Mary & Joseph Defaced, literally.

Much of Auckland's conversation on talkback radio yesterday was about this billboard in the city, and supposedly, the meaning of Christmas.

When it was put up the vicar asked some street people to keep and eye on it overnight. It didn't last 5 hours.

Talk about defaced!

Interesting thing is that some people commented on the radio in the afternoon that if this was an offense to Muslims it woulda been set alight in no time. Those radicals!

Then look what happened.

While the conversations on radio yesterday were heated at times, the comments on the church's website are ugly in places.

Talkback ZB nighttime host Kerre Woodham, said that she just plain didn't get it. "What's this got to do with the meaning of Christmas?" As I listened to her, I agreed and gained another view. Kerre didn't think it was funny, controversial or informative. She lamented the ire it caused and suggested that was not in the spirit of Christmas at all.

I do think the conversation is good. Anytime we can get Christmas tied back in to the historical events of real people living in a real place where miraculous things happened, we have a chance of reclaiming Christmas from the retailers.

Kerre's point though reflected one of the great things about visual representation of an issue, whether we want to call this particular billboard art or not. People interpret what they see differently.

It'd be great if we had several people write in and comment on differing potential

interpretations or stories behind such a billboard.

Was Joseph possibly daunted by being in the same bed with the woman whose statue would adorn many a vestibule, nave and chapel?
Was he considering the task of caring for the mother and baby upon whom so much depended?
Was he . . .

You get the idea.

Weigh in, preferably on Conversations@Intersections so others can read too.

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