The Humility of the Manger

Luke 2:16-19 (NRSV): The Humility of the Manger

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.

The manger scene always brings the mystery of awe and wonder. It is a reminder that the second person of the blessed Trinity became human out of love for us. But Jesus did not choose a palace or the cultural center of the world, and he did not reveal himself to rulers and men of high standing. Jesus, instead, came in the flesh of a poor Hebrew child born in a drafty barn. He came in to an insignificant town on the outskirts of nowhere. He was born to a poor Hebrew girl. He appeared first to ostracized, poor shepherds. And it is these lowly shepherds, those rejected by “proper” Jewish society, who became the first heralds of Christ’s arrival. The manger reminds us that God is with us in the most unexpected places and in the least likely people.

Let us begin this year by looking for Christ in the person we least expect. The humble, the poor, the needy, the suffering, the ostracized -- these are all God among us. Let us reach out with love and welcoming.

Happy New Year and have a blessed week!

Stan