Manger

from my message on 12/23/12 from Luke 2:8-20

Transformed.  That's the word that came to me.  We are going to transform these scraps of cloth into swaddling cloths as you pass them around and then tie them together.  This will give your hands something to do while I talk a little while.

We have been on a journey to the manger, to the birth of the Messiah, this Advent.  We have gone on this journey with the characters in the birth story.  I have given you hand motions to help you remember.  We saw Mary be transformed from a scared girl into the mother of the Christ, as she let go control, and unclenched her hands, saying, "I am the servant of the Lord.  Let it be to me according to your word."  We encounter Joseph, whose rough, calloused hands, were transformed into hands of mercy, going way beyond what the law required to do what love is, by accepting Mary as his wife, and her child as his.  We met Elizabeth who was transformed from being a relative into a friend, as she open her hands and her heart to welcome Mary.  The hand motion is that of cradling a baby.  Today, we have the manger.   Seems pretty cold, compared to these persons.  It will take a few minutes to get to transformation.

We start at Manger Square today in Bethlehem.  You see the outside of the Church of the Nativity.  You see how the doorway has been filled in over the centuries.  This close up shows just how small the door is today.  Military people will tell you it was done for a defensive purpose.  Everyone is slowed down, trying to enter.  The army could hold its postion much more easily inside.  Today, it is called the door of humility.  Everyone must bow to enter into the sanctuary.  It is a good posture to be in as we approach the manger. Here is a picture of the traditional site of the manger.  It is at the back of the sanctuary and underneath it.  You see the 14 point gold star in the marble floor and all of the canles hanging nearby.  It doesn't do much for my soul.  Especially when you are rushed through like a herd of cattle.  The last time I was here in 2007, I was  a bus captain, responsible for some 41 persons.  Our guide had me read the passage from Luke I just read for you.  The whole time, he was going, "This is taking too long.  Speed it up!"  Real worshipful, huh?

Most of the time we think of a manger like the one we have on the altar table here.  A wooden box, filled with hay, all clean and pretty, is our picture.  Most likely, it was more like this picture of a stone trough.  It was feeding trough, cold, hard.

Here's my point.  God takes a feeding trough and makes it into the entry point of salvation.  If God can transform a manger into the birth place of the Messiah, then God can  transform just about anything.  Here, we take some water, just ordinary water.  I say a prayer over it, and it becomes the water of baptism.  We say that sins are washed away, that we are claimed by God as God's own chidren, that our identity is sure. Here, we take some bread and some grape juice, and I say  a prayer over it and it becomes the body and blood of Christ.  We take his very self into ourselves.  We are what we eat.  Here, in the story, the shepherds, modern day equivalents would be parking lot attendants, become evangelists.  They return home shouting good news.  Here, in the story, ordinary people, like us, become the actors in a holy drama.  God is about transformation.

I was transformed this past Monday.  I started the day early, arriving at the office about 7:15.  I had a memorial service that afternoon.  Trust me on this:  you don't want any surprises at such a service.  People are in enough grief and pain already.  You don't want to further hurt them.  So we had 3 musicians to coordinate, a video element to work in, 5 members of the family to speak, a worship bullet to get printed with no administrative assistant, a caterer to welcome.  I also did my emails, blog, and my twitter account ( I am up to 49 followers on Twitter!).  I had some other appointments and phone calls.  The memorial service went well.  The reception was lovely.  I went downton at 5 p.m. to First Baptist Church to help with the Mobile Loaves and Fishes dinner for the homeless.  I was assigned table 15.  The people, our neighbors, our family who live on the street started coming in at 5:30.  They expected to line up to get their food, but we greeted them and seated them at tables of 8.  I used my line, "Help me with your name."  I met Aubrey, and Tony and Rabbit.  We served them salad with 2 choices of dressing.  They got turkey with green beans and a baked potato with all the fixin's.  Well, one gentleman chided me by saying, "What, no chives!"  They got their choice of dessert:  pumpkin, or pecan, or apple pie.  You could get whipped cream topping.  We served them their drinks:  water, tea, coffee, or hot chocolate.  You know the poor man's fancy drink?  One half coffee and one half hot chocolate.  After  2 hours of serving, I left to go home at the end of a long day....and you know I wasn't tired at all.  I wasn't hungry at all.  I had been transformed.

What does this have to do with the hand motion of cradling a baby?  Isn't it wonderful to hold a child in your arms?  Some of you have children, or now grandchildren, or nieces or nephews.  It is precious.  One woman who joined our church a few years ago took our spiritual gifts inventory.  She found that she wanted to work with children.  We tried to find her a place with our Sunday School or Vacation Bible School, but it wasn't the right fit.  We finally found it at the NNICU at St. David's hospital.  She would hold the little babies, the preemies, in her arms.  She was in heaven. 

Today, as we come to the manger, I want you to imagine that you are the one who is being held.  The manger is the place where you are being held in the arms of God.  We bring those swaddling cloths to the manger now.  You are the one who is being covered by God's grace, secure and safe.  You are covered, forgiven, welcomed, blessed, protected. 

This is the good news I have to share with you today:  you are held in the arms of God, and you will never be let go!