And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. Luke 2:16-17 NKJV

The beautiful manger scene at the entrance to the Assisted Living facility looked a little funny to me the first time that I passed it the other day. I saw wise men and shepherds; Mary, Joseph and lots of sheep but where was Jesus? When I asked at the desk they told me that one of the residents had pointed out that they couldn’t put Jesus in before Christmas because He wasn’t born until then. It seemed pretty logical to me so I shrugged my shoulders and laughed and then went in to sing carols. The following day as I brought some gifts that our church had donated I noticed a change in the Nativity. There was still no baby but someone had felt the empty manger needed an occupant and so a lamb was put in the place of Jesus. What better story could be told than the lamb of God laid in the manger at Christmas and laid and nailed on the cross just 33 Christmases later. God Bless and Merry Christmas!