Pastor Tom Johnson, December 24, 2021
Tonight we celebrate the birth of Messiah—the eternal Son of God who becomes human—the Word made flesh. “This will be a sign for you,” the angel says, “you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” A manger is an area set apart to house and feed animals. It’s a stall or pen. Archeologists have discovered that mangers were often caves to keep animals out of the elements. Our earliest written reference to Jesus’ birth outside the Bible says that Jesus was born in a cave. The Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem which is said to be built over Jesus’ place of birth is, in fact, a cave. That means that when Mary and Joseph could not find suitable housing, they had to find refuge in a place normally reserved for animals. It would be like Mary and Joseph going to an AirBnB, not finding a suitable room, and having to spend the night in a covered, animal pen.
So what does the manger tell us about this Child, Jesus—the Word made flesh? Why isn’t the King of kings and Lord of Lords born in a palace? Why would God allow his only begotten Son to be born under such extreme, humble circumstances? I believe it highlights the incarnation. God putts an exclamation mark on the humility of his Servant. This story enhances our understanding of just how radical of a change this is for the second Person of the Trinity to take on our humanity. God’s greatest gift is veiled by these humble circumstances. His truth is not revealed through spectacular sensationalism but through an ordinary and very earthy way. The angels tell us that there will be a sign. And that sign is not the blinding, angelic light or their heavenly song. The sign is a baby wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in an animal shelter. It’s the last place we would look for the long-awaited Messiah.
The eternal Son of God leaves his heavenly throne and is now lying in a lowly crib. The Lord of Glory leaves his heavenly feast to be placed in a feeding trough. The King of the universe leaves his mansion to be sheltered in pen reserved for livestock. This is how radical and mind-blowing the Christmas story is. God not only dwells with us. He becomes us—taking on our humanity. He so fully embraces his creatureliness that he takes up residence in a place set apart for domesticated animals. That is why cattle, sheep, and beasts of burden are part of the manger scene today. Creator becomes creature. And with him lying in a feeding trough, he appears to be exactly who he is—the Bread of Heaven—the one who feeds us body and soul and sustains us by the Word of his power.
Jesus is conceived in the womb of the virgin Mary. He is now born in the womb and heart of the earth. He is now Son of God, Son of Mary, and Son of all the earth—the new and greater Adam. And he gives himself for heavenly food. And so we come to receive the bread and wine. God assures us that we are his beloved children who receive the Body and Blood of Jesus by which this newborn will purchase a place for us in heaven, our eternal home. The manger and cave in which Jesus is born is foreshadows a time to come. Jesus will again be wrapped in bands of cloth. Look at the artwork at the top. Does Jesus not look like he is swaddled in burial cloth and on heads of grain for bread?
It will not be Mary and his stepfather Joseph who lay Jesus down for his first earthly rest but the priests Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea who will lay him down for his final earthly rest. They too will swaddle him in love and put him into a cave hewn by human hands—a tomb to lay him down to sleep only for him to rise once again. This is a virgin tomb—in which no one had been laid. And out of the heart and womb of the earth, Jesus will again be born from above and rise to newness of life for you and me. Jesus is born an infant Child. He is reborn the King of glory. He is the firstborn of all creation. He is the firstborn of the dead. He is born to set the captive free. He is reborn to raise us up with him in glory.
To you this night is born a child
Of Mary, chosen virgin mild;
This little Child of lowly birth
Shall be the joy of all the earth.
(“From Heaven Above to Earth I Come,” LSB 358, v. 2)
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