Manger

In the Beauty of His Weakness

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. 1 Corinthians 1:25

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In one of the verses from the Battle Hymn of the Republic we sing, “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea…” And as we set out our manger scenes or listen to the familiar carols on our favorite radio station, the story of Jesus born in a manger seems to us so appealing and beautiful. But the reality was of an unwed virgin about to give birth; a bride-groom offended, a village scandalized and a young couple traveling by donkey from Galilee to Judea to pay taxes. In the dirty stable of Bethlehem filled with smelly shepherds it might have been better to sing, “In the beauty of His weakness Christ was born…”

Maybe God sent us His Son in weakness so that His lowliness could say to us, “Welcome to all who wish to come!” Then onto that stable floor God sent shepherds with the joy of angel songs ringing in their ears. Later to their small home, came amazing gifts, from wise men who sought Christ in all His weakness and they kneeled to worship Him.

 

Today, in your life and mine God comes, He gives and guides in some of the most foolish of ways because of His unfathomable love for us. The foolishness and the weakness of God lead us to Bethlehem where the Savior was born. He came for all who would believe and all who will come and worship Him!

 

 

 

The Name of Jesus -Part 1

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And she will have a son and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins Matthew 1:32 

“Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her,” for you have found favor with God.”  You will conceive and give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus.” Luke 1:30-31

When God gave the name Jesus it is interesting to see that he spoke both to Joseph and to Mary. To Mary Gabriel explained all that Jesus would do as the Messiah, but to Joseph God defined the name. The name Jesus was given because God had given His Son, not only to teach us the ways of Heaven, heal our sickness, or give us a comfortable life; Jesus came to save His people from their sins.
One of the most beautiful sounds in the entire world to each of us is the sound of our own name. We love to hear our name mentioned especially if it is linked with assurance, love or praise. The sound I want most to hear as I cross into eternity is my own name being called by God himself with the phrase “Well done good and faithful servant” Our name is what calls our attention at any moment.
Imagine Jesus entering the world cradled in Mary’s arms. One of the first words Mary and Joseph would say was, “Jesus!”  God had kept His promise to them just as He said. From that day forward every time Jesus heard His own name it would be a reminder of why He had come. When He was growing up in the home with His brothers and Mary called out, “Jesus” he would remember that he was different. God had sent Him not just to be born in the humble stable, but also one day to give His life as a sacrifice for us!

Name of Jesus

A Child’s Christmas

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Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,  “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.   Matthew 2:1-2 NLT

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As a part of focusing on the birth of Jesus at Christmas I have left one of the nativity scenes in a place where our grandchildren could reach it.  My theory was that they would understand Christmas better if they knew what a manger was and what shepherds might have looked like. So I carefully set up my old and semi-unbreakable manger scene so they could see all the characters.

Last week our home was filled with the activity of seven grandchildren, their parents and one family friend. The youngest had to be chased down two or three times to retrieve ornaments which he had stolen off the Christmas tree. Food, games and fun filled our day and we retired properly blessed and exhausted as they finally all drove off in the early evening.

A few days later when I was in my office I noticed that the children had indeed seen the nativity and had rearranged the figures. As I looked closer I realized that they understood the birth of Jesus in a way a bit different than we adults do. There gathered closely around the manger were Mary, Joseph, wise men and shepherds pressing in closely to see Jesus! Maybe it would be better if we adults turned our own backs to the many activities surrounding the celebration of the Christ child and instead pressed in closely to see Jesus!20171130_054228