Long before Jesus preached inclusivity, Mary practiced it. Imagine being the mother of a newborn, exhausted from a trip to register for the census in Bethlehem. Then picture giving birth in a stable, which was probably not as cozy and clean as most Christmas cards depict. Mary is far away from her support system, so she can’t rely on her mother, sisters or friends for help. No casseroles, no baby blankets.
Then, according to Luke, a crowd of shepherds arrives. They must be strangers, but there is no record of Mary feeling uncomfortable with these uninvited guests. Instead, she “treasures” the memories and is filled with gratitude. Matthew’s account of the magi doesn’t mention Mary’s response, but she must have wondered: how many more surprise visitors would crowd into their temporary housing? These visitors aren’t even Jewish–and bring the strangest gifts.
Mary’s experience should give us fair warning. If we hang around with Jesus, we’d better keep our doors open. He brings along an odd assortment of friends. They may not bring frankincense or myrrh, but they arrive unexpectedly when there are only two enchiladas for dinner. They come disguised as the children’s friends or the lonely neighbor who talks too long while the rolls burn. They phone at the worst possible times and they interrupt our most cherished plans. And in these, says Jesus, you’ll find me.
The beauty of this feast takes on special resonance this year, when the hero who interrupted the hateful, antisemitic shooting at Bondi Beach, Australia, was Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-born immigrant. While he lay recovering in the hospital from gun wounds himself, he sent this message to mourners gathered at a memorial service: “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted,” Psalm 34:18. In turn, his father Mohamed Fateh al Ahmed, lighted a candle on the menorah for the last night of Hannukah, a feast begun in bloodshed. How rare it is—and how lovely—to see tribal boundaries dissolve, and people of various backgrounds, religions and ethnicities come together to grieve, to honor what makes us all most deeply human, to include everybody.
Kathy Coffey 