When he came screaming into the rough hewn manger from the womb of an unmarried woman, when he was delivered by the calloused hands of a carpenter amidst a family of goats, the angels found the unassuming and sang the message,
“glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on Earth.”
Messiah had come, and so, the shepherds, watching o’er their fields at night, left the sheep to fend for themselves. They wanted to see this good news incarnate, the majesty of which the angels sang. Their deliverer, the King of kings, had surely come.
The Wisemen traveled stable-ward, also. Keen readers of the stars as they were. They stopped and asked directions from a paranoid King with a psychotic twitch,
“where is this Messiah, for we have seen his star?”
And the king, the first of the anti-Christs, spun a yarn of Bethlehemic prophecies and his intent to worship the newly born despot. They left his estate, in awe that a king would seek to worship another, and hurried on to Bethlehem. There were, after all, presents to deliver to a good little boy who was
God with them.
And when they arrived, led by the Spirit to that splintery hospital-hotel, were they surprised to find Messiah in a manger? Were they astounded to find his mother, the first of the holy grails, relegated to a bed of straw? Did they expect something different, something more grand?
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It is how we celebrate the scandalous story, and to be honest, I love it. There is joy in the gift giving, and sometimes I think there is a reason for that. After all, it was God-sized gift giving that started this whole season. And some of us may find ourselves in Best Buy in the coming days, asking for the “Daddy, daddy, I love it,” gift.
And maybe we do this because we, like the shepherds, are looking for something more grand.
But when we are in those isles, can we agree to think back to rough-hewn manger? Can we remind ourselves of the foreordained family that found themselves bearing God into a world of disadvantage? Will we remember His coming into a generation of genocidal treachery, and how he was given only a feed bin in which to sleep? And then, can we ask
“Lord, how can we bring a gift to your manger?”
And as we silently and inwardly kneel among glittering passable joys, can we remember the answer that Jesus has already spoken?
“I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:37-40, The Message).
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh, Seth, this post is the basic challenge isn’t it? To remember the Giver of all, to somehow translate our dollars into emulations of His giving heart, and to not let the packages we exchange become what it is all about.
Thank you.
brilliant…!
What they said,
and Seth, you are a powerful and gracious singer of words.
A great message. But I can’t help but point out the inaccuracy – the wise men didn’t meet Jesus in the manager. (How many creche scenes have it wrong!) Take a look at Matthew 2:11, they meet him in a house. He could have been up to 2 years old. Change that little detail and you’ve still got a stellar post.
That’s the real question – how to redeem our feasting and merriment to reflect the extraordinary love and grace of Christ.
Maybe we should spend more this Christmas.
http://bit.ly/aO9ms
As I have read through the posts and considered what it is we will do this Christmas in the way of giving, I find myself trying to find the right balance. Giving, even to those who have much, because we love them and want to give them something special. And then giving to those who have so little – because we love them as well.
Thank you for sharing this.
This is heart-strung. I feel the beating of these words.
Return to the manger. That is where the living is. Let nostrils breath earthy scent of hay and musky animals. I want to just BE there. Amazed.
Thank you for the comments. My hope is that while we are looking for the perfect present, we will also look for the birthplace–that we would have a Pavlovian response, of sorts, when we sing “Jingle Bells,” or see the Mall Santa. And that the response would be, where is Bethlehem and where do I drop my present to Jesus.
This is tricky because I’m not the best at this. I’m struggling to work this out as I write it out. Thank you guys for the encouragement.
How do you remember to tie in Jesus when your at the store? Do you do anything to intentionally keep your mind on the manger? I’d love to hear thoughts on this.
Beautiful. What can I bring? How can I give and still shine for him, and not feel guilty? Good stuff.
Steph