But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God

Imagine the shed. Imagine the cold, the sense of being alone. Let’s assume there were animals there. Imagine the creatures, the smells, the dung. Imagine the placenta, the umbilical cord – the connexion between old life and new life. Imagine the blood. Since neither parent was, as far as we know, a qualified midwife, imagine the fear of getting things wrong and the baby suffering. What a mess!

Life is a mess. Relationships don’t do what you expect. Things don’t work out. Actions, or inactions, have consequences. Like a row of skittles where one knocks over the next, and the next, and the next …. actions and consequences endless and uncontrollable. This is the glorious mess of being alive.

If the divine was willing to lose control by jumping into this mess of humanity, then we don’t need to worry about it. To begin to know the innermost part of the mess that is yourself is to begin to meet the Lord. Relax into yourself, as you are—after all, you are made in God’s image. Then you will start to see what you can be. Christ is born in you today. That’s the Christmas message. We are sons and daughters of the Lord.

Don’t be ashamed of yourself. You are part of the mess of God. Let go. Pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and start all over again.