And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her firstborn 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
Two sentences. That’s all Luke uses to describe the birth of the Jesus. No parade, no details, no celebration. Nothing that would announce the coming of the Son of God.
However, maybe that’s the point. In this moment, God shed the His rightful power and glory, refused all claims to honor and praise, and lowered Himself to be born among us in the lowliest of circumstances. In doing so, he stepped into our lives fully so he could completely identify with us and ultimately redeem us.
So what can we learn from Luke’s description of the birth of Jesus?
We learn that the time came. This was no regular birth. This was a time when God got involved in history. The Redeemer of our world was entering our world.
We learn that she gave birth. Mary delivered Jesus in a similar fashion as all mothers give birth. The God of creation came to be with us through ordinary means.
We learn that Mary wrapped Him snugly in strips of cloth and laid Him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them. While it is unbelievable to many that no one made room for this expectant mother, unfortunately similar things happen all of the time. Refugees, immigrants, and the poor are often cast out with nowhere to rest, no matter if they are hungry, sick, tired, or pregnant. Jesus was not only born like all of us, but he was born like the most vulnerable of us all.
Jesus was found not in palace in an important city but in a backwater town, not in a palace but in a stable, not sleeping on fine cloth but lying in a manger.
How simply written and how marvelous.
Lord, You came to earth as a vulnerable child, delivered in an ordinary way, but You ultimately redeemed the world. Help us to see You working, even in the most simple of ways. Amen.
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