A sacred journey

“and she gave birth to her firstborn son …” – Luke 2:7

During my tenure as the pastor of Westminster Presbyterian Church, one of the annual highlights each year was anticipating which newborn baby within the congregation would play the esteemed role of baby Jesus in our annual Christmas pageant. A human baby Jesus in Westminster’s pageant is a long tradition at Westminster and especially meaningful because it reminds us of the miracle and wonder of each new life. As a church family, Westminster shares the joy of new parents in their midst and welcomes their children with open arms. In many ways Mary, Jesus’ mother, unites a common human experience.

And yet, on another level, Mary’s role is uniquely hers in the Judeo-Christian story of a sacred journey. It is Mary who brings God’s son into the world. In her womb she carried the One we call Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Let us reflect on Mary’s significance within the Christmas story and how she has been viewed by the church through the years.

First, the Roman Catholic tradition gave Mary a prominent place, elevating her above all women and giving her the privilege of sainthood. As tradition evolved, the theory of the Immaculate Conception developed which stated Mary was also miraculously conceived and sinless from birth. This was theologically important for the church fathers because it assured that Jesus was sinless! How could a sinful human give birth to a perfect son? Over the years, the Virgin Mary lost all resemblance of humanity.

If the Roman Catholic Church erred in elevating Mary too high to a place above humanity, making her more of a demigod than a humble maiden; the Reformation in the 16th century erred in the other direction. John Calvin, the father of the Protestant Reformation, felt so strongly about discontinuing the practice of sainthood, he insisted on being buried in an unmarked grave. In the Reformed effort to set no one apart, except Christ, Mary’s role was diminished greatly giving her virtually no place in the Protestant tradition.

In both scenarios we lose sight of the theological significance of Mary’s role in the Christmas story – Protestants, because we have overlooked her almost completely and Roman Catholics because we have taken away her vulnerability and humanity, which is precisely why her presence is such cause for unexpected joy and hope. At the heart of our Christian faith is the belief that Jesus was fully divine and fully human. This is what makes it possible for Christ to be our savior and to bridge the gap between God and humanity. The miracle of Christmas is the unexpected and sacred journey of God into our humanity.

Our understanding of how this could be is explained in the Apostle’s Creed. We believe in “Jesus Christ … who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.” If the Holy Spirit makes Christ’s divinity possible, it is Mary who makes Christ’s humanity possible. It is Mary’s blood and Mary’s flesh that make Christ human. However, Mary’s theological significance is even greater than this. By choosing Mary, God has chosen what the world understands as ordinary and powerless to demonstrate the extraordinary and powerful love of God.

John Phillip Newell reflects on the meaning of the Christ-child: “The Christ-child is born of heaven and earth, of God and humanity, of time and eternity. Christ is not simply one or the other. Christ is both and Christ shows us that we are both, that the spiritual and the material are one, that heaven and earth intersect in us.”

Two millennia after the birth of Christ ordinary people are still making extraordinary differences in our world. The message of Christmas is that God continues to call ordinary human beings, men and women, to extraordinary tasks on our journeys, by placing us in the right place at the right time and asking us to do the right thing.

The unexpected joy of Christmas is not only that God has visited God’s people in the fullness of time on a sacred journey but also that, in this ordinary meeting, we have come face to face with an extraordinary love which gently and persistently calls us to do what is right.

May the spirit of the Christ Child live in our hearts. By the grace of God, may we each make unexpected and sacred journeys into the new year.

The Rev. Dr. Blythe Denham Kieffer served as pastor and head of staff at Westminster Presbyterian Church, Springfield from Oct. 1, 2013, to Oct. 1, 2025.