Good morning friends, did you sleep well?  If you didn't, you weren't alone.  The events of this time of year, the busy schedules, house guests and rich food all work to change our routine.  We all have our routines.  When morning comes, we awake at a certain time, perhaps wear certain clothing, and engage in certain activities, and we do it all in a routine we've come to count on.

          This morning our routine was probably changed because of traditions of gift opening or holiday foods or guests in our home or even attendance at a Wednesday morning worship service.  We may have slept later than usual because we were up later last night, and there may be a special festive atmosphere in our homes because it's another Christmas morning, the morning after.

          I wonder what life was like for Mary and Joseph on the morning after.  It was their first day of being parents.  One can only imagine what they experienced, but yet if we consider the things common to humanity we can imagine it fairly accurately.

          First of all, the night before was truly a new experience for them.  Mary was a new mother.  Joseph, a righteous man, was not allowed by Jewish law to assist in her birth.  The women of Galilee had a long tradition of courage and if there was no midwife, they prided themselves in giving birth alone.  Joseph may have helped afterwards, but mostly watched in wonder, like most men would have.  Joseph was a man of courage, and unlike many men today, he knew what was expected of him.

          On that morning after they may have slept a little later.  Unfamiliar surroundings, the sounds of animals and the feel of sleeping on hay would have made the night less restful.  The long trip had worn them out, and yet Mary would have slept little because new mothers rarely do.

          Babies usually sleep awhile after birth, but then get very hungry.  They have needs, like being fed and changed and held close.  Had they brought enough supplies?  How many swaddling clothes would they need?  And did the Innkeeper or his wife offer them any assistance besides a place in the stable?  And Mary and Joseph certainly did not have disposable diapers!

          On the morning after certainly they were hungry.  She probably sent him out to find something to eat, or to add to what little they'd have left after their journey.  Joseph certainly had to find water.  Warm water -- what a nice thought after a night sleeping on the floor and on straw.  Did people then have something like tea or coffee as a morning drink?  People of the former ages have long sought a stimulating drink when awaking on the morning after.

          Some townspeople may have looked in on them.  The shepherds would have told townspeople about the couple and the stable birth.  Someone, perhaps a housewife, came by to offer assistance and perhaps a room where they could stay.

          Mary and Joseph surely didn't stay more than that one night in that stable, for Jewish hospitality and human decency would inspire several to offer the poor Galilean couple a better place to stay.  There a fire could be made for warmth or cooking.  There Mary and the infant could rest more peacefully.  And there women from Bethlehem could come to offer helpful advice or food or just be a comforting presence, as the manner of women is.

          Men of Bethlehem may have chatted with Joseph about the trip or the weather or politics, the things men talk of.  They may have inquired about the state of affairs in Galilee, a place of perennial unrest.  Maybe someone ventured to ask how he handled her giving birth.  Men of all ages have always found things to talk about -- prices, politics, and paternity.

          Bethlehem was crowded, so there was an abundant supply of conversation and bustling activity.  There was no newspaper or radio, but news travelled rapidly among the people of Bethlehem in the time-honored tradition of person-to-person.  They would have shared news about all manner of things, from newly imposed Roman laws, to hardships caused by the census travels, to giving birth in a stable.  Perhaps they spoke in hushed tones of government corruption, both in Herod's Jerusalem and Caesar's Rome.  But there was always news to share, as well as gossip, and the townspeople did both.

          By noon, Joseph would have come and gone several times on husbandly errands.  Men, you know, enjoy being the provider, solving problems and fixing things.  Though it's often the subject of womanly humor, women depend on this from their men.  God has made us to work together, as equals but having different functions.

          While men and women are valued equally in God's eyes, we are not the same in our makeup.  God has made us different for a purpose, and that is to provide for each other, to live together in community and to experience love and companionship.  We may be very equal but we're certainly not the same.  Who would want to live with another person just like yourself?  Men and women are different for both divine and human purposes.  It's the wisdom of God to make us this way.

          The morning after was the beginning of a new life for Mary and Joseph, and also their baby who was still unnamed.  He would be given the name Yeshua, or Jesus, eight days later when Mary and Joseph observed the Jewish rite of circumcision.  They may have gone to a synagogue or had a rabbi come to the house.  Joseph may even have officiated at the circumcision, as was the custom then.  And when it was over, another child of the covenant was added to the people of Israel.

          Yet no one, not even Mary and Joseph, could have imagined then the difference this child would make in the world.  We can imagine all sorts of things and make this event as normal and human as possible, but there was a divine element that was present in no other birth.

          No other child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.  No other child would grow to manhood without sin, doing absolutely nothing wrong.  No one else would suffer for the sins of the whole world.  Many were crucified, but none to bring the world eternal life.  The normality of His birth would be shattered years later by the abnormality of His death, as He fulfilled His task as the world's Savior.

          On the morning after, life was totally different for Mary and Joseph.  How is it for you, this morning?  Most of us, at one time or other, have had a "morning after," and it's usually not something we're proud of.  The morning after a passionate affair can bring guilt to our hearts and dust to our mouths.  The morning after a bad decision can bring a cloud that hangs over our life for weeks to come.

          The morning after leaving the old job can be exhilarating but also frightening.  The morning after a night in the emergency room can leave us exhausted.  The morning after a terrible argument can bring questions and sadness to a relationship.  The morning after surgery, the morning after bailing son or daughter out of jail, or the morning after too much to drink -- whatever happened the night before, brings changes to most everything.  On the morning after, life is very different, and especially now we need some hope to go on.

          You and I have that hope in the baby born in Bethlehem.  We have hope because Mary and Joseph believed God and obeyed God.  We have hope because the baby grew up and died for the sins of the world, including my sins and your sins.  We have hope because on the morning after, God is always there with His mercy and love, offering forgiveness to the repentant, offering life to the foolhardy or help for the frail.  It's now the morning after, but in Christ, it's a day of hope, a day of mercy, a day in which God makes all things new.  May He make you new this day, also.  Amen.

Copyright © 2002 by Pastor Bob Tasler.  All rights reserved.