Alt.Endings to the Christmas Story
1. A mom says no.
What if Mary, had responded to the angel with, “No way--not with me you won’t!”
2. A man gets a divorce.
What if Joseph had done what everyone else did—dump this girl who was pregnant-but-not-by-him?
3. A dad stays home.
What if Joseph had ducked his duty to enroll in the census so that an evil government could get more money—besides would God expect such a long journey with a wife 39 weeks pregnant?
4. A family skips church.
What if Joseph and Mary had skipped the temple visit so soon
after childbirth—wouldn’t God be better served if they
stayed in
5. Old saints keep quiet.
What if Anna and Simeon felt prompted to say something about a little child but suppressed their thoughts and kept their prayers to themselves?
6. Scholars continue study.
What if the Magi had delayed action to continue studying—wouldn’t God expect them to be more thorough?
7. Workers go back to sleep.
What if the shepherds had applauded the choir then rolled over and went back to sleep?
8. A Family doesn’t move.
What if Joseph had dismissed his crazy dream and settled
down in
9. Scholars invite the king to worship.
What if the Magi did what they were told
to—traveled back to
10. A family stays put.
What of Joseph just stayed put in
These alt.endings never happened, so what’s the lesson? Maybe we are reminded here that little promptings from God and our little actions change the course of history. We should watch for God’s promptings in saying yes or no, getting a divorce or staying together, skipping or attending church or even staying put or moving away from home. God may not send the angel Gabriel or come to us often in dreams but He still speaks and our obedience to His prompting can change the course of our life’s history.
What do you think?
During the first few weeks, click
here to comment or read comments
Keith Drury