What's the Story?

(Free For All: Christmas 2008 Issue)

What do the following have in common: angel, shepherd, Bethlehem, stable, frankincense? No prizes for knowing that they are all part of the Christmas story. But which of them is the odd one out? All but one are mentioned in the accounts of Jesus’ birth in the Bible; but which one is not mentioned?

The Christmas story is one of the best-known and best-loved stories of all time. But if you had to tell the Christmas story from memory, how would you tell it? Many of us have our personal favourite characters – maybe Mary, or the angels, or the shepherds. And what about those mysterious visitors who came to visit Jesus from that strange place called ‘Orientar’?! Some people talk about three kings, while others insist that the correct terminology is ‘wise men’, or (if you’re really posh) ‘magi’. If you tell the story one way and your friend tells it another way, who is telling the right story? Or are both of you right? Does it matter?

Christians believe that the Christmas story contains some deep truths about God and the world he loves, and about the human condition. The Christmas story is both simple and profound – hence its appeal to people of all ages through hundreds of generations. Which other story has remained so popular for 2000 years?

One of the best ways to mug up on the Christmas story is to go to a Christmas carol service. But if you really pay attention to the words of the carols as you sing them, you might be surprised at how many carols get the Christmas story wrong…..but then, which is the right story: the one in the Bible or the one in the carols?! And anyway, which carols – because they don’t all agree…?!

So in case you’re still wondering which was the odd one out, it’s the stable: nowhere does the Bible say that Jesus was born in a stable. What’s more, the Bible also doesn’t mention any animals in the stories of Jesus’ birth. Of course, there’s a long standing tradition that Jesus was born in a stable, or at least an outbuilding where animals may well have been kept, so there’s certainly no need to take all your Christmas cards and cross out the pictures of stables and animals. But it does go to show that the Christmas story as we know it draws on many different sources – not only the Bible, but also tradition, art, Christmas carols and of course nativity plays. But as long as we can still hear the main message of the Christmas story – that God loves the world so much that he became human like us, so that we might become like him – it certainly doesn’t matter if variations and embellishments have crept in over the centuries.

We’ll be singing a lot of carols at St Lawrence’s this Christmas, and also hearing the Christmas story in its various forms. We’ll be delighted to welcome readers of Free For All at any of our Christmas services and we do hope that you will be able to join us for the celebrations. Happy Christmas!