Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

In this splendid 15th century Russian icon of Christ's Nativity, we see several themes combined into one image. Together, the scenes unfold the theology of Christ's birth.

Appearing out of the top border there is a half circle with descending rays. Heaven has opened to us in a new way in the birth of Jesus Christ at Bethlehem! The rays spotlight the Holy Child. The donkey and the cow know who this is. Do we?

We find the child in a dark cave, already suggesting the other cave at the far end of the story. Jesus is wrapped in swaddling clothes which bring to mind the winding sheet of Good Friday; abandoned on Easter Morning.

Look! The angel announces to the shepherd that he and his friends should go to Bethlehem. These bottom-rung-of-the-ladder fellows are Christ's first guests. The Mother of God doesn't look at her Child, but at the shepherds. Such hospitality! It is our first insight into the radical inclusion of Christ's Gospel. Do we really understand this? When the parish puts up the "All are Welcome" sign on the church lawn, do we really mean it? So many people hope to find a happy and inclusive welcome!

Off to the far left, the magi have already set out on their long journey. They see the traveling star. In the west they are depicted as different nationalities. In the east, they are depicted as three different ages. No matter. Again, the message is EVERYONE. We really have to cut out all the divisive and exclusive distinctions. It's just not Christ's way.

Poor Joseph sits with head in hand, being tempted not to believe in the birth, which is beyond reason. Sometimes the Mother of God looks in his direction: God understands our struggles to believe, perhaps especially in these days of great confusion and disruption. 

There are midwives (bottom right) filling the little bathtub: this Child is really human, requiring attention, as does every child. Christianity takes children most seriously. There are 2.5 million children in the United States who are homeless - half of whom are under the age of 6. Our nation fashions itself to be Pro-life.  Is this statistic utterly unacceptable to me? 

God has come to be with us in the Birth of Jesus Christ. There is nothing sentimental about the feast. Christmas should turn my adult world upside down and inside out. Everything I think, plan, choose, prioritize, vote for, hope for, should be impacted by God becoming one with us at Bethlehem.

In the icon, the mountains sparkle with the news, and the green things stand at attention. The golden icon seems to say: God has filled the world with a new light. Do I feel it?

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Merry Christmas to you and your family!

Father Stephen