Grace in the Hay

On our quest for accuracy this Christmas season, we have faced reality with Joseph. We have removed cultural artifacts from Bethlehem’s manger, placing the wisemen where the belong. We can now address the emotions Mary wrestled with as the mother of Christ. We read time and again that she was surprised by the details and events as they unfolded. How speechless was she as she looked in to the face of the Word made flesh? What a surprise to behold the embodiment of grace wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying on a bed of hay!

This has me thinking about the surprise of grace nestled within the Christmas story. If we are looking, we find it everywhere, not just in the manger. From the narrative in Luke 2 and Matthew 1, we will discover 3 additional surprises of grace.