Mary with a Belt

Amelia was the perfect age to enjoy, and personify, the magic of Christmas this year.  This is the first year that she truly bought in and even anticipated the celebration right along with us.  She never tired of looking at decorations and asked questions constantly about when Christmas was coming and about every aspect of the holiday.  Amelia had specific gifts she asked for this year and insisted on being a part of buying gifts for others whenever we gave her the chance.  She is enthusiastic about most things and this was no exception.  Amelia’s animated (some may even say dramatic) approach to everything Christmas related was contagious.

At church, Amelia was an extremely enthusiastic sheep in the church Christmas pageant, complete with pointing and waving in addition to singing “Away in a Manger.”  It took us a while to convince her that she should sing the song with her friends; she maintained that sheep don’t sing. 

She also had another part to play.  After we attended the Christmas Eve service in Boone, we had our annual advent wreath lighting time as a family at my parents’ house.  Eventually Eleanor will be a part of it all, but for now, Amelia owns the spotlight.  This year, to help tell the Christmas story, she was apparently insistent about being Mary.  Not just regular Mary though, it had to be “Mary with a belt.”  So, Amelia donned a makeshift Mary costume complete with a belt.  She and her Nana told the Christmas story to the rest of our family. 

I don’t know what translation of the Bible you’ve read, if any, but I’ve never heard a version that described Mary as wearing a belt while she pondered all of these things in her heart.  Amelia either added that part herself or saw a picture somewhere that made her believe that Mary wore a belt.  Either way, that detail doesn’t matter.  Mary can have a halo or wear overalls or a belt or be bald and the story doesn’t change.  While we all laughed over Amelia’s insistent qualifier that Mary must wear a belt, we knew, that she got the point.  Baby Jesus was here; God personified. Sometimes we get so caught up in the details that we miss what’s truly important.  We argue over issues that shouldn’t be tearing the church apart and spend our time condemning others for disagreeing with us. 

Jesus’ birth is the best example of God’s love that we have.  While three-year-old Amelia would argue that not much is more important than birthdays, with cake and celebrations, Jesus’ birth may not be as significant as his life, death and resurrection, but it is the beginning of it all.  

The beginning that started with love, a plan, a teenage girl and her family of refugees, a star, a small town and who knows, maybe even a belt.