Stuff for the tabloids?

 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”  Matthew 1:18-21 (NLT)


When reading the events leading up to the birth of our Savior, Jesus, it comes to my mind that it is somewhat scandalous.  Surely these days, it would be front-page news, tabloid-type stuff.  Hearing that Mary, engaged to Joseph, was pregnant and claimed to be a virgin.  And that the only reason she knows is because Gabriel appeared to her and told her this exciting news! Whoa, if someone tried to tell us that kind of a tale these days, they would certainly be considered a liar or just plain nuts.

And it may be no big deal now days to many, but back then being pregnant prior to the marriage was an absolute no-no.  It just didn't happen.  Hearing the news that Mary was pregnant and knowing he had not been with her and that she had been away for a few months, and now she is standing there in front of him with a full, growing belly had to be not only shocking but disappointing and heartbreaking for Joseph.  He was immediately forming a plan to break it off...and I can understand that.

Thankfully, he was met by an angel who informed him that what Mary had told him was, in fact, the truth.  Joseph chose to be faithful and he decided to stand by his future young wife and do the right thing.  Hallelujah!  Do you think that would've made the tabloids too...someone doing the right thing?!  Probably not.  Unfortunately, that isn't stuff we want to read about on the front page.

And how about this...when Mary goes to see Elizabeth, her aunt, Elizabeth's belly leaped with joy as the two cousins meet for the first time, so-to-speak.  Elizabeth too had been told by Gabriel that she would give birth to the one who would pave the way for the Savior.  How cool is that?!  Would we believe a story like that today?  It might actually make the tabloids, but it wouldn't be because of its believability, would it?

Is the fact that the Wise Men used a bright shining star as their GPS system worthy of headlines?  Sounds crazy to me...but they didn't have TomTom's or Garmins, internet, cell phones, newspapers, television.  They had no means to know the path on their own, God provided the way. 

The story and facts surrounding Christ's birth is amazing and awesome.  It is worthy of front page news and should be picked up by the Associated Press and circulated world-wide often...I should hope.  It is our job as Christians to make sure that the truth about Christmas is revealed to others around us...not just in December, but throughout the year.  It is a fabulous story, with interesting facts and of great importance to us as Christians.  Make it your front-page news, my friends.  Merry Christmas!