Bev Murrill issues a challenge

Bev Murrill

'For to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour who is Christ the Lord! And this will be a sign for you: you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.' Luke 2:11-12

Have you ever wondered what Jesus looks like? Two thousand years ago this world first saw Him dressed as a baby and wrapped in rags. They didn't realise it was Him. God came to our world in disguise.

What does He look like now?

A couple of weeks ago I met a young woman selling the Big Issue (a magazine that provides a tiny income for people caught in systemic poverty). Heavily pregnant and standing on the main street of my town all day with just a cardigan and scarf to protect her from the biting winds of the British winter, Monica turned out to be a 22 year old Romanian woman expecting her fifth child. She and her husband began their family when she was aged 13 and he 14. Romanian gypsies (I use the word 'gypsy' in preference to the more politically correct word 'traveller' for the simple reason that this family doesn't travel but lives in a house), this family consists of five children from newborn to nine years old, two parents as well as a mother in law and sister in law, and they are living on the desperate cutting edge of grinding poverty.

With three pregnant daughters in law in my family this year, I'm pretty focused right now on the needs of mums to be. I love all my girls and want each of them to feel safe and warm and comfortable; I want to meet any and every one of their needs that is within my power to do something about. Maybe this is why Monica drew my attention so strongly. As I've grown to learn of the needs of her family, my heart has felt overwhelmed at the situation she and so many others find themselves in, especially at this time of year.

My family and I have had some seasons where things have been seriously tough for us financially, but none of us have ever had to stand all day, with all the accompanying discomfort of the later stages of pregnancy, because if we don't the rent won't be paid. Today, five days after the birth and having left the baby at home with his grandmother, she was there at her post outside the store again, for the same reason.

It doesn't bear thinking about. This isn't even about feeding the family; she has no choice but to do her part in keeping a roof over the family's head; the rent has to be paid and added to all this is an hour and a half of travelling each way on public transport to get to my town because London is too full of Big Issue sellers already.

I've been to Monica's house, met the family and asked lots of questions.

Do they have blankets for the baby?

No, but he's kept warm by the towels the hospital wrapped him in to come home.

'...you will find a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes'.

So what does Jesus look like today?

Maybe He looks like little Reuben, five days old and already marked as a marginilised, impoverished refugee; a statistic from the day of his birth.

Fortunately, the Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes has many followers, which means that the baby clothed in the hospital towels has now been warmly clothed and provided for in a way that makes Christmas more real for all of us. He now has a pram and warm clothes for his siblings too. His mum has a coat to ward off some of the long winter ahead and food and Christmas presents are coming to the family.

Jesus is the Master of disguise. He tends to look like anyone we wish we could ignore, anyone we can't forgive, anyone who drives us nuts, anyone we think deserves the circumstances they find themselves in. It's so easy to pass Him by...

...but Christmas is His birth day. In the midst of all the frantic activity, make sure you look out for Him. He might be trying to get your attention. He may want to invite you to celebrate His life by blessing someone else's.

What does Jesus look like today? Look around as you go about your Christmas busyness. He might be where you least expect Him.