What are your thoughts about the manger? About the meaning behind the Nativity scenes?
The more I think about it, the more the message of the incarnation amazes me.
God with us. God reaching out to us. God coming to be with us.
God with us… In the midst of our sin and our mess and our struggles, I’m learning that the Baby in the manger shows me that God’s heart is a heart of love, reaching out to us, longing to be with us… making a way for us to come back to Him (you can find out more here).
‘“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”’ Matthew 1:23
The wonder of it is something I struggle to take in, but the more I think about it, the more it gives me hope.
And I believe that it can give you hope, too. Even if you don’t know Him yet. Even if this is all new to you. Here are some words of a song I’ve been working on recently. You can also listen to it below, although I apologise that it’s a very basic, homemade, unfinished recording!
In the straw, there You lie:
The Maker of mankind.
You are Love,
This tiny child.
The Father’s arms are open wide.
Above the star is shining bright.
It’s a star You made to shine,
And I’m holding my breath now
Because Your arms are reaching out.
And I meet You at the manger.
I’m kneeling in surrender
By Your love, I’m undone.
No, I don’t deserve such mercy,
But You have come to free me.
The Father’s love has come so close to bring us home.
Tiny hands so small now;
Tiny cries Heaven come down;
Mighty hands You hold the world,
Holding me and all of us.
You have come to make a way.
You have come to cleanse and save.
In such deep humility,
The love of God has come for me.
And I meet You at the manger.
Here I’m kneeling in surrender,
By Your love, I’m undone.
No, I don’t deserve such mercy
But You have come to free me.
The Father’s love has come so close to bring us home.
And the thorns will pierce Your brow,
And Your blood will be poured out,
You will die upon that cross for me
And all who will believe,
And I meet You at the manger.
Here I’m kneeling in surrender,
By Your love undone,
So I turn back to the Father,
Take this Baby as my Saviour.
The Father’s love has come so close to bring us home.
Will you turn back to the Father:
Trust this Baby as your Saviour?
The Father’s love has come so close to bring you home.
The Father’s love has come so close to bring you home.
It astounds me. It amazes me. The Father’s love has come so close to bring me home.
And something God has been reminding me of lately is that He really is God with us… and, because of Jesus, I don’t have to be perfect to enjoy that.
Often, I can feel that I should only be enjoying His presence when I am performing perfectly- and the problem is that I never am! There are so many ways I could be doing better, or I get stuck in confusion left over from my OCD struggles, which can tie me up in knots. But I’m slowly learning that God wants me to remember that my relationship with Him is dependence on Jesus’ performance, not mine. Christ lived a perfect life in my place, and died on the cross for my sin. Because of Him, my relationship with God is secure.
There will always be ways I am falling short this side of eternity and, the closer I am to the Lord, the more I will want to be holy. But, even as I fail, my relationship with Him is secure through Christ… and, as I allow myself to receive and enjoy that, I will find that I hate sin more anyway.
Because of the Baby in the manger Who died for me on the cross, God’s heart for me is full of love, acceptance and mercy. And I think He wants to live in awareness of that mercy and grace, even in the day-to-day reality of never measuring up… because it’s not dependent on me at all, but on Christ.
It’s slowing sinking in more and more… that He really is God with us, and His heart towards His people is a heart of such love, and such mercy. If I stop to think about it, Christmas is a real reminder of that. It amazes me that the One Who spoke this whole universe into being, Who holds the galaxies in His hands, Who is worthy of all praise and glory, shows His heart to me by coming so close, in such humility… in dirt and straw and suffering… so small and so close… to cover us with mercy and bring sinners back to Himself; to die on the cross and go through such horrendous suffering so that I (and you, if you’ll receive Him) could be restored back to relationship with Him.
I am amazed by His heart of mercy. He loves me and He wants to be with me. Because of the manger, because of the cross, in spite of all my failings, I have been restored to relationship with Him. He loves me and He is with me. And I think He wants to receive that, and enjoy that, and celebrate that this Christmas!!
The Lord recently reminded me of Nehemiah 8. He showed me that God’s people had been convicted of their sin, and they were sorry, and they were in tears because of how they had failed. But He encouraged me that His heart, now that they had come back to Him, was to comfort them, reassure them and encourage them to rejoice!
‘And Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, “This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn nor weep.” For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law.
Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”’ Nehemiah 8:9-10
I believe that God wants those who know Him to rejoice in His mercy, love, and closeness!
I believe that the greatest blessing we can have in this life is knowing God with us, and being in His presence… and it’s just a tiny glimpse of the reality of being with Him for all eternity, for those who belong to Him through Christ.
God with us.
‘And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.”‘ Revelation 21:3
And I think that sure is a reason to receive, and enjoy, and celebrate this Christmas!!
Whoever you are and however you are doing, may you meet Him at the manger… and may you meet Him in a special way this Christmas (you can find out more here).
Happy Christmas and God bless you! 🙂
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Caroline Abblitt 