A series at my church this month, “The Cradle of Glory,” had me pondering the role of the manger in the Christmas Story in ways I’d never before considered. Considering that our entire business at Lessiter Media centers on the equine and agriculture trades, deep thoughts about our audiences emerged during the lead-up to Christmas Eve.
At the time of Christ’s birth, Bethlehem was indeed an agrarian town. Yet it wasn’t the only trade in town as the scores of Bethlehemians returned to be counted at the order of Caesar Augustus. Joseph and Mary could have just as easily found themselves in other types of “accommodations" for the night. To name a few, they might have nighted in the workshops of potters, weavers, masons, bakers, carpenters, coppersmiths or leathermen.
Yet where they ended up was in the humble stable of a farmer, and surrounded by livestock and forage. The newborn Jesus was placed in a manger, or a feeding trough – in what would be considered an important symbol of nourishment and sustenance. The first to see the infant Christ, and to share the Good News, were the keepers of the flocks on the neighboring hills.
“Jesus was not laid in a manger by accident,” writes the Rev. Michael A. Van Sloun. “It is a major spiritual symbol. Animals go to the manger for physical food, but with Jesus lying on the hay, we can go to the manger for spiritual food.” The manger, he writes, is a momentous sign that He is to be our sustenance, the bread of life.
As believers well know, the foretold prophecies mean nothing is done by accident. The Great Architect chose the players in a story that will be told countless times in the coming days and in every language known to Earth. He purposely chose who would welcome his Son and share the Good News.
Christians know that the world began humbly in a manger, alongside forage and livestock – and in the presence of you and your people.
Merry Christmas,
Mike