I realize it's nice to picture baby Jesus as He is in our pristine Nativity sets: Jesus smiling with a little halo behind him. Lambs cuddling up to the baby in a well-lit, rustic but sterile setting. Mary and Joseph looking like a typical young adult couple hosting guests of mystics and shepherds, oblivious that a genocidal monster is in the process of hunting them down. In truth, the entire Christmas narrative was stark, bleak and fraught with drama and even danger. Come to think of it, OUR Christmases are often not "the most wonderful time of the year". But maybe the REAL, unfiltered story of Christmas gives us a more authentic look at the real people and problems we face and the hope of a very real God.

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