— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
Each year we contemplate the Nativity scene: clean, orderly figures, illuminated by a warm light that conveys peace. And without realizing it, we have completely transformed the scandal of Jesus’ birth. We have made it romantic. We have decorated it. We have turned it into something sweet and beautiful.
But behind that postcard image, the Gospel speaks to us of a profoundly human and vulnerable birth—one that resembles much more the stories we usually prefer not to look at.
Jesus was not born in a safe place. He was born while his parents were displaced because of persecution, far from home, without friends or family, without resources, and without a dignified place to receive him. Mary gave birth amid exhaustion, dust, and uncertainty, in a space that was not prepared for life. Joseph surely felt fear: fear of not being able to offer more, of not being in control, of not understanding why something that came from God was unfolding under such fragile conditions.
Seeing Jesus’ birth in this way, it becomes impossible not to compare it with what happens today: births in the midst of war with no access to hospital care, mothers giving birth in refugee camps or crossing borders with their children in their arms—and we could continue with an endless list of vulnerable situations faced by mothers and fathers during childbirth.
The manger was not—and is not—a Christmas decoration. It is an act of God that reveals to us that true love is also embodied precisely where we fail to see it. Not only a beautiful memory of our Savior, but also a proclamation and a mission.
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 