Ive been thinking a lot about the Christmas story, and the more Ive pondered, the more Ive been puzzled about one thing... Why a manger? Why was the Savior of the world born in a lowly stable? Ive heard many explanations, most of them really good. But the vast majority impose our understanding on the story in retrospect... from our perspective... for theological reasons... from our knowledge that the One who fashioned the universe and would die on a cross chose to make his entry in the most humble of ways. But that wasnt the reason for the manger on that first Christmas night. The reason for the manger is much less nuanced and doesnt take a team of theologians to discern.... The reason for the manger was this... The Shepherds needed a sign! They needed some way of confirming that what the angel had just told them was actually true. Think of it... you are sitting out in your field near Bethlehem when a terrifying angel suddenly appears, tells you to not be afraid and then informs you the Savior of the world has been born in, of all places, Bethlehem. Simply put, its too unbelievable to be true.... So a sign is arranged: This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. There it is, a sign -- a confirmation, or validation and affirmation of this beyond-belief message from the heavenly hosts that nobody is going to believe. No matter how impressive and grand it was to see the first angel and then the myriad of angels out there in that field, the shepherds still needed that message to be validated by something else. And since nobody in their right mind would choose to give birth in an animals stable, the manger becomes the confirmation. You know the rest of the story.... The shepherds rush to Bethlehem and look for... the sign. They find Joseph... and Mary... and the Baby who was lying in a manger. We each need signs. We need confirmations that we are headed on the right path, that were not just wandering around in the field. On that first Christmas night, the shepherds werent the only ones in need of a sign. Mary and Joseph needed a sign as well. Although the classic nativity scenes would tell us otherwise, it is most likely that the wise men didnt arrive for some months or years after Jesus birth. That first night, it was just Mary and Joseph, alone in a manger. Despite the joy of their newborn son, if nothing else had happened that night, the couple would certainly have been filled with confusion and doubt regarding the words they had received and the difficult path they had walked. They needed a sign! Then some shepherds came running from the fields with an amazing story of angels and a message of the birth of a Savior. And in that moment, it all made sense, even the humiliation of giving birth in a manger. I suppose the angel could have simply appeared to Mary and Joseph at the manger, bypassing the shepherds. But then there would be no confirmation, no validation, and no third party affirmation of what God had done. And so, a manger. And some shepherds. And a sign. Embedded in this message of Christmas -- of Immanuel, God with us -- is a story of how God uses each of us to affirm and confirm His story in our lives. I believe the signs are there all around us, in our families and friends and co-laborers in this journey. Perhaps you are in need of a sign. This Christmas, I pray that you will discover afresh the ultimate Sign of the Age -- Jesus -- and find fresh confirmation to light your path in the days to come. Merry Christmas!
Posted on: Wed, 24 Dec 2014 16:04:57 +0000