I was watching one of those cheesy Hallmark type Christmas movies on Netflix not too long ago. The main character started playing Silent Night on his guitar and I started thinking about the words as he sang… “Silent Night, Holy night, all is calm….” Candles lit, warm atmosphere, the perfect Christmas feeling to go with that song. Then I thought, wait a minute, that night, when Jesus was born, was not a calm, silent night.

Picture this with me and pretend you hear the background music of Silent Night playing as you read. Mary and Joseph finally reach their destination. They are exhausted. If Mary was going to give birth that night, she was probably already having some intense contractions. It’s her first pregnancy so she is experiencing the pain of labor for the first time. 

Are you still hearing the lyrics…“Silent night, holy night…”  

Joseph has “new father” written all over him. He goes from one place to the next trying to find a rented room for them to at least sit down, have some privacy and a place to rest. He repeatedly gets turned down. 

“All is calm, all is bright…”  

Finally an innkeeper lets them use their barn! They are affronted with the odor of manure as soon as they step inside. Jospeh quickly rakes some clean hay in a corner and Mary sits down on the scratchy, poking stalks to start pushing the baby out. This young teenager is about to give birth with no help except from Joseph who probably had very limited birth experience. Did she expect this is what bringing the Son of God into the world would look like? Was fear creeping into her heart? Her cries are heard in the night air as she pushes her firstborn out. Jesus is born, crying as He breathes in oxygen. Mary wraps Him in cloth and puts Him to her breast to nurse Him. No lactation nurse there to guide her or help her make sure He latches on correctly. Pain slices through her breast as nursing is usually quite painful the first weeks. Covered in sweat, blood, the afterbirth still needs to be delivered. 

“Silent night, holy night…” 

I wouldn’t describe that night as silent and calm. 

As I think about this situation I realize…miracles often come in the midst of chaos. Isn’t that when we need the miracles the most? You can be right in the middle of God’s will and your surroundings can still appear chaotic and totally out of your control.  

So if today your world feels a little (or a lot) shaky, you are not alone. And if things are not going as you hoped or planned, don’t assume you are in the wrong place or not doing the right thing. Be strong in the Lord and do not be afraid. God is with you. He is at work amidst the chaos. For we fight not against flesh and blood, keep pressing on.