Anxieties Around Christmas

Joseph and Mary – Labor started – No place for the delivery – Seeking inn after inn - Hearing the same chorus – Due to Census, all rooms are full – No Room – Pain started - Settling down to have the delivery in a cow shed? – No DGOs – Even MN Sister is not there – No ‘Labor Room’ - Normal safe delivery ! Soon the shepherds come and worship the child. After some time, the Wise Men from the East come and worship the child. Mary keeps all theses in her heart with wonder.

Shepherds – Staying in the fields, guarding the sheep – May be chatting to while away the time – Sudden brightness – Angel appearing – Taken aback by Fear – Angel speaks – Fear disappears – Hearing the ‘Good News’ ! – Anxious – Curious – Believing – Taking efforts – Seeking – Found the ‘Treasure’! - Worship – Declaration – Surprising all listeners!

Wise Men – Searching the stars – Astronomers? – Surprised to see the sudden appearance of a Star with a difference – Searching the books? Seeking counsels? Came to the conclusion that the King is born for Jews! – Decided to see the new born King – They were separate? Together? Met on the way? Three or more? – Decided to take up that long journey – No magnet trains or jet planes – May be traveling on camels – Days – Months – Years – Still persisting to see the King – Arrived at the Land of the Jews – Used their guess that the King will be born in the palace – So they went to the Palace of the Herod – Then again led by the Star – Reaches their destination – The house at Bethlehem – See the child Jesus – Worship – Give from their treasures the best possible gifts – Guided to go by another route –May be a longer route – Yet obey God and go back to their lands.

Turmoil in the Palace – It was announced that the Wise Men from the East are searching to see the new born King of the Jews ! Jews were the slaves of the Romans. Caesar rules Judea. How can they have another King? This can topple the rule of the Romans – So, Herod was serious to find this King – Seeks the counsel of all his wise men – Learns that the King of Jews is expected to be born in Bethlehem – Sends the Wise Men with a cunning note to get the details – to worship??? To destroy! Gets cheated by the Wise Men – Gets angry – Orders to kill all the male children below 2 years – Weeping and wailing in all the houses.