12-25-2025

Good Morning All,

     Luke 2:7; “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.”

    What is your favorite part of the Christmas story? Is it the shepherds? Is it the angels? Maybe you are an innkeeper person, we all have parts that seem to strike us as we listen to the story. For me, it is, and always has been, the baby in the manger. Even as a child, this fascinated me. My mother would put up the nativity scene, usually on top of the television, shortly after Thanksgiving and my curiosity was aroused. I would always be looking at the manger. I would pick it up and move it around in the scene. Maybe to the outside wall where a manger might be placed to the center of the scene to reflect the importance of the baby.

    This baby, lying on bed of straw, amazed me. I don’t think it was the straw. I grew up on a farm that had pigs, cows, and sheep for a while. I understood straw as bedding. I even fell asleep on a pile of straw because it was soft and warm. I was always fascinated by the baby. No matter what you did, he looked so vulnerable. He was exposed to everything around him and yet, he survived through it all. The baby in a manger is just so amazing and fascinating because we go far beyond a set of parents who could barely provide for the child entrusted to them. We see the very Son of God wrapped in swaddling cloths!

    Of all the Christmas stories, lores or narratives, the one narrative to hold onto is really quite simple. “Baby Jesus, God’s own Son; surely loves us everyone!” The God who created all things with a thought and a spoken word now takes on human flesh, human frailty and is born of lowly estate. Most would think that God, if he were to enter the human race, would do so in the greatest palace but He doesn’t. Because this time, God comes to serve his creation, to begin the healing and restoration that it so desperately needs. So, Jesus comes in a humble way, to lead a humble life in order to serve the very people who too often despise him.

    The baby in the manger is the first of many signs in Jesus’ life that shows his love for us. He was born in a manner humbler than the vast majority of us were. He was attacked, falsely convicted, and crucified to save and to serve us. He did this because he loves us and it started here, on earth, in a manger!

    So, as we celebrate this Christmas season and see all the grandeur around us. Remember the quietness and the humility that was from the start. Your Christmas may seem bland or empty compared to others, but you always have the gift and the presence of the Babe, the Son of David. He will always give you hope, hope for eternal life in his name. Merry Christmas!!

Gracious Father, you sent your Son to be our Savior, and we give you thanks and praise. Hold us in times of trial, struggle, or pain. Keep us in times of joy and celebration. May we always be your children and may we always know your peace. In the precious name of your Son we do pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret