Long ago, women of wisdom from all over the earth began to gather together: mothers and grandmothers, sisters and daughters, cousins and aunts. They converged in order to witness and to midwife the birth of a holy little girl-child of mid-Eastern descent…perhaps an Iraqi.

This was distressing to the Herods of the earth, who are ever distressed and fearful when women gather together: the male Herods because of their fear that someone might displace them, and the female Herods because someone else might be the fairest of them all.

The Herods asked the wise women where this child was to be born: "Return and tell us," they said, "so that we may worship, too!" In other words, give us your wisdom.

The wise women went on and found the place and helped the birth to come about. And they brought with them gifts—corn, squash, beans, and bread—these symbolizing the interconnectedness of all of life, gifts that could be used to feed the whole world.

So instead of the ancient gifts we’ve been told were brought, these women brought other gifts. Instead of gold for royalty, they brought humility. Instead of frankincense for worship, they brought partnership. Instead of myrrh for death, they brought the knowledge of how to live.

And when they had offered their gifts, knowing that they dare not go back to Herod and to the old ways, they made their home with this child…and thereby went home a different way. And because of that, there was no slaughter of the Innocents and no Rachel weeping for her children.

There will be no donkey, and especially not a little donkey, I’d say. I’m eight and a half months pregnant, after all. I couldn’t’ wing my leg over its back. If I sat sidesaddle, I’d probably fall off and if I stayed on, it might trigger my contractions!

Now if Joseph could afford a camel….dear Joseph!...but he can’t afford a camel, so I’m going to walk…with him…a long way!

….eighty miles….eighty pregnant miles to register to pay the head tax…nothing mysterious about that! Just hard!

Sometimes life is hard even when God is with you! But I couldn’t make it alone…and I don’t have to!

I don’t know what it will be like when we finally do arrive. Since Joseph left town when he was a toddler,

he can’t remember the place at all.

Can you remember from where you have come….long ago?

Would you know how to return?

Would you want to?

How would you have to open yourself

…to go back and claim your birthright?

I ask you…would any of you want to walk eighty miles, to give birth as mother or father, journey to who-knows-where to a child who is to be a course of consternation to you…and your parents!...before he is even born?!

…a baby who would grow to be a source of controversy to the world ever after?! Would you walk even a step toward that destination?

Funny how things happen. Not so funny at times! But you know, when I was a girl, I used to love playing practical jokes. All our neighbors would laugh and say to my mother, "Where does she get her sense of humor from?"

Now, I wonder if that’s what draws Joseph to me…and me to him…an irreverent view of things? …which end up to be quite holy really! Part of the mystery, I guess.

Sometimes when I think of the mess Joseph and I are in, I smile to myself and realize…I got my sense of humor from….my Maker!

God isn’t laughing at me, but God sees life with me through a different sort of lens…one that sees light when others see dark, heavy.

To journey with God….maybe it takes a bit of a sense of humor to travel life in a Holy Way….an art of opening for sure! My! You just never know where life will lead you and what newness possible when you follow in God’s Holy Way and Open To The Mystery!