Typically, I post on Saturday mornings so please excuse the change in schedule. If you have read any of my blogs, it is no secret that I often make a connection between hunting, spirituality and its connection to a Creator. Faith and religion seem to be as divisive a subject as hunting or impeachment and politics these days. Just as with being a hunter, I make no apology and accept this may be offensive to some. To quote PBR Rodeo clown Flint Rasmussen, “You know what happens when you get offended? Nothing…” If faith and religion aren’t your thing, that is okay, you don’t need to read any further.
Statistics show that one of the largest generations yet, the Millennials, is less religious than those before them and Gen Z will fair no better. This might be saddening to some and proof that religion is irrelevant to others. This past weekend I heard a sermon about the birth of Christ and this blog is an extension of it. The sermon reminded me of things I had known but maybe forgotten. Tomorrow we celebrate Christmas. When I grew up, this was the blending of the two words Christ and Mass but that isn’t the topic of today’s blog.
Imagine being a young couple that many in your community looked down upon. In the public view and by rights, the husband should have left his wife for infidelity but he remained. By tradition, the wife should have been stoned but she stood firm. The two of them together made them the odd couple and outcasts. Now consider having to make a long trip, several months, because the government wanted to complete a census. There was no mail, no internet, no smartphone or Wi-Fi. You couldn’t use an app or call ahead to get a room at some hotel with any rating let alone 4 Stars or better. Upon your arrival, you find out the entire place is booked up by others who had come to town for the census. You can’t even get a place at a 1 Star hotel. Instead, what is offered to you is the stable. On top of that, a baby is on the way, literally.
The topography in and around the area of Bethlehem is rocky with many caves. In those days, a stable was likely a cave with something across the entrance to keep animals in at night. A good depiction of this can be found in the 2015 movie, The Nativity Story. If you have seen the movie, you know it wasn’t a warm inviting place. They were not likely in a cozy little barn.
Most of us have seen a depiction of the nativity. Regardless of how you feel about them, most can describe where the baby lay in these scenes. We get an image of a perfectly sized wooden trough with hay. Again, this is less likely and was probably more like a carved stone out of the cave wall or surrounding rock as shown below.
I will be the first to admit, even as a proclaimed Christian, I can be like the Inn. I get busy with me and I don’t have room for Him. Being religious doesn’t mean you live a perfect life. You will still fail. But just like the Inn, it isn’t permanent. It is just at that moment. When the census was over, the Inn Keepers of Bethlehem back then probably wish they had an app or internet to keep their rooms full. No matter where I am in my life journey though, He is willing to find a way and go where most won’t. That is the message of the manger tucked away in a cave. He isn’t waiting for us to be open. He pursues us no matter what.
In the early morning on the 24th of April eleven years ago after nearly forty-one weeks of waiting, I held my daughter for the first time. Until that point, I had no direct connection to her. I could feel, through my wife’s abdomen, her movements but it is not quite the same as physically holding her. At that moment, with her in my arms, a rush of joy and love overcame me. I have never stopped loving her since. I had tried to describe what that moment was like to other expecting fathers and the best I have come up with was I got a glimpse of what He must feel toward us.
I have had many highs in my life but I have also had as many lows. I have done some really dumb things that have left me doubting anyone could love me let alone my Creator. Faith and Religion isn’t a magic pill that cures you from doing bad. There is no cure for being human, we aren’t perfect. I often tell my daughter there is only one Father who won’t fail you and I am not Him. I know I won’t always be the perfect Dad or husband. I know I won’t always be a perfect friend. My own desires and self-interest will get in the way of giving it up for others every time and every day. That is human nature.
When I fail, it is moments like knowing how I felt when I first held my daughter that keeps me going. A glimpse of what He feels for me. What reassures me in faith are the messages found in the manger and the crucifixion. When there was no room, He found a way to be born even among some harsh conditions. He was willing to be born, vulnerable, in a dark, dank, smelly place complete with fleas, ticks, and even animal waste. Thirty-three years later, when He had done nothing wrong, He spread His arms to be nailed to a cross to rise again three days later. The Bible talks about Christ telling the Apostles that He will make them fishers of men. While the first few Apostles might have started as fishermen, Christ is a true Hunter. There truly is no place He isn’t willing to go in pursuit of us.
For many, this time of year is hard for a wide range of reasons and causes, either its loss of a loved one, suffering from illness or loneliness. No matter where you are at in life, this Christmas, I offer you the manger. I know from personal experience, at my lowest points, He has found me. If the pain is too much and you have no room right now, know that is okay. He will be there when you are ready and will meet you in some of the lowliest places.
God bless you all. I wish you peace, joy, love, and happiness. Merry Christmas.
- L. Yarbrough, Bucks & Beers
