With Advent and Christmas Coming, Take Note: Mary was NOT an Unwed Mother!

We all have a tendency to view the world from our own limited perspective sometimes ignoring the cultural differences that make that perspective incorrect. I once accepted the notion that Mary was an "unwed mother." It's rather a natural mistake for Christians since we think of the Jewish betrothal as similar to our engagement period. That's led to an error that slanders both God and Mary. What kind of spouse would the Holy Spirit be to allow His bride to be set up for contempt, disrespect, and possible death by stoning? I was corrected years ago and want to share that correction with others as Advent and Christmas approach.

Marriage in the Jewish religion involved two stages, the betrothal and the formal wedding ceremony. The betrothal bound the couple in a covenantal relationship which could not be broken except by divorce. While the couple did not live together, they were married. Let me repeat that. Mary and Joseph were married! The later wedding ceremony ratified the relationship. After the formal marriage, the bride moved in with her spouse and they consummated the marriage.

Shepherds: The First Believers

No scene of the Nativity of our Lord would be complete without at least one shepherd and a few sheep, mostly lambs.  What makes this man of low estate and his wooly charges so important to the story that no matter what else is included, the shepherd is never omitted? 

First, what do we know about shepherds?  I don’t pretend to be an expert in sheep rearing by any stretch of the imagination, but I have in fact known a shepherd.  Well, not a real “shepherd” shepherd, but a gentleman farmer who owned sheep and took care of them on his estate.  This property was in Northern Ireland and was actually on a small island in the western side of Strangford Lough, uninhabited by predator animals such as those that threaten sheep in other places.  This “shepherd” entertained a group of friends, which included several of us Americans, with his stories of sheep as we traveled together to a convention for daffodil growers.  (Another story for another day)