Room at the Manger

 It’s safe to assume your holiday season is busy—and probably carrying at least a little stress along for the ride. There’s food to buy and prepare, halls to deck, and presents to purchase and wrap. Today, Alejandro invites you to pause for just a moment and turn your attention to the manger, reflecting on a familiar passage of Scripture and the meaning it holds for all of us.

So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
— Luke 2:6–7 (NKJV)

Alejandro asks us to focus on the manger itself.

When we make our Christmas shopping lists, we think carefully about what the recipient needs or will enjoy. We wrap those gifts in beautiful paper, topped with bows and ribbons. Yet the greatest gift of all—Jesus—did not arrive