A few years back, my mother-in-law showed me pictures she took of a first-century manger in Israel. Surprisingly, they were large and carved out of stone. These mangers were meant to hold water or food for animals, not tiny newborn babies. And yet this was where Jesus’s humble life began—tightly wrapped in swaddling cloth, lying in stone.
These are the intricacies and details in the physician Luke’s Gospel: We see a young Mary who wrapped Jesus “tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them” (Luke 2:7). When the angel told the shepherds to look for the Messiah, he said, “This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped tightly in cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:12). And in Luke 23, after Jesus died on the cross, they took His body down and “wrapped it in fine linen and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock, where no one had ever been placed” (Luke 23:53). There was the Redeemer, wrapped in cloth, laying in stone, where no one had ever been placed.
In Scripture, God is present in all of human history as He cares for each and every detail. Jesus’s time on earth ended the same way it began, wrapped in cloth, laying in stone—a manger and a tomb, two unlikely places for God’s begotten Son.
Laying in that stable manger in the city of David over two thousand years ago, the Lamb of God was “born that man no more may die.” He was born to be sacrificed so that even the vilest of sinners could receive adoption as children of God, if they would repent and put their trust in Him. And if “He did not even spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him grant us everything?” (Romans 8:32).
When life doesn’t make sense or things seem random, remember there are no “oops” with God. The nativity story in Luke 2 reminds us that every detail of human history is under God’s sovereign care for our good and His glory. Even when we can’t see the full picture, we can trace His handiwork and trust His heart for us—fulfilled in the person of Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer.
As we celebrate Christ’s birth today, let’s join the shepherds, “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had seen and heard, which were just as they had been told” (Luke 2:20). Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you had a wonderful day, but if not, know you are not alone ❤️
Merry Christmas everyone. May god bless you and keep you ❤️
Christmas this year is hitting my heart in a new and fresh way as I’m currently expecting a baby boy. I am just so in awe of God’s plan to send the world’s savior through a tiny, humble, needy baby. I just imagine how Mary felt as she “treasured up all these things in her heart” and pondered them and can’t help but realize to her on a new level this year. So much hope, life, peace, and wonder at who her baby boy would become. Thank you Father that your plan was good and purposeful from the very start and you chose that mama for that purpose at that perfect time. Thank you thank you thank you Jesus, for humbly submitting to the will of the Father so we may never see death ❤️ amen!
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@RHONDA J: it’s great that your husband is so well acquainted with the novel/performance. I wonder how the movie would turn out. Excited! My Xmas was quiet since my husband worked Xmas Eve and Day. I was so bored that I cleaned lol. I was indeed working on my contentment when I cleaned. Thankful that he has a job. And tonight I am watching “It’s the wonderful life”. This movie blesses my heart every time. Tonight as I am watching, I wonder how many times I could have come sooooo close to a breakthrough, and burned out like George Bailey, lost hope, and an angel was sent to encourage me from up above. His life was tough, full of struggles, yet it’s titled – it’s a wonderful life. If God didn’t find me, where would I be? A course of a different life would be played out, a different me, a different scenario? Yet God watches our lives from up above, faithful and merciful to rescue us at every turn. This movie always encourages me to not give up, for the cloud of witnesses are watching, and God Himself. We are not alone. Our lives are wonderful, sisters.
I am asking for prayers again for my friend Lisa and her husband, who have been struggling on their new mission in the Bay area. To top off the turmoil, her dad got into a car accident before Xmas Eve in Canada, he got tboned. She and her husband scrambled to fly back. The devil does not want her in San Francisco ministering to the lost (homeless and gender confused). She is very discouraged, worn out, and I sense she might not want to return. Would appreciate your prayers over them and their family for restoration for strength, courage, and provision. May God’s will be done. Thank you she’s.
Be blessed dear sisters ❤️.
Merry Christmas Shes! Praising the Lord and rejoicing in our Savior, Christ the King!
Praying for peace for each of you and your families. Love you all!
Merry Christmas, sweet sisters! Christ the Savior is born! ❤️
Thank you for helping me see the connections between His birth and His death, Beverly Berrus and also CEE GEE, MARIA BAER and SHAMRA HICKS.
I am sure that everyone had a blessed day.
RHONDA— Merry Christmas! My Christmas is going wonderful even though I started my morning with a painful bacon grease burn on top of my foot. Thank goodness I was wearing slippers, otherwise, my who foot would be burned. But I was determined not to let that ruin my day. Once I took a nap and cared for my foot, I continued to embrace the day with my family, had Christmas dinner and soon will be watching a Christmas movie. Hope yours was wonderful!