“All the World” “…That all the world should be registered.” -Luke 2:1 “All the world” is an interesting concept. In fact, “all the world” was only the known world to Emperor Augustus or, at least, his occupied and conquered world. Even to our modern ear during a global pandemic, “all the world” may be going through COVID-19 together, but it is basically only experienced locally. World events do impact our lives, mostly to the extent that we experience it in our neighborhood. Even then, our personal experience can be, and usually is, different from even the person who lives next door. As we begin to celebrate Christmas this year and as we have been going through this pandemic together, it is important to be reminded of all our varied experiences. Now, this diversity of experience is really nothing new, as Luke 2:7 points out that Mary “placed Jesus in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” This means that while some people did experience a nice night at the inn, others, such as Mary, Joseph and the 16
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infant Jesus, did not. While we might wonder why there is no room for Him in the inn, Joseph, Mary and Jesus simply remind us of the disparity of our experiences. There were some who woke the next morning having no idea that a family spent the night in the stable, much less
a family who had their first-born child delivered there. This Christmas has the potential to be the most varied experience of any of our past Christmases. For some, it may be a bounteous and excessive day because of all the overtime work
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that was required during this season. Others may be experiencing their most humble and sparse Christmas yet because they have been out of work for months. Some will have a house full of family, while others are cloistered in their assisted living quarters. Even in our modern world, Mary “placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” has meaning and can connect with our experience. An understanding from the lowly estate of Jesus’ birth is that God is not bound by our expectations or limitations to do great and marvelous things. We can take heart that, regardless of our circumstances, God is with us and understands our plight. No matter the meagerness of our circumstances, it does not have to alter the trajectory of life. It is only a moment in our lives. As in Luke 2:8, “in that region there were shepherds living in the fields…,” we too can become messengers of good tidings and joy to those in our community. It will only require a couple of actions from us.
