Merry Christmas! I know that this is beyond late, but why not? After the buzz of the holidays I've had a chance to unwind and reflect on Christmas. After my ears are done ringing and I'm left exhausted with a pile of stuff, I can't help but think isn't there more? I feel like I'm not getting the full picture of what really happened 2000 years ago.

Have you ever felt like you were out of the loop? For example, did you know the kid who did something wrong in front of his tattling sibling? Maybe you lived through this scenario. The moment comes when both children are in the room with the parent and the one who committed the infraction will not stop talking. He tells the parent every great thing he did that day in vivid detail. He'll even try to get his parents to talk about their day. Incredibly interested he won't stop asking questions. The last thing he wants is silence because that is when his smiling sibling will start talking, and he knows that this will be the end of him. This is Christmas today. 21st Century Christmas is the kid who is about to get busted and 1st Century Christmas is the kid who knows the truth and is waiting for the silence to speak.

Do you know what I mean? Doesn't it seem like each Christmas gets brighter and louder? People seem so busy or sometimes even frantic. It is almost like today's Christmas is so loud and busy because it does have something to hide. It does have something to hide and, perhaps, if the truth comes out, it will be the end of Christmas as we know it.

Can we take a moment and hush the Away in the Mangers and the Silent Nights? Can we silence the Merry Christmas's and the sleigh bells? If we could shut it up for a moment we would find there is something truly profound happening to a simple couple stranded in a cave in a place that never mattered. If I had to pick a word that describes the first Christmas, I don't think it would be merry; desperate, maybe a better word. Don't you think so? Is there a better word for a homeless couple birthing a baby in the equivalent of a poorly maintained parking garage?

Take a closer look at Joseph. As a husband and a father, what is going on in his heart and mind as he anxiously knocks on the doors of homes looking for a place to stay? Did he experience feelings of failure as each door shut and they were turned away? Can we imagine his disappointment as they made the manure filled cave livable? "Please not here, not now." Isn't that the prayer any father would pray? Who would want this for their family? It is far from a silent night when heaven and earth crash into blood and water as the screams of a straining, sweating girl fade out into the country side. Does Joseph feel the helplessness of any father as he wipes his wife's brow? Is he shocked or frightened as he cleans up the blood? There must have been some relief as Joseph tore their clothes and tightly swaddled their new son and gently placed him in the arms of a new mother. Did the reality of the situation come flooding back over him as he looked for a place for the new king to sleep? He whispers, "I'm sorry, this is the best I could do" as his trembling hands humbly mop the water out of the cold stone manger.

Despite the desperation and disappointment, he takes the small bundle and for a moment gazes. For the first time since the fall of Adam, in a manure filled cave the eyes of God and man meet. And Joseph smiles. Exhausted, he places the living water in a water trough and throughout the night he will hush, calm, and sing the newborn king to sleep. The night is never silent.

Why is this important? How does it mean the end of our Christmas today? It's important because this story is still happening. The desperate still knock and we still turn away. Personally, we still feel anxiety and question how God can work in this mess. At times our hearts are as dark and dirty as this insignificant cave. It's important because this is how God moves and comes into our lives. He moves into the mess.

So I guess this is my prayer for us:

May we be captivated by God's deep love for us.

May we allow God to work in our hearts and cause us to go where He goes. May we allow him to make our hearts home and make us a part of his story no matter what the circumstances.