“It’s a girl!” This is probably not the news Mary and Joseph heard in the moments following Jesus’ birth. But it is news we heard last night at 10:32. She is beautiful! Eight pounds, two ounces, twenty inches long. Ten fingers, ten toes. Here in the United States, these are the vital statistics we all ask and want to know. Jesus’ world did not worry about these kinds of statistics. Alive! That is what they wanted to know most. Then, it is a boy, a firstborn. Then they would have wanted to know the name, but that often did not happen for several days. Then the questions would have been about mother and father and ancestry. Last night as I watched our granddaughter getting her first beauty treatment (bath and shampoo) my heart filled to overflowing. What a wonderful gift to this world that doesn’t deserve it. When I think about the morning of Jesus’ birth I think, what a wonderful gift to this world that doesn’t deserve it. Have a very merry Christmas. I know I will!
The Arnold Journey 