Mosaics of the First Christmas: What if?
Christmas is celebrated by multitudes of people around the world who encompass a variety of beliefs. The authors believe Christmas is such a beautiful time of year that truly engages all of our senses. Our hearts are warmed in the glow of the lovely faces of family and friends as they enjoy the sight of elaborately decorated Christmas trees. Our spirits are lifted by voices singing holiday carols in schools, stores, on television, in homes and churches. Who can resist the smell of fresh cut pine, or incense, or fresh baked pies and cookies, or the clean brisk air after a new fallen snow, or even the cologne samplings in department stores. Some wonderful smells tempt our taste buds, such as a delicious roasted turkey with dressing, cranberries, yams, and all the trimmings of a traditional Christmas day dinner. A new Christmas puppy or kitten, or the young hands of children or the experienced hands of our elders, or the feel of the chill of the winter air or the warmth of an inviting fireplace are but a few of the stimulations of our sense of touch. These are only a few of the ways our senses are kindled by the Christmas season.
While sugar plums may be dancing merrily through our heads, we also relish the quiet majesty of Advent. The placement of candles in windows to guide Mary and Joseph and to let them know that they are welcome in our home is an old tradition. At Christmas, churches burn incense as a visible symbol of the prayers of the faithful rising to heaven while also evoking a sensory memory. Nativity scenes, some done with live persons and animals, are a visual reminder of the birth of Christ in Bethlehem. One may attend a service in recognition of the Winter Solstice, called Blue Christmas or the Longest Night. It is for quiet and thoughtful prayer and examination of the year as well as remembrance of those who have passed or other hardships endured during the year. Christmas is also a time of year that draws worshippers to church for the special music and message of Christmas Eve service and Christmas Morning service. For this and many other reasons, Christmas holds a special place in the hearts of many people around the world!
It is intriguing to us that the birth of Jesus celebrated as a magnificent holiday is relatively briefly explored in both Matthew and Luke of the New Testament. For us it has always given rise to imaginings about what might have happened to the young couple traveling to Bethlehem, what hardships, what encounters with various people might they have had, and what was it like to be in Bethlehem during the time of taxation. If we think back to Joseph finding that his betrothed, Mary, was with child, what emotions and struggles may he have endured? Because Mary was so near the delivery of her baby, we wonder who may have provided help for the young couple during the arduous journey? These questions were the impetus for the stories written in this book. They are historical fiction about what may or may not have been. They are written in consideration of the times and those who may have encountered Joseph and Mary before they were wed, or during the journey to Bethlehem, or during the time after Jesus' birth before Mary was strong enough to travel from Bethlehem. We have done both liturgical and secular research regarding the people and the period and learned an enormous amount about the interesting times, people, places, government, geography, plants, etc. We found our resources to be extremely interesting and thought provoking and have strived to maintain a true sense of all of these researchers' details in our writing. You may find it interesting to review some of our resources listed at the end of this book.
We hope you will enjoy reading our historical fiction, our musings of various aspects left to the imagination regarding Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. We make no claims regarding the truth or non-truth of our reflections. However, we do present the question, what if..................?
Original Christmas Musiical