The Manger
And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger. Luke 2:12
Everything great begins in a small way. Everything glorious seems insignificant to begin with. God is found in the details of life, and through them He does mighty things. A person who only sees details might miss the whole, the overall picture. A person who only sees the big picture misses out on all of life’s nuances. We need to see the small in the great and the great in the small.
The greatest event of all began in a manger. A manger that undoubtedly smelled of manure. A manger that surely was cold, wet and uncomfortable. It was a place where the powerful of this world never would have come. It would have been below their dignity. But He who was to identify with all people of the world, from every age, every nation and every culture, was born in a manger. He was laid upon straw and hay. There was nothing beautiful there. There was no decorative touch and nothing esthetically pleasing. It was not a place of choice; He was laid there because there was no room at the inn. No one had time for His arrival. No one focused on His birth. Yet, when the time was fulfilled, in God’s time, God sent His Son under the law so that He could deliver those who were under the law and award them the rights of sons.
This mighty act of deliverance began in a manger. It began in such a humble way that it seems almost repulsive. It can be a stumbling block. Or it can be a cornerstone, a rock of salvation. What does it mean to you? Many were nonchalant about this event; others knew nothing of it. Yet some fell to their knees and worshiped before Him. You, too, should do the same!
- Ulf Ekman
