Revisiting Nativity: Was Jesus born in a barn or a house, and why does it matter? - a podcast by Avery Smith

Sometimes the stories we think we know by heart are the ones most worth revisiting, and examining from new angles. In this episode, Avery focuses on a version of the Nativity that will likely be new to many of you: one in which the Greek of Luke 2:7 is translated differently to imply that Jesus was not born in a stable because Bethlehem's inn was full up, but rather was born right in the heart of a peasant home.

As they explore the Nativity from different angles, Avery shares several poems that invite the reader into various versions of Jesus's birth, familiar and unfamiliar alike. Their hope is to help us all learn how to embrace the beads of truth within each different telling of the tale, discovering how contradiction need not mean conflict.

Click here for an episode transcript.

Talking Points:

(0:00 - 7:46) Introducing versions of the Nativity story — listening for what's actually in Luke 2

(7:47 - 11:18) Questioning the Greek word kataluma in Luke 2:7 — an inn, or a guest room?

(11:19 - 19:15) Cultural context: Joseph's ties to Bethlehem; hospitality; the layout of an ancient Judean home

(19:16 - 21:50) Poem 1: "the in-laws you acquaint yourself with first...are in-law hen and cow..."

(21:51 - 26:19) Reading this "new" version through a liberationist lens: emphasizing hospitality; celebrating the generosity of Jesus's fellow poor

(26:20 - 28:42) Poem 2: Jesus does not wait for us in his designated corner — he bursts into our bustling, compels us to make room in our mundane mess

(29:42 - 31:52) Closing thoughts on why all this matters

(31:53 - end) Poem 3: "Nativity Beads" — rosary meditations; 5 versions, all pregnant with a little bead of truth

Further episodes of Blessed Are the Binary Breakers

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Website of Avery Smith