many happy people. Among this crowd, just like everyone else, Joseph and Mary are weary travelers trying to find a place to stay only to find everything booked. Imagine the stress and fatigue from all of that traveling and needing a place to stay, just to find your options are very few indeed. Now we know how the story goes. They make their way to a particular inn, which was booked just like all of the rest. But, the inn keeper for one reason or another offered the barn where the animals were kept. I imagine the smell of animals wasn’t all to pleasant and the noise less than tolerable. But for two weary travelers, one who was very much pregnant, a place to rest their feet that was dry was sufficient for the time. And in that unassuming barn with less than desirable conditions, with the world and all of its chaos moving about outside, “was born to us a savior”. The Bible goes on to tell us of a few people who had the privilege of meeting the new born savior. But the rest of the world kept on going with “business as usual”. I wonder how many people would have stopped to see the baby Jesus if they knew who he was and that he was born. I wonder if Joseph and Mary would have found other accommodations if people knew who they were and what was to come. But it didn’t happen that way, just like the world we live in today. There is so much chaos in the world, but in the midst of it all there is hope. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah has an experience with a strong wind, fire, and an earthquake. But in all of that God wasn’t in it, but rather a “still small voice”. I hope that in this holiday season, in spite of the chaos going on around you, you are able to find and see the hope in the midst of it all. A lively hope in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Bro Stephen