(Author unknown)
I had a dream, Joseph.
I don’t understand it, not really, but I think it was about a birthday celebration for our Son. I think that was what it was all about. The people had been preparing for it for about six weeks. They had decorated the house and bought new clothes. They’d gone shopping many times and bought elaborate gifts. It was peculiar, though, because the presents weren’t for our Son. They wrapped them in beautiful paper and tied them with lovely bows and stacked them under a tree. Yes, a tree, Joseph, right in their house. They’d decorated the tree also. The branches were full of glowing balls and sparkling ornaments. There was a figure on the top of the tree. It looked like an angel might look. Oh, it was beautiful. Everyone was laughing and happy. They were all excited about the gifts. They gave the gifts to each other, Joseph, not our Son. I don’t think they even knew Him. They never mentioned His name. Doesn’t it seem odd for people to go through all that trouble to celebrate someone’s birthday if they don’t know Him? I had the strangest feeling that if our Son had gone to this celebration he would have been intruding. Everything was so beautiful, Joseph, and everyone so full of cheer, but it made me want to cry. How sad for Jesus – not to be wanted at His own birthday celebration. I’m glad it was only a dream.
How terrible, Joseph, if it had been real.
3 Comments
December 12, 2006 at 10:12 am
Just wanted to say that I didn’t post this because I think the trees and such of Christmas are wrong (see my previous post
), but I thought this was a thoughtful piece because of how our celebrations might look to Mary and because it is possible for us to be so caught up in everything else at Christmas that we do forget it is all about Him.
Also, Jesus was indeed God’s Son and not Joseph’s biological son, but I think it would have been quite common for Mary to refer to Him as “our son” to Joseph. Many families with step-parents would do that.
December 12, 2006 at 3:29 pm
I thought it was beautiful and a nice reminder to keep “Christ” in Christmas. Too often we get caught up in all of the secular holiday celebrations and forget what we are really supposed to be celebrating. Happy Birthday Jesus:)
December 6, 2009 at 11:46 pm
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