Where Are You?

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Now that we have celebrated the birth of Jesus, what’s next?  The story of Jesus’ early childhood includes several special characters.  I often find it interesting to wonder about which of the characters I would be if I were in the story.

First we have Joseph’s family in Bethlehem.  They apparently invited Joseph and Mary, his betrothed to come on down from Nazareth and stay with the family while they were involved in the Roman census.  We’re not certain if Joseph and Mary were married when they arrived in Bethlehem, but we do know that Mary was pregnant and about to deliver.  They were asked to stay on the first floor (or in the rear of the house) with the animals because of the ritual uncleanness of childbirth, and the family didn’t want to tie up a guest room for several days.  What the family didn’t know was that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus would be hanging out with them for a couple of years.  I wonder if it was really an angel who came to Joseph in a dream, telling him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt or was it the rest of his family sending subliminal messages to move on.

Next we have the Magi.  They were the astrologers or wise men from the east.  We know that there were more than one of them, but we don’t know for sure how many there were.  In about the 8th century we decided there were three and we named them Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar.  Who knows why?  They traveled for two years following a star. That seems a bit over the top to me.

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