The Nativity- Painting by Gari Melchers.

The Nativity

The painting of Gari Melcher’s 19th Century nativity is on of my favourites in the whole world. The pure emotion and look of exhaustion on the faces of Mary and Joseph as they look on the Christ child is palpable.

The labour may have been long or short, but either way it would have been arduous. Mary and Joseph has travelled for miles on the donkey and then had the stress of looking for somewhere to stay when all the inn’s were full.

I often wonder if Mary began her labour on the back of that donkey. Biology would dictate that she did. I can’t imagine the discomfort she faced, since travelling to the hospital in the front seat of the car (and enduring speed bumps) during labour was bad enough! To have to try and support herself upright on the back of the donkey waiting each early contraction out must have been exhausting.

Labour is hard; there’s so much emotion built in, and then there’s a body that really shouts to take over. There’s a submission of the ego and self and all they need, so that the body can do all it needs to. Imagine dealing with that submission, whilst trying to find somewhere to rest, discovering there is no room anywhere to stay.

This picture for me depicts Mary and Joseph just dumping down their things and getting on with the delivery. No place for niceties or getting Mary comfortable, no time to close the barn door. No bags or blankets to prop up her back, but maybe a haybale and an animal feed container if they’re really lucky. Just a cold hard floor where the animals rest, defecate and sleep, and here we find the holiest of Holy Families.

Melcher depicts Joseph looking both relived and traumatised. In a place where he knows no one, in this place of isolation, he has been the first person to touch the Christ child, both Mary’s supporter, husband and midwife. It seems without any physical help, and with so much faith, he’s placed his life and Mary’s in God’s trust, at this special moment for the Christ child to be born. I often wonder if he ever regretted his decision to take Mary on. Did he ever doubt that child was the son of God? Was he ever overwhelmed with the great responsibility laid at his feet? He was to father the child, provide for him, teach him his ways. Perhaps the trauma of the face of Joseph at this delivery depicts those thoughts. How he must think- what has he brought into this world?

But looking again at the image. The stable door also captures my attention. It’s open, and remains that way. The most intimate occurrence; a woman birthing a baby is something done without dignity or privacy. The door wide open for anybody wandering past to walk in, hear or stand and watch. But that stable door is open, because it’s barely hanging on its hinges. One false move and the door will break completely, locking the holy family in the barn, or break to leave a permanent draft around a newborn and his mother. We know the family had little, they wrapped the baby in cloths, which won’t have held any real heat.

But the openness of this intimate time speaks to all of us. God gave everything to us; and in return he asks for everything back; ‘warts n’ all’! There’s no using in hiding things in private- He sees it all; but doesn’t love us any less. Time and history shattered the moment God became His creation. He became united to humanity forever in forgiveness and love.

So as we head to the end of our christmas time preparations, perhaps we feel a little like this Holy family. Exhausted from the travel of our life journey’s; spent by emotional outpourings of rage, angst, disappointment and toil. Perhaps we feel frustrated that we cannot provide what we would wish for those we love; despite working hard to try to achieve this. But underneath all this, we need to understand that a stable, and manger with hay and cloths was enough for our creator. He was clothed in love, and that was enough for him- so it in essence should be enough for each and every one of us!

Image from google. Morgan Weisling- Kissing the Face if God.