The Catholics threatened to boycott my new Anton’s Antics show, “Who’s For You?” arguing it was disrespectful to Mary…and they were right.

All Anton’s shows require considerable preparation. I don’t start with an idea or a theme; I generally start with a selected Bible text and work on it pretty intensively, waiting to see what God’s Spirit brings to the surface. This year’s text was Luke 2:1-7, where Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem from Nazareth in response to Augustus Caesar’s edict. It’s a familiar passage, absent of colourful characters like Herod or the Wise Men. There are no angels and even the actual birth of Jesus is narrated with little detail; more of a statement really. So what could you hope to get out of it? Can you teach the significance of Christmas with so little to work with? I often wondered this, worrying that I might end up with not enough material. I thought I’d be pillaging the Shepherd narrative that followed just to fill it out…Thankfully, I was wrong and discovered a way for presenting the old Christmas story in a fresh light; a way that would illuminate the original and its ongoing significance for us today.

What this text suggested, with its backdrop being the edict for a worldwide census, was the comparison of two kings, Caesar (and all subsequent leaders) and Jesus. The might and sheer size of Caesar’s rule is contrasted with the larger claim of another king, Jesus Christ. Caesar is so powerful, commanding and inconveniencing the lives of the ‘the entire world’ for his census. At the same time, Jesus and his parents are nobodies who bear the embarrassment of a premarital conception and a lowly birth. The lack of room and the lack of ones willing to make room in Bethlehem further underscore the contrast between these two leaders. Who is this loser with a rough start? Surely not the Christ!

But one of the thing’s high on Luke’s agenda as he tells the gospel is to set the record straight about Jesus suitability as messiah. Luke is at pains to show Jesus’ credentials are intact. Mary has done nothing wrong. Joseph has done nothing wrong. Joseph and Mary both are revealed as godly servants who willingly obey the plans of God mediated through the messages of the angels. Joseph’s godliness extends to his obedience of Caesar’s edict even though this must have been incredibly inconvenient for them as a couple at the time. Mary’s child is to be born in Bethlehem, but without much of a welcome or even so much as a stranger showing any hospitality. But Bethlehem, Joseph’s ancestral town, Luke reminds us, is also the city of David...a king whom God had promised long ago to put a son on his throne forever (2 Samuel 7). Bethlehem is the place for a suitable leader, one whose kingdom will encompass all humanity. All in all, the early chapters of Luke go to some length to establish Jesus’ right and credentials as Messiah. We should not see him as renegade or a lawbreaker, but as a truly godly candidate, a perfect fit for the title.

But there remains a problem. If our characters are squeaky clean and Jesus is the messiah, why is he born in such shame and embarrassment? It is because Jesus came to absorb the blame and remove the shame of each and every one of us. God’s son became a man in order to be our leader, our representative who would take our place. Though he was spotless and sinless he became stained and bore our sin. Undeservingly, and despite his good credentials, his name was to be tarnished and eventually trashed for our sake.

“Little did Mary know how one day Jesus would stand in our place, Giving up his life on a cross for people of every race”

Luke I think even alludes to this 'narrative arc of shame' in his choice of language about the manger birth. For when he is a man, Jesus will again be wrapped and laid down in shame...not in a manger but in a tomb. The big question mark will continue hanging over his name...was he a blasphemer, a liar or an insurrectionist after all? No he is the king for me and you who bears our shame.

“Two leaders in our story today: Augustus Caesar who came to take, take, take. And Jesus Christ, who came and gave, gave, gave. Two kings in our story today, both counting everyone one who was made. Augustus Caesar counting for a kingdom that has long passed away And Jesus who came to count you into his kingdom that lasts beyond the grave”

If I’ve rightly understood the story, then what we have here is a story that focuses on the godliness of the main characters, Mary, Joseph and Jesus. Joseph and Mary do need to be remembered positively as godly examples we can follow. This is all part of Luke’s apologetic for Jesus to be the Christ.

The Catholic SRE teacher’s concern over my show was fair enough. I hadn’t vindicated Mary’s name. I’d inadvertently said nothing. But when you say nothing, you leave the question open and that isn’t good enough. When you portray how others might have viewed Mary’s pregnancy without highlighting her upright character in submitting herself to God’s purpose, it’s understandable that some might rush to her defence.

We may not have highly interesting characters in this narrative, but we do have fine examples of godliness that we can emulate. There should be no shame on Mary’s name for her part in the birth of our Lord. Most of all we can, as I did, focus on Jesus’ credentials as the spotless son of God and his willingness to stand in our place and lead us out of this mess by taking our shame as his own.

Stephen will perform the last ‘Who’s For You?’ live show for this Christmas Season on Christmas Eve 2013 at Eastwood Anglican.

You can also get a great Sticker Story for kids under the same title at www.antonsantics.com