Scripture

And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first-born child, a son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there was no lodging available for them.

Observation

The Roman Emperor Augustus decrees that a census must be taken across the Empire. Everyone must go back to their ancestral town to be registered. Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem, the city of David.

While they are there, Mary’s baby is born. She wraps him in strips of cloth and lays him in a manger.

Application

God’s plans never pan out as we might expect them to. Even a theological degree is no guarantee of insight into the ways of the Lord. The scribes and all the learned men of Israel knew the prophecies about the Messiah, but even they missed Him.

Jesus, the Son of God, becomes flesh and He establishes His Kingdom in the world. This Kingdom is nothing like the kingdoms and empires of this world.

There is a hint of this in the fact that His birthplace seems to be dictated by the whims of the Emperor. In this first power play between Jesus and the world, it seems that the world is stronger- until you remember the ancient prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.

Mary and Joseph did the parenting thing as parents have done for millennia. It is all so humble and ordinary.

How could this baby in a manger possibly be the Son of God who defeats all the kingdoms of the world and even the power of evil?

Prayer

Lord, you chose to come to us in weakness and humility, as a child. The all-powerful God comes in such a tiny package. Holy Spirit, please help me to understand the mystery of Christmas. Amen.