The month of December gives many children the opportunity to become stage stars as they take part in nativity plays at school or at church. Storylines are open to interpretation! In one of his books, Gervase Phinn, a retired schools inspector from Yorkshire, tells the story of a school nativity that doesn’t quite stick to the script. Little Mary and Joseph have just arrived at the inn, Joseph knocks on the door and the dialogue goes like this:
“Have you any room?”
“No!”
“You have!”
“I haven’t!”
“You have, I saw t’light on.”
“I haven’t.”
“Look, we’ve travelled all t’night, up and down those sand-dunes, through dusty towns, over hills, in and out of rivers. We’re fit to drop.”
“Can’t help that, there’s no room,” replied the innkeeper.
“And I’ve got t’wife out here on t’donkey”
The innkeeper remained unmoved. “And you can’t leave that donkey there. You’ll have to move it!”
“Well, give us a room.”
“There is no room in the inn. How many more times do I have to tell you?”
“She’s having a babby, tha knows.”
“Well, I can’t help that, it’s nowt to do with me.”
“I know,” replied Joseph sighing as he turned to the audience, “and it’s nowt to do with me neither!”
A funny story, though I’m sure these two boys are not alone in saying that the birth of Jesus has nothing to do with them. There are many who do not relate to the story of the nativity or the life of Jesus. Reading this, you may feel the same. As I hear the story of Jesus birth afresh I realise once again that it has everything to do with me. God coming into the world as a human being was not done for His sake - it was done for me and you. Jesus came to bring the presence of God into our world and in taking on human form, God made it possible for us to see and know God. The unseen God was made visible in Christ and He still is.
God bless you this Advent season
Major Adrian