People are often quite disappointed when it is pointed out to them that there is no ‘little donkey’ mentioned in Bible’s Christmas story. What about the ox and the ass; the carols singing about the animals? Sorry, but they are not there. No camels, no oxen, no donkeys and sundry beasts of burden are mentioned. Anyway, it takes a bit of imagination to picture a heavily pregnant woman getting on a donkey and being comfortable with the experience of riding from Nazareth to Bethlehem!
Many imagined elements have crept into the Christmas story over the years, lots of them through Christmas carols, and my fear is that they can have the effect of giving the whole thing the air of a fairy tale. After all, Christmas is really (or just) for the children so let’s go to town on the imagination and keep it that way.
The two accounts we have in the Bible are a very small part of the whole Gospel story. Only Matthew and Luke tell us anything about the birth and the elements they include are all there to point to the most important element of the Christian faith; that, as St. Paul put it ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.’
Whatever aspects of the story we like, imagined or otherwise, that is what it is all there to tell. God has come amongst us, seen in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and that is the best of all good news for a broken world.
Celebrating Christmas, last year was very different and in some respects, is still not going to be the same this year because of covid. However, nothing can stop us from celebrating the love of God come in the baby at Bethlehem.
Have a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Fraser Penny