And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. Luke 2:7
Has the Christmas rush consumed your Advent hush?
We are well into the season of Advent now. Last week, we considered the question, “How can we find REST in this holiday season?” This week, we continue our Advent exploration with this question, “Where does Jesus fit into our Christmas?”
Advent requires us to make crucial decisions…
How has the monumental moment, the birth of the Babe in the Manger, changed your world, changed your life? Or has it? That is the question Advent draws us to ask. Advent compels me, over-thinker that I am, to decide where to place the Jesus-man (the Haitian artists who crafted our Jesus depict him as a man) in the Nativity Scene.
Should I put Jesus in the hay before Christmas Day?
Some people don’t. But then, why would the wise men be there? (Of course, the wise men didn’t really show up till Jesus was two years old anyway, so they probably don’t belong at all….) Ultimately, I decide to go ahead and put Jesus in the manger, partly because I’m afraid I’ll lose him otherwise, and well, even though we have the assurance of salvation, finding another man-Jesus from a Haitian Nativity set would present a challenge!
There is a more important reason, though, that Jesus goes in the manger today—he has already come to this earth. Immanuel, God-with-us has already come to us. Christ has lived. Christ has died. Christ has risen!
Where does Jesus fit in to our Christmas?
I put the man-Jesus right there in the center with his mom and dad, the shepherds and the sheep, the wise men—all those who’ve been bowled over by God’s grace. They marvel at this King of heaven, lying right there in a stinky feeding trough. It was a game-changer, this Advent event.
I put Jesus in the manger because he reminds me to wonder and wait. To wonder at the life-changing miracle of his kingdom come. To remind me in the dark, dreary days of winter or the Christmas flurry of decorations to be done, that Christ will come again.
Sometimes I wonder if we should add another figure to our Nativity Scene—of Christ returning to earth, or maybe it should be a whole Second Coming Scene, with zillions of angels rejoicing in heaven and rivers of life made out of Waterford crystal and a massive hand-carved tree and 24-karat gold city gates and walls…Well, maybe that’s a little much? The fact is, in that Day, we won’t need a Second Coming Scene, because we will be living right smack in the middle of it, God with us, us with God. In that day, we will live eternally, every day awed and grateful for the King who has come again for the very last time.
A Prayer about Where Jesus Fits in Our Christmas
Oh, Lord, we confess—we’ve got it all backward. Of course, the question is, “Where do we fit into Christ’s Christmas?” Forgive us for putting ourselves at the center of Christmas instead of standing with the shepherds and the wise men gazing on your glory. Help us, we pray, to cease our rushing and listen carefully for your hushing voice in this season. Help us to find our rest in Jesus. In his baby-King’s name, we ask! Amen!
