SHE LAID HIM IN A MANGER
She brought forth her first born Son... and laid him in the manger.
Luke 2:7
These words grab my heart more than others: “She... laid Him in a manger.” Not a nice little wooden cradle like we see in a manger scene. But a rock-hewn cattle trough in a cave like stable were your sandals squashed in the dung as you walked and the nauseating smell of the animals filled your nostrils. She laid Him in a manger. Think of it. Sickness, disease, death were likely possibilities.
How desperately alone from family and friends Mary must have felt when she realized the baby would be born away from home. In her hour of pain, her bed was straw in a stable, and when the baby was born, she herself, with trembling fingers “wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger.”
“No room” was not just the message of Bethlehem but the theme of Jesus’ life. But those who find Him and make room in their hearts for Him understand the true message of Christmas.
CODE WORD: ACCESS
Had Jesus been born in a palace like most kings, few could have reached Him without gaining permission. But no one, no matter how poor or how rich, has difficulty accessing a stable. What access is behind those beautiful and welcoming words, “She... laid Him in a manger.”
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Lord, thank you that anyone may come to You... and that includes me.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.