"Lying in a Manger"

by Charlie Brown

When Linus walks onto the stage during a rehearsal for the Christmas program in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” he quotes the story of the birth of Christ from Luke 2:8-13. “And this shall be a sign unto you; You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Of course the background music and the mood created by the production crew is to say, “Yes, this is the real meaning of Christmas.” And it is! However, because of those words being common to this time of year, I fear that we miss the impact of the drama.

I do not know the last time you were in a stable, but my experience of working on my in-laws dairy farm made me realize that that is NOT where I would want my children to be born. The cleanest barn I was ever in was one that kept the floor covered with new straw everyday. The purpose for that was to make it so that the manure (which is on all floors in a barn) was easier to walk on without getting your boots terribly dirty. Even scraping the floor daily leaves an unclean-able residue of manure that becomes commonplace. And then there is the manger. Often made of metal today, the sides of the top rung are covered with cow “slobber and snot.” The hay stuffed into it (not golden colored straw as in the pictures) is a mixture of dried grasses that are very scratchy. Of course there are rats (not the cute-eyed Disney kind) that are always part of a barn scene. It would not win any health and cleanliness awards!

Into that setting, the Lord of the Universe came. He was the long foretold Messiah. He was the One who created all things. He is the Being that commands the hosts of heaven. He is the Lord of lords and King of kings. He is the One older than eternity. He is the One for whom all people were made. He is the One we were designed to love and adore. He is the One that ought to be our heart’s delight. He is the Lover of men’s souls! He is the Savior of the world. And He was born into this world and laid in a cow’s food trough!

This was just the beginning of God’s thirty-three years on earth which ended in the humility of hanging as a common criminal on a cross. The Everlasting Father sent His only begotten Son into a dirty world in humble circumstances to share in our flesh and blood that through death He would conquer death and bring powerful life to us. O come let us adore Him!