In case you haven't seen it, a Methodist church in southern California (Rev. Karen Clark Ristine, pastor) decided they needed to make Christmas more politically relevant this year.
Every year, around this time, the Left begins to take some small interest in the Christmas story. However, they insist on recasting Mary and Joseph as "homeless", or more recently as "illegal immigrants". Balderdash! (Note: If Joe Biden is listening, you can use that in your campaign!) On Twitter, (don't get me started) one budding Scriptural scholar wannabee said that the "real villain" of this piece wasn't King Herod, but rather the greedy innkeeper, who could not find a room for a very pregnant woman.
Let's inject just the tiniest bit of logic here. (The tiniest bit being all that some on the Left are able to absorb) But if you look at the most reliable record of the time, we see this
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.) And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
Did you catch that? There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
Tax.
All.
The.
World.
Scholars are of a conflicting mind whether or not this makes Augustus the first liberal Democrat or not. But in typical bureaucratic fashion, and not willing for any income to slip through the cracks, compelled everyone in the known world to return to the city of their birth. Not "Everyone whose last name begins with 'Aleph' through 'Mem' show up on Thursday, and everyone 'Nun' through 'Tau' the week after. No. It was everybody show up, or face the displeasure of the Roman Empire.
Why else would a man take his nine month pregnant wife on a journey of 70 -90 miles, on foot and donkey, to show up at such and such a time? Even our relatively benign IRS would have issued him an extension if he asked. But, no. Rome must be obeyed.
The most direct route from Nazareth to Bethlehem was probably too rough, with roving bands of brigands, and just how fast do you think Joseph could travel, leading a donkey with his very pregnant wife on it? And you ladies can back me up on this one, but bouncing around on a donkey's back, with a baby kicking at your greatly diminished bladder, about how many times a day do you think they had to stop just for bathroom breaks? I'm thinking a week and a half minimum for the journey!
Imagine if you would, that the government decreed the census would be done differently this year. Everyone who has ever been born there, in the last hundred years, return to the city of your birth, and wait in line until the government gets around to counting you. If everyone born in New York City, or Houston, or New Orleans for the last hundred years showed up in town...how long do you think it would take until the hotels and motels were all full? Not because inn keepers are evil, but the sheer magnitude of bureaucratic incompetence and greed that ordained it would overwhelm almost any city on the planet. Then imagine them all lined up on the steps of city hall, because it was no skin off Caesar Augustus' nose how long you had to travel, or stand in line, because you were a cash cow to be milked for taxes.
Homeless? Joseph was a carpenter in Nazareth. He provided for his family. After the baby was born, some of the census crowd cleared back and the housing shortage was alleviated. Matthew 2: 9-11
"...The star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him." (emphasis mine)
How about the "illegal immigrant" moniker? Anything to that? The lefties are hanging their collective hats on this passage, in Matthew 2: 12 -14
"(The Wise men)... being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt..."
So, because Joseph traveled to Egypt, undocumented, as it were, then there must be no difference between them and undocumented illegal aliens who cross the border into the US! Nothing at all indicates that there was anything illegal in that, although I am willing to concede that any illegal alien who can produce undeniable evidence that the angel of the Lord commanded them to come here, I am perfectly willing to make the exception!
The story of the Nativity of Christ is not about Donald Trump. Or Barack Obama who maintained if not built the "cages". It's not even about the failure of the legislature to pass new legislation to try to fix the problems on the border. It's about the entrance of the Christ into the world, who would save His people from their sin. When churches lose sight of that, they do idiotic things like the one pictured above.
