The other day I was with a group of youth pastors reading over the Christmas story found in Luke 2: 1-21. As we sat and did a shorter version of Lectio-Divina, I could not divert my attention from words found in Luke 2:12, “This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
I was confronted by the three specific words: “sign,” “baby,” and “manger.”
As I meditated on these words, I sensed the power of and reality of the Son of God coming in the way he did. That God chose the “sign” of the coming of the living God to earth to be as meek as a “baby” in a “manger.”
Everyone in the first century Jewish world expected the Messiah to come as a king or a powerful warrior who would kick the Roman Empire out in order to bring in some picture of the Kingdom of God on Earth. Yet, the Messiah comes in one of the most unexpected ways one can imagine, as a baby born in a manger.
A manger was not the most beautiful place in the world. In fact, it was probably one of the smelliest and dirtiest places in the world. I don’t even think our little nativity sets do (do=verb, due=not verb) the reality of the manger much justice, because even our nativity sets look clean sitting on our freshly dusted tables.
A manger was somewhat of a glorified hole in the rocks where animals slept and went to the bathroom in. It might be considered the cleaner side of the city dump.
That was where the Son of God was not only born, but where the Son of God becomes and a “sign” to the world that the Messiah has come.
I think if I were completely honest with myself, I would admit that part of me wants to still believe that the Son of God is found in the clean, put together, and happy places in life. What hit me was the story of the Messiah coming as a sign to humanity flies right in the face of my desire to place God in the pretty places in my life. Instead, the Christmas story begs me to find the sign of God in the dirtiest places in my life, community, and world.
On TV and in the movies, we are shown images of Christmas being about happiness, joy, happy people, and/or beautiful things. We are told that in order to celebrate Christmas, we must have enough presents under the tree to make everyone glad. People are asked to put way the messiness of life, and to put smiles on their faces. To buy into the idea in order to celebrate Christmas, we must fill our houses with joy coming from stuff, music, family, food, and friends. Everything has to be prefect.
If you ask me, that seems like a far cry from the image of Christmas detailed in Luke. I doubt that Mary or Joseph planned to have their baby in the cut out of a rock amongst animals. I doubt that they planned to have the first people to worship their son to be insignificant shepherds. I doubt they expected to have their first child all alone in a manger.
As I was reading Luke 2:1-21 a questions came to my mind: What if the true meaning of Christmas is not found in the joy manufactured by presents, family, or friends, but when we dive into the mangers of our lives and discover a sign from the Most High? A sign that is found in the most unlikely places of our lives, communities, and world?
These lyrics from Sleeping At Last's song "snow" hit home this point too. Here are some of the lyrics from the song:
Christmas lights tangle in knots annually
All families huddle closely
Betting warmth against the cold
All the bruises seem to surface
Like mud beneath the snow
So we sing carols softly
As sweet as we know
A prayer that our burdens will lift as we go
Like young love still waiting under mistletoe
We'll welcome December with tireless hope
Let our bells keep on ringing
Making angels in the snow
And may the melody disarm us
When the cracks begin to show
Like the petals in our pockets
May we remember who we are
Unconditionally cared for
By those who share our broken hearts
Here is the song on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD-e3y2MaTU
On Thursday I will be blogging on Matthew's version of the Christmas Story, make sure you check it out!
Merry Christmas!
If you're going to post lyrics from a song, at least post the whole thing. You missed the part of the song that said:
ReplyDelete"We'll build new traditions in place of the old
Cause life without revision will silence our souls."
That's discouraging. It is possibly the most important part of that song. As a person who has supported Sleeping at Last since their inception, I'm hurt that this vital song of the Yearbook storyline was brutally misrepresented by your blog.