So ... Now What? (a Steve Orr Lectionary reflection)

I imagine that was the question that came to mind the next morning.

The baby was born ... and had spent a portion of its young life in the animals’ food trough. The shepherds had come ... and gone. The Sun was up ... and “The Star” was no longer visible.

So ... now what?

I imagine Joseph and Mary were hoping for a little calm normalcy, some regular parent/child time without all the visitors and drama of the night before. But was that to be?

Questions have surrounded the events of that very first Christmas ... and have continued even up to today. It seems everyone has questions this time of year. There's the ever popular "Mary Did You Know?" —the Lowry/Greene Christmas staple that's been around, in one form or another, for decades— I have especially enjoyed the recent Pentatonix a cappella version (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ifCWN5pJGIE).

And then there's 25 Questions for Mary from Max Lucado's book, God Came Near. My favorite of those is "Did you ever think, ‘That’s God eating my soup’?" With all these questions floating about, I can't help but have one of my own for Mary and Joseph: "What was that first sabbath like?"

Being observant Jews, it’s likely the “next thing” for Joseph and Mary was taking their first-born to the Temple in Jerusalem. The Law required the first-born be dedicated to God. And that’s where this week's Lectionary selection from Luke 2 takes us.

But, as you can see, there was nothing “normal” about their baby’s first visit to the Temple. In fact, if you keep reading, you learn they just didn’t have much normal in their lives for those first few years!

So ... what about us? Christmas is over, right?

Or is it?

I think, somewhat like Joseph and Mary, even though the shepherds are gone and the baby is no longer in the manger, Christmas —the real Christmas— is really only just beginning ... and, in fact, has never really ceased. The miracle of that night was just the start of something beyond belief, something we can only partially understand.

It is entirely appropriate for us to still be asking: so ... now what?

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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
First Sunday after Christmas Day (December 31, 2017)

Isaiah 61:10-62:3
Psalm 148
Galatians 4:4-7
Luke 2:22-40

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Join us for Lectionary Breakfast Friday morning as we begin to look ahead and try to answer: what’s next? We gather at 8:00 at the Waco “Egg and I” Restaurant. We’re still meeting in their function room (down the outside, at the back).

Blessings,
Steve