A lifetime of bathrobe dramas known as “Christmas pageants” not to mention outdoor “living nativities” (one put on by teenagers witnessed Mary and one of the Wise Men furtively holding hands on their breaks – one can only wonder what the drive-bys and passer-bys thought) have willy-nilly shaped our pictures of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. It may seem, at times, that our Christmas “remembrance” is more shaped by culture than the actual scriptures themselves. In our mind’s eye we see Mary and Joseph not the newborn baby Jesus in the manger. Gathered around are the curious shepherds and their sheep, oxen and donkey, the three “kings” bearing their gifts, and an angel choir singing overhead. Such a scene is only possible, however, if the birth narratives of Matthew and Luke are whirled…