It is the greatest story ever told, and Luke tells it in a single sentence: She gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in bands of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
I wonder how Mary felt as she looked down at her newborn Son, studying every hair on His little head, every crease in His face, listening to the sound of His breathing. I wonder if she understood the enormity of what had happened, and that she was holding in her arms God’s own Son, the Messiah for whom her people had waited for centuries.
I wonder what it was like in the stable. We imagine the stable to be soft and warm and bathed in a buttery glow. But all the barns I’ve been in were smelly, damp, and drafty. Farmers wear rubber barn boots when they go out to the barn, and you know why.
Jesus is born in the barn because there was no room for them in the inn. There was never any room for Jesus. No room in the inn for His birth. No room in the temple for His teachings. No room in the hearts of His countrymen for His gospel. He was always getting crowded out. The only place there was room for Him was the cross; He had that all to Himself.
In a department store window hereabouts there was a nativity scene: a half-dozen hay bales in a plywood manger, plastic shepherds and sheep, exotic wise men, Mary and Joseph, and a manger that looked like it was a high-school student’s shop project.
There was no baby in the manger. Maybe they forgot to put Him in. Maybe some practical joker was playing a prank. Maybe someone was making a theological statement. But the only thing in that manger was straw. I wonder what happened to the baby.
It does seem, sometimes, that the one thing that gets removed from our Christmas celebration is Christ Himself. There are cards and carols, dinners and decorations, parties and presents, shopping and Santas, but no baby.
Don’t let it happen to you. Make time for worship, prayer, and Bible reading. Talk with family members about how best to keep Christ in your Christmas every year. Keep checking the manger to make sure the baby is in there, lest when Christmas has come and gone you have nothing to show for it but tired feet and a pile of presents.
© Alternatives for Simple Living. Used by permission.
Louis Lotz is Minister of Worship at Fair Haven Ministries, Hudsonville, Michigan. He is a widely-published, award-winning author of over 200 articles and serves on the Board of Directors of Alternatives for Simple Living.
Alternatives for Simple Living is a non-profit organization that equips people of faith to challenge consumerism, live justly and celebrate responsibly. Started in 1973 as a protest against the commercialization of Christmas, our focus is on encouraging celebrations that reflect conscientious ways of living. For more ideas to simplify your life, call 800-821-6153 or visit www.SimpleLiving.org.
