Amid the Chaos

“While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” Luke 2:6-7

To read the whole account of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem, click here: Luke 2:1-7

REFLECTION

by Mary Alice McGinnis

What do your holiday preparations look like? Does it feel like life is spiraling out of control? Gift buying, decorating the house, and planning family gatherings can make the season feel overwhelming. Are you finding it hard to keep up with all the expectations? Does the pressure to create the "perfect" holiday leave you feeling exhausted rather than joyful?

Does it all feel like chaos?  

Maybe you are even going through a season of chaos in your life right now. Life as you knew it has been upended, and you are having trouble making sense of it all. Trying to create the “perfect” life has left you feeling despondent, vulnerable and unsure.

In the Roman Empire, Caesar Augustus had risen to power as emperor and brought peace and prosperity to a troubled region. In Luke chapter 2, Caesar Augustus makes the decree that everyone must go to their own town to register in a census. The very empire that had promised to bring peace out of chaos now demands its subjects to uproot their lives.

Joseph found himself in a predicament. Living in Nazareth, he was 80 miles away from his hometown of Bethlehem. Mary was in the final months of her pregnancy and was likely enduring the scorn and shame of being an unwed mother-to-be. Jospeh decided to take Mary with him to Bethlehem.

Can you picture the scene? Dust clung to Mary’s skin, kicked up by the countless footsteps along the winding road that stretched from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Each jolt of the donkey beneath her sent fresh aches through her weary body; her back throbbed, and her swollen feet ached with every new mile. When they finally arrived in Bethlehem, the streets of the town are buzzing with clamor. Everywhere they looked was a sea of people.

Their questions rose silently amid the din and chaos - God, why did this have to happen now? Hadn’t You promised something greater than this? Mary is so close to giving birth. Now after traveling all this way, are there no guest rooms available? Aren’t You mightier than Caesar Augustus? Where are You, God, amid this chaos?

They felt small, uncertain - wrestling with confusion and vulnerability as the promises spoken by angels seemed distant against the immediacy of their struggle. And still, step by step, they pressed on, hoping for a glimpse of God’s presence in a world that felt overwhelming and indifferent.

Then God invited them into quiet stable – and into a grander story - one that He had been writing since before the foundations of the world. God orchestrated this very season of chaos to usher in the quiet birth of new ruler – His very own Son. 

Some 700 years before, Micah penned this prophecy:

'“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”  Micah 5:2

Are you experiencing chaos right now? Hold on to this. Maybe God is inviting you into a quiet place to experience a glimpse of His grander story.

He knows how all the pieces fit together. He wants you to trust and believe He came for YOU in the tiny heartbeat of the infant Jesus – the very Son of God. And He wants to use you to reach others, even amid the chaos of your life.

Prayer – Jesus, remind me once again that You the One whose origins are from of old. Yet You chose to break into the chaos of our world – my world. You came so that I can encounter You, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Help me to trust that You will also use the chaos of my life to help others encounter You too.