ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
December 12, 2025
Who is really in the story and who is not? In three different conversations in the last week, people have been surprised that something or someone was not actually in the Christmas Story. From cartoon versions to made-for-TV movies to big-budget church productions, the story needs some filler. Don’t read that the wrong way, but if you are trying to put together a telling of the Christmas Story, there are some gaps that require assumptions, along with some omissions that need some characters or dialogue if you are actually trying to create a play for your Sunday School class. In the actual Christmas Story, according to Luke 2, outside of the angel’s grand announcement and the singing by the heavenly host, the only dialogue is among the shepherds when they say, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” Otherwise, this would have made a great silent movie during the 1920s. I want to offer both a caution and an encouragement. Whenever we attempt to fill a gap, we must acknowledge what we are doing. And though it might have come through great research, it probably should not be held so tightly as to be confused or defended as scripture. At the same time, I believe scripture invites imagination. Whether we name it or not, we are always exploring the stories and attempting to bridge what appears to be significant rifts in the storyline. The parables of Jesus were often short and simplistic, inviting us to engage and ask questions, while also allowing the parable to dance with our own life stories. For instance, as I read the parable of the woman who lost a coin and turned her house upside down until she found it, I am mindful of every time I leave my car keys or phone or my running shoes in a place other than where I would expect to find them. I’m wandering the house, talking to myself out loud, and feeling my frustration only intensify as I look a second and third time in the dining room. Maybe the woman in the parable was calm and whistled while she looked, but I have a feeling she was frantic, maybe even being hard on herself for losing it in the first place. I’m filling in a gap with those thoughts, and though I’m not going to suggest they are a required understanding of the parable, they’re probably not outside the realm of possibilities. We do not want our imaginations to impose something on the text that will eclipse its intended meaning, but simply allowing curiosity to raise the question, “I wonder if…” is probably a sign that we are actually engaging the text.
For every story by which we are taught or inspired to live a little more Christ-like, I ask for you, O Lord, to bring that story to life in such a way that I am willing to engage it with all of who I am. Amen.
