Luke 2:5-7

Mary gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.

In a few brief verses, Luke summarises the birth of Jesus. Brief as they are, Luke offers us more details than any other Gospel writer.

After placing the birth of Jesus within Roman and Jewish history, we are given some very specific details. With the town crammed full for the census there was, not surprisingly, nowhere for the family to stay. After his birth, Jesus was placed in a manger, or cattle feeding trough. On many Christmas cards, this manger looks like an idyllic place to put a baby straight after it is born. But it wasn’t. It was just the only place available. It would have been smelly, unhygienic and the last place that anyone would want to use for a newborn.

The idea of God coming to earth in human form is amazing enough. But for him to have made his entrance in the least suitable place, at a time of profound political upheaval, tells us much about the nature of our God. He could have come to a palace and had attendants wait on him. He could have ensured that doctors were on hand and servants to meticulously clean every surface. As God, he could have done all that and more. But he chose to come to this broken and distracted world just as it was.

He comes in the same way to you and me today. He doesn’t wait for everything to be perfect. He meets with us where we are and gladly enters into our lives.

Question – Are you willing to welcome Jesus just as you are?

Prayer – Thank you Lord that you showed the full extent of your love when you sent Jesus into the world. I praise your name. Amen