I saw a Jeep this past week with a spare tire cover that said, “Bigfoot saw me, but nobody believes him.” This sign made me chuckle. As a society, we are fascinated with mythical creatures. Even though there are 1.5 million animal species in the world, we all want to see “the other one.” This fascination has led people to chase cryptids … creatures like Bigfoot, the Yeti, or the Loch Ness Monster. I recently went to Southeast Oklahoma with a few friends and saw that vast expanse of undeveloped forested areas, so I understand why people might think that a big elusive ape is living in those woods … but (to date) the existence of the Sasquatch is unverified.
As we progress through the Christmas season, I have noticed that there are a few “cryptids” that are featured in the Christmas story. Now, I don’t mean that there is a lost Christmas carol that goes, “I saw three ships (AND NESSIE) come sailing in on Christmas day in the morning” or that Bigfoot should be added to your nativity set. What I mean is that mythology has added a few characters and items to the biblical account. People like “the innkeeper” and the “little drummer boy,” places like a big wooden barn or a roadside motel with a “no vacancy” sign hanging in the window, or items like a small wooden “A frame” basket filled with hay are imaginative additions to the historical Christmas account; people/places/things which (to date) are unverified.
So what DOES the Bible (a reliable historical document) say about those surrounding Jesus at the time of His birth? We will look at that this Sunday morning at Wildwood in part 3 of our sermon series “Home for Christmas.” We will look at selected sections of Luke 2:7-20 to see more about the “inn” and the manger, before closing with a rendition of “the little drummer boy!” Hope to see you all Sunday in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 worship services. These verses are full of hope and life and light … things we need MUCH OF in these days. See you Sunday, and bring friends!
