Away In a Manger

“And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.“ Luke 2:7

Long, long ago in a place much like here, only not, the baby Messiah, Jesus, came to live among us. 

Caesar Augustus decreed a census, requiring everyone to return to their birthplace to be counted. Mary was ready to give birth when she and Joseph arrived in Bethlehem for the census, yet they were sent away—away to a manger.  Anyone could have given up their place for Mary.  Yet, no one did.  From the very beginning, Jesus was cast aside.  

Isaiah 53:3 says, "He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.  We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care."

In John 3:18-20, Jesus tells us, "There is no eternal doom awaiting those who trust him to save them. But those who don’t trust him have already been tried and condemned for not believing in the only Son of God. Their sentence is based on this fact: that the Light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the Light, for their deeds were evil. They hated the heavenly Light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that Light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished."

"They stayed away."

I wonder.

Have you been staying away from Jesus, too?  Have you turned your back on Him?  Or, perhaps you've stayed away from the Light of His love for fear He would see your sin and punish you, too.

He already sees it all.  And rather than punish, He came to redeem.

Hebrews 4:13 tells us, "He knows about everyone, everywhere. Everything about us is bare and wide open to the all-seeing eyes of our living God; nothing can be hidden from him to whom we must explain all that we have done."

Maybe this Christmas it's time for you to turn toward rather than away from the manger, inviting the heavenly Light in the person of Jesus Messiah to shine on all the dark places in you, bringing about a beautiful change.

"For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder. These will be his royal titles: 'Wonderful,' 'Counselor,' 'The Mighty God,' 'The Everlasting Father,' 'The Prince of Peace'" (Isaiah 9:6).

Merry Christmas, Runners.