And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. (Luke 2:6-7)The King of the Universe lying in a feed trough. Although it was probably more comfortable for him than what passed for inns at the time. They were known to be lice-ridden and a place for thieves to operate.
But Joseph and Mary didn’t have to worry about that. There was no lodging available for them, so they stayed in a manger. But the manger had the advantage of being warm and probably a lot less expensive.
So the King of the Universe comes. Born to young people, but conceived out of wedlock, born in a transient shelter, lying in a feed trough, surrounded by animals.
You would think that he would come in all the pomp and circumstance God could make. But the point was, his life would never be fancy. It was humble and common. Jesus didn’t come to impress us with his life; he came to save us by his death.
He came to share with us in life. And as he mentions again and again, there were a lot more poor people than rich. To identify with the world, he wouldn’t come as a king in luxury.
To identify with us, he came as a commoner, one born in humble surroundings, just like we are. And in so doing, he gave us God in the flesh.
As the song says, “What a strange way to save the world.”
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