Jesus was born in the small community of Bethlehem. He was born there because Joseph’s family was from Bethlehem and he and Mary went there, as required, for the census.
Bethlehem was a small village and likely had a lot of Joseph’s relatives there. It is possible, even likely, that Jesus was born in a cave where people who couldn’t find a place to stay could sleep. It also seems likely that because Joseph had family there, he and Mary and the baby Jesus stayed, at least for awhile. This is why Herod, when told that the promised one would be born in Bethlehem, ordered all the boy babies in Bethlehem killed.
Community is important. God didn’t create us to be alone. He provided Joseph, Mary, and Jesus a community who could help them. God tells us that we are to love him above all and our neighbors as ourselves. The setting of Jesus birth is often thought of as an individual event. Instead there were shepherds and angels and later wise men. It was a community.
Calvin is a community too. We are distinct, because unlike most any other school, we are a Christ-centered community. We all share the amazing gift of Jesus that we celebrate at Christmas. We have the single most important thing in life in common.
Our theme at school this year is Cultivating Community. I hear stories all the time of how our school community supports and cares for each other. That happened again recently with the outpouring of prayer and support when our preschool Director, Shari Hall lost her mother. It happened when one of our board members had a life threatening medical situation.
As you celebrate Christmas with your friends and family, we celebrate together as a Calvin family. We share that our only hope is the newborn Savior. We are called by God to serve and to lead as we love God and our neighbor.
Have a blessed Christmas!
