As you spend time with your nativity scenes, I encourage you to ask yourself through whose eyes you will be looking at the newborn Savior this Christmas.
Mary
As Mary joined Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem, she could see through the aches and inconveniences of pregnant travel, and look expectantly to the arrival of her baby boy. She was the Mother of the Redeemer, but she was still just a mother, excited to bring her pregnancy to fulfillment and to contemplate the face of her little boy. Nothing could keep her from the love, care, and devotion she had for her child.
This year, perhaps Christmas is for us the joyful season it is meant to be. Perhaps we gaze at Jesus through the eyes of Mary, an excited parent or grandparent, ready to watch family members experience the joy of Christmas, maybe for the first time. That child of Mary has made each of us, and each of our family members, His sisters and brothers, so that we can joyfully and eternally be part of the greatest family of all.
Joseph
Joseph had generously accepted Mary and her mysterious pregnancy into his life. He took on the role of foster father, so it pained him to watch his new, pregnant wife travel many miles and give birth far away from home. He didn’t know where they would stay. He didn’t know the danger that came with being in this child’s presence, and he didn’t know that it would be years before they went home. But he trusted that God had a plan, although he could not see it, and he carried his worries with hope.
No year is perfect, and no Christmas is without stress, but maybe for us this year is more anxious than usual. Perhaps we gaze at Jesus through the eyes of Joseph, a trusting but worried parent, not sure what the future holds or how we will be able to care for the ones we love. But the baby we gaze upon, when he becomes an adult, tell us to trust in him and to take his easy yoke on our shoulders.
Shepherd
The shepherds were the lowest of the low, at least in the eyes of society. They were dirty, smelled like their sheep, and were looked upon as thieves. Yet they were the first ones, besides His parents, to see the face of the Redeemer. Christ came to save all of us, but He had a tender spot in His heart for those on the edges, broken and rejected, and so in His amazing plan of salvation, it was to them that the message of joyful peace was first revealed.
We don’t always need to be successful, to be congratulated, to be everyone’s favorite, but we do need to feel loved, cared about, and appreciated. Perhaps this year we gaze at Jesus through the eyes of the shepherds, feeling alone, misunderstood, over-worked but under-appreciated. But the baby we gaze upon came to not only save each and every one of us, but to be our friend and to show us how valuable we are in His eyes.
Wise Men
The men from the East were great astronomers, or maybe they were kings. Either way, they were probably men of wealth, knowing how to read the sky and having the means to take off on their adventure. Most importantly, though, they were wise, because instead of staying comfortable in their affluence, they looked to the sky and followed God’s sign wherever it led. That sign, that star, led them to the simple manger of a poor, humble child, but they wisely saw that He deserved gifts fit for a king.
We know in our minds that Christmas should be about Christ, but it is terribly easy to get caught up in the consumerism of the season. Perhaps we gaze upon Jesus through the eyes of the wise men. We are used to a world of excess and relative luxury, stuck in the desire for the material. But we recognize our need for a relationship with the little One who showed us that He is the gift we need to receive, the gift we need to give.
Angel
The angels, as ministers of our Heavenly Father, are blessed with the eternal joy of the Beatific Vision. As great as their existence is, the Second Person of the Trinity never became an angel, but He did become human. The angels faithful to God were not resentful, but saw clearly that His life would mean redemption of all creation. Their focus never wavered from that Beatific Vision, even as it lay humbly in a manger.
Sometimes we go through periods in life where our relationship with God is so clear and it motivates all that we do. Perhaps this year we look upon the child Jesus with an eagerness to be His friend, His minister, and His messenger to the world. That child responds with a smile, which is enough to fill us with unending joy.
Jesus
In return, Jesus looks upon each of us to say, “My sister, my brother, my friend, it does not matter what eyes you look through to see Me, I just want you to see Me. That is why I became human, so I could reveal Myself and my Father to you, and so I could give you the Spirit so that you could see Me in every aspect of your life. I wanted to be close to you too, to see you in a way similar to the way you could see me, to take on your life, your ways, your body, your humanity, giving up all glory to be as close to you as possible. That is how much I love you. So wherever you are, however you are, whoever you are, I just want you to see Me and let Me see you.”
