“”I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:10-12 NLT). At first it was a single angel announcing to lowly shepherds the arrival of the baby. Suddenly a huge number of angels lit up the heavens with, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” This was an unprecedented birth announcement! The long-anticipated One has arrived. Heaven is happy and millions of earth’s occupants, especially those with whom God is pleased, shall begin to realize the benefits of seeking out this heaven-sent Gift.
Gazing down at Jesus, nestled in an animal feeding trough, His first guests somehow identified with Him. This One is the Saviour for all people. Poor people, rich people. The disenfranchised, the privileged. The unknown, the famous.
The startled shepherds were given a specific point of reference so they could be sure they had found the right baby. There was nothing unusual about wrapping a baby in strips of cloth (swaddling clothes). However, the location was unusual. Bethlehem, yes, with the exact site being a manger! Sure enough “they hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.” (Luke 2:16). It was an amazing global positioning system (GPS)!
Gazing down at Jesus, nestled in an animal feeding trough, His first guests somehow identified with Him. This One is the Saviour for all people. Poor people, rich people. The disenfranchised, the privileged. The unknown, the famous. The young, the old. The manger child will eventually journey to the Cross to pay the price for the sins of humanity. He shall rise on the third day, return to his heavenly home from where he shall daily call individuals to Himself. A vast family of God is being assembled each day – people of faith. The baby in the manger has become to us the Lord of our lives. We have found him! In him we have discovered peace with God and the peace of God. Merry Christmas!