The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14)
Imagine yourself in the stable with Mary and Joseph. Jesus
has been born! Angels sing, shepherds rejoice, and stars shine. While
this moment has profound significance for all humanity, was the scene as
polished and glittery as a fancy Christmas card? Probably not.
The
stable was probably not particularly clean. There were probably flies
and muck. At best, it had the earthy smells of livestock, but at worst,
it smelled like manure. Jesus likely wasn’t the adorable, glowing baby
that we often see represented in pictures. He probably looked like other
newborns, splotches and all.
As we rejoice in the birth of Jesus,
as we ponder the miracle of the divine coming down to kiss our world,
we should also rejoice in the imperfections of the stable. Jesus
embraced our human woundedness. He wasn’t repelled or put off by a
little dirt. He didn’t shun our imperfection, but fully immersed himself
in it. The mess and all the flaws are part of being human!
Jesus
didn’t avoid the stable, and he doesn’t avoid our sin. This should fill
us with great hope and confidence. We don’t have to be perfect to
receive him. There may even be times when we feel like we don’t “smell”
much better than a stable! But that doesn’t matter to Jesus. The love
that moved him to embrace our humanity is the same love that moves him
to embrace each of us, imperfect though we are.
So remember the
stable today and rejoice. You have an awesome, merciful, loving,
all-powerful God—and he has come to live in your heart. No wonder the
angels are singing! No wonder the shepherds were awestruck, and the wise
men bowed down in worship! And no wonder we are all moved to rejoice on
this glorious day! Merry Christmas!
“Jesus, thank you for the stable! Thank you for loving me as I am!”
from wau.org
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