Today’s Passage: Luke 2:1-7

And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. — Luke 2:6-7

Jesus famously spent His first “incarnated” (in the flesh) night on planet earth in an animal stall because his family’s late arrival amid the crowds in Bethlehem left them with no other place to stay. Was this poor planning or was more going on? The truth is that life is just messy, hard, and sometimes gross. I am guessing Mary was not thrilled with the LDR situation.

A deeper truth here though is that Jesus thoroughly plunged Himself into the mess that is humanity. Jesus emptied Himself of His divine rights (Philippians 2) and took on flesh and all that comes with it: pain, mortality, struggle, and animal excrement on your shoes. Our Savior could never be accused of taking the easy path to our redemption. It wasn’t a cross of glory, but a criminal’s cross that became our glory. It was not a cradle of comfort, but a cattle stall that became the birthplace of hope and salvation! Being God, Jesus could have orchestrated these events as He desired, but He offered himself fully to the Father, and fully to humanity, to be tempted in every way as we are, yet remain without sin!

Prayer

Dear God, here on the edge of Christmas Eve, I offer You praise and thanks for Your “all-in” total commitment to redeem my life from the mess of my sin and shame. In Jesus’s name, amen.