Mary
As Mary joined Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem, she could see through the aches and inconveniences of pregnant travel, and look expectantly to the arrival of her baby boy. She was the Mother of the Redeemer, but she was still just a mother, excited to bring her pregnancy to fulfillment and to contemplate the face of her little boy. Nothing could keep her from the love, care, and devotion she had for her child.
This year, perhaps Christmas is for us the joyful season it is meant to be. Perhaps we gaze at Jesus through the eyes of Mary, an excited parent or grandparent, ready to watch family members experience the joy of Christmas, maybe for the first time. That child of Mary has made each of us, and each of our family members, His sisters and brothers, so that we can joyfully and eternally be part of the greatest family of all.
Joseph
Joseph had generously accepted Mary and her mysterious pregnancy into his life. He took on the role of foster father, so it pained him to watch his new, pregnant wife travel many miles and give birth far away from home. He didn’t know where they would stay. He didn’t know the danger that came with being in this child’s presence, and he didn’t know that it would be years before they went home. But he trusted that God had a plan, although he could not see it, and he carried his worries with hope.
No year is perfect, and no Christmas is without stress, but maybe for us this year is more anxious than usual. Perhaps we gaze at Jesus through the eyes of Joseph, a trusting but worried parent, not sure what the future holds or how we will be able to care for the ones we love. But the baby we gaze upon, when he becomes an adult, tell us to trust in him and to take his easy yoke on our shoulders.
Shepherd
The shepherds were the lowest of the low, at least in the eyes of society. They were dirty, smelled like their sheep, and were looked upon as thieves. Yet they were the first ones, besides His parents, to see the face of the Redeemer. Christ came to save all of us, but He had a tender spot in His heart for those on the edges, broken and rejected, and so in His amazing plan of salvation, it was to them that the message of joyful peace was first revealed.
We don’t always need to be successful, to be congratulated, to be everyone’s favorite, but we do need to feel loved, cared about, and appreciated. Perhaps this year we gaze at Jesus through the eyes of the shepherds, feeling alone, misunderstood, over-worked but under-appreciated. But the baby we gaze upon came to not only save each and every one of us, but to be our friend and to show us how valuable we are in His eyes.
Wise Men
The men from the East were great astronomers, or maybe they were kings. Either way, they were probably men of wealth, knowing how to read the sky and having the means to take off on their adventure. Most importantly, though, they were wise, because instead of staying comfortable in their affluence, they looked to the sky and followed God’s sign wherever it led. That sign, that star, led them to the simple manger of a poor, humble child, but they wisely saw that He deserved gifts fit for a king.
We know in our minds that Christmas should be about Christ, but it is terribly easy to get caught up in the consumerism of the season. Perhaps we gaze upon Jesus through the eyes of the wise men. We are used to a world of excess and relative luxury, stuck in the desire for the material. But we recognize our need for a relationship with the little One who showed us that He is the gift we need to receive, the gift we need to give.
Angel
The angels, as ministers of our Heavenly Father, are blessed with the eternal joy of the Beatific Vision. As great as their existence is, the Second Person of the Trinity never became an angel, but He did become human. The angels faithful to God were not resentful, but saw clearly that His life would mean redemption of all creation. Their focus never wavered from that Beatific Vision, even as it lay humbly in a manger.
Sometimes we go through periods in life where our relationship with God is so clear and it motivates all that we do. Perhaps this year we look upon the child Jesus with an eagerness to be His friend, His minister, and His messenger to the world. That child responds with a smile, which is enough to fill us with unending joy.
Jesus
In return, Jesus looks upon each of us to say, “My sister, my brother, my friend, it does not matter what eyes you look through to see Me, I just want you to see Me. That is why I became human, so I could reveal Myself and my Father to you, and so I could give you the Spirit so that you could see Me in every aspect of your life. I wanted to be close to you too, to see you in a way similar to the way you could see me, to take on your life, your ways, your body, your humanity, giving up all glory to be as close to you as possible. That is how much I love you. So wherever you are, however you are, whoever you are, I just want you to see Me and let Me see you.”
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