Mary’s Work in the Christmas Story

Scripture — Luke 2:4-7 (NRSV)

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

Devotion

Given the timing of this devotion, you may be taking a break from work today. But, whether you’re working or not, I’d like to reflect with you this week about how elements of the Christmas story inform our understanding and practice of work.

When I think about Christmas and work, my thoughts turn immediately to Mary. It’s pretty clear that she had much work to do in helping Jesus to be born. For months, she had carried the Son of God in her womb, feeling both the joy and, I expect, the discomfort of pregnancy. This is especially true when we envision a very pregnant Mary riding on a donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, which was somewhere around 80 miles.

Then, on the day when Jesus was born, Mary worked harder than she ever had in her life. Her labor was labor indeed! I say this as someone who has been present for the births of my children. I was supposed to be the “birth coach,” helping my wife to breathe, push, and so forth. But, truly, she did all the work, and it was harder work than anything I had ever witnessed in my whole life.

Mary’s effort in giving birth was just the beginning of her work as a mother. Luke notes that she “wrapped [Jesus] in cloths and placed him in a manger.” No doubt she also began to care for her baby by feeding him, cleaning him, holding him, and comforting him. Yes, I know that we sing about the little Lord Jesus, “no crying he makes.” But, c’mon, he was fully human, and human beings cry when they’re born. In fact, crying is necessary for them to get their lungs working properly. So, there’s no question that Mary was working very hard on that first Christmas.

Sometimes when we speak of work, we think only of paid work. But some of the hardest and most rewarding work in life does not receive monetary compensation. “Unpaid” work can be genuine work. Remember that God created human beings to work, to “be fruitful and multiply,” which most literally refers to the work of bearing and raising children. Our fruitfulness includes much more, to be sure. But bringing children into the world and nurturing them is one crucial element of human work. It’s the work of mothers, centrally, but also of all who join with mothers to care for, teach, disciple, and love children.

These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the work that comes later in life. Today, I met with a dear friend who is well into the third third of his life. These days, his work focuses on his wife, who has for many years struggled with cognitive impairment. My friend talked about how hard this has been, but with great love. He believes God has blessed him, yes, blessed him, with the work of caring for his wife in this time of her life.

In the Christmas story, however, our focus is on the work of younger people until we get to Simeon and Anna in Luke 2:25-38. Today, I want to acknowledge the hard work, yes, the “labor” that Mary did as the mother of Jesus. Her example encourages us to work hard for God’s purposes and glory, even if we’re not the mother of the Messiah.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: God at Work (Luke 1, 2, and 4).