The Nativity

A pair of SIM doctors, serving at a hospital in a very needy African country, watched "The Nativity Story" the other night. Here's what they wrote: "We were struck by the similarities of the world that Jesus was born into to the one in which we are living. People live in small houses, the dirt floor covered with sleepers at night. The majority live close to the earth, working small plots of land, eating well if harvest is good, going hungry if harvest is not good. Shepherds wander the fenceless, spare, rocky lands, feeding their herds and flocks wherever they can find pasture. Families are close-knit, but also intricately linked to others in the community. Pressure to conform to the social norm is high, and the price for divergence exorbitant.

"Mary paid a high price in this last aspect of village community life. In the Jewish village of Nazareth, in her parents' social circles, there were few transgressions higher than the one that in their eyes she had committed. She returned from her prolonged visit to Elizabeth, obviously pregnant, to a bitterly disappointed fiance, scandalized parents, and a scornful, cruel community. She is the human being to whom God accorded the greatet honor imaginable--that of carrying within her body the Son of God. Mary, honored above all women, endured shame, though she was innocent of [this supposed] wrongdoing."

These insights are guiding my thoughts this morning.

One of our closest friends here is having triple bypass surgery early tomorrow morning. Would you join us in praying for God's hand on the surgeon's, and for a quick and complete recovery? He's in his late 70s, and yet he faithfully serves daily in his key role at the mission. Also, Fran's third surgery will be Thursday; we're praying the surgeon will finally get all the cancer. How frustrating! And puzzling.

I'm feeling well this morning. I made a date with a neighbor to go for a walk before work. It's turned bitterly cold, and I wonder how brave we'll be.

Blessings,
Carol