Away in a Manger

 

From day one on this planet, Jesus was among us as vulnerable.

From the beginning, he was among the poor, the refuge, the oppressed, the hunted, the one unwelcome by powers, but longed for by the lowly.

This was day one.

It was day two as well, and later, expelled from his land, fleeing with His parents, in mortal danger, He was among us as one who could remind us that God sees us in our lowest estate and comes to us with good news.

How long did Mary and Joseph remain in the stable before they found a room or a shanty? 

We do not know. They still had to stand in lines to register for their taxes. They had to remain in a place far from home. There are so many gaps, but all we need to know is here in the text. From the text, we know this: There was no room for Him.

“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”  - Luke 2:7

Everyone knew what a manger was and it was no place for a king. Everyone knew what swaddling clothes were and that they were unfit garb for the Lord of glory.

Nor should he have been relegated to a barn.

They just didn’t understand and we are still having a hard time “getting it.”

 “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed.”

This is His poverty, His willing emptying of Himself, His lowliness and love to identify with the least and the lost among us.

No crib - no bed – no amenities – no sanitized conditions – just a trough where the livestock were fed, just rough clothes to cover Him and keep Him somewhat warm. He became as the lowliest among us.

 “The little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head.”

He was there, helpless and sweet, all God and all man, emptied of all the riches and prerogatives that were rightfully His, poor and needy like us. Who couldn’t love such a baby? Who wouldn’t?

 “The stars in the sky looked down where He lay.”

No one standing by would have known how all of creation that night was subject to that little bundle of new life. Humanity has no capacity to notice when millions of angels bow and worship. And yet, it was happening all around them.

Humanity continues to turn a blind eye toward the presence of Jesus manifest in the least of His poor brethren. We do not see Him in the hungry, longing eyes of the children. We do not see Him in the faces of the displaced and disinherited. He is among us in the company of the poor and we look for Him elsewhere.

 “The little Lord Jesus, asleep on the hay.”

God grant that we not miss Him lying there or among us. May we not overlook Him, take Him for granted, or minimize His importance. He is so easily discarded and disregarded, but He cannot be ultimately ignored. 

May your heart today become His manger, your flesh, His swaddling clothes, and your heart like the stars in the sky that bow before Him.

 

 

 

 

 

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'" - Matthew 25:40