“And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12
Parents today want to make sure that their child is born with all the latest equipment and technology. They want the most sterile of environments. They want the best-trained doctors, nurses, and specialists attending the birth of their child. They want to be in the best hospital money can buy. They do all of this, not because they feel so strong, but because they feel so weak.
When God sent His Son, He first put Mary on the back of a donkey for a 90-mile trip. When Mary and Joseph got to Bethlehem, He saw to it that the only place available was a stable. Think about it: the Creator of the Universe determined that His one and only Son was going to be born in a stable—not the most sanitary of places. There were no heating lamps, no monitors, no doctors or nurses—by God’s design.
Jesus was born in the most austere of circumstances. But this was not a sign of poverty—God owns all things. It wasn’t a sign of weakness—God is omnipotent. This was a sign of strength. A sign of calm assurance. And a sign of connection: God would stoop to identify with the lowliest, in the lowliest, to let us know He was willing to bridge the gap, no matter how far it was.
This Christmas, contemplate how powerful and loving God is that He would choose that time and place for the birth of His Son.
Father, I bow in worship of a God who is willing to do all this for me. Amen
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