In a Manger
[Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
-Luke 2:7 (NRSV)
Prayer:
[Mary] gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
-Luke 2:7 (NRSV)
WE were invited by a small village church to take part in a Christmas worship service. The setting was remote, humble, and several kilometers away from transportation. After the Christmas service, we rested in a room that was close to a cow shed. The foul odor that emanated from the shed seemed to fill our room, and we were eager for the time when we could leave the place.
On our way back, I thought about our visit and the Christmas message. The stable where Christ was born probably was smelly and dirty like the one near us; definitely not a place we would choose for a child to be born. Yet our Lord and Savior, the one who came to save the world from all its ugliness, was born in a stable. Both his birth in that place and his death on the cross convey the message of humility that we as Christians are called to live. The King of kings before whom every head will bow showed us the way by being humble himself. Let us follow him!
Leena Vijaykumar (Bangalore, India)
Prayer:
Dear Lord, we thank you for the gift of your son Jesus, who came to serve and to save us sinners. Help us to be humble as he was. Amen.