Time is Out of Joint

Journal for Christa—

At the end of Act I, Hamlet states that “time is out of joint.” That’s kind of how yesterday seemed to me. We had a big Christmas this year with children, grandchildren, my mom, sisters and their families. We did Christmas early—on Monday. Then, after the cars were packed and the kids left yesterday, Jay and I went to Target to get out (and avoid cleaning). At Target everything seemed wrong. The toy section was packed, Christmas music filled the air, and we kept wondering: “Where are all the after Christmas sales?” Things did seem out of kilter.

It made me wonder how Joseph and Mary might have felt on the real Christmas. Bethlehem was crawling with people, mostly descendants of David. They were there for a census; Joseph and Mary were there for the birth of the Savior. The masses were probably a mix of people: some excited to see relatives, some just perturbed for the inconvenience. People everywhere, but Joseph and Mary didn’t totally fit in.

I suppose Christmas really should be a reminder to Christians that life is supposed to be a little out of joint. We walk with our feet squarely in this world, but we should also be quite aware of another.