Our nativity scenes that we display in our homes or in our yards are nice and neat. The shepherds are standing by their sheep and the wise men are already there. I think most of us imagine it as the plays we've seen reenacted in our churches. All of the costumes are made of brand new material and every one is squeaky clean. The animals don't smell. The stable doesn't smell. It is quite a picture but the reality of the birth of Jesus was not played out in the comfort of a church.
Jesus was born in a real stable and laid into a trough that animals ate from as his manger or bed. I'm sure the stable smelled like the animals that lived there and the shepherds most likely didn't run home to shower before following the star to the destination to welcome the newborn king.
We wash all of our baby clothes before we even put them on the newborn and we are not likely to take babies out to the barn to meet the animals for quite some time, even if we do live on a farm. We watched the rituals of the birth of the new prince in England and marveled at the pomp and circumstance that accompanied the birth of a royal. Contrast the birth of the new future heir to the throne of England with the birth of Jesus. Jesus was a king born in a stable. He was not just a king but THE King of kings. Jesus had birth circumstances about as opposite as could be for a royal yet His Father created the universe.
Could the one who created the universe not have chosen a more appropriate way to present the one who would save the world? Shouldn't there have been as much pomp and circumstance as the heir to a country on earth for the one who created the universe and everything in it? Why, oh why was Jesus born in such lowly and dirty surroundings? As the song says "What a strange way to save the world".
We wouldn't have done it this way. Neither would the people who lived during the time of Jesus and were expecting the birth of a king.
God had the birth planned before creation. Before Adam and Eve sinned. It wasn't plan B after humans slipped and fell head first into sin. Our creator knew we would require a perfect sacrifice for our sins and He knew that Jesus would be the only perfect sacrifice possible. I used to wonder if God created the universe, why could He not come up with another way to save the world without Jesus having to die on the cross? Through the years I've come to understand the depth of love He had for us and the fact that Jesus was the only perfect sacrifice above an animal sacrifice. Still, the older I get the harder it is to read the story of the birth of Jesus without tears in my eyes. When I really understand the extent God loves me...it humbles me and I am more astounded each Christmas.
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