With the passing of time, the Christmas story has been refined and glossed over, as seen in Christmas cards and Nativity plays. The original extraordinary events have become familiar and every character in the story has become a beacon of faith. I have no problem with this! However, it is helpful to occasionally peel back the layers and try and get closer to the reality of the story. It might sound like a strange comment, but real people were involved in the Nativity story. This week we focus on Mary. The highly glossed image is that of a teenager responding meekly and obediently to the startling news given to her by the archangel Gabriel. At the heart of the message was the news that she was going to give birth to a Son. Now, what would a typical teenager’s reaction be to such news? In this day and age I would imagine they would want to do a pregnancy test! They would want to know that they hadn’t imagined the encounter with an angel. Then they would want to wait three months to make sure that they were healthily pregnant and that all was well. Of course things were very different in Mary’s days, but we do have a very down-to-earth and tender account of real life in the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth. 

Who could Mary talk to? Who could understand? Elizabeth, of course – the person who in their own right had received astonishing news about a pregnancy. In seeing Elizabeth in her sixth month, Mary would have living and visual proof that these extraordinary encounters were real. And then, significantly, Mary stays with Elizabeth until John was born – three months later. Now Mary could return home, confident that her story was more believable. Now she could sit down and talk it through with Joseph without being dismissed as crazy! 

Real people found themselves in a real situation that required huge support, understanding and faith. In this season we remember them and seek to follow their good example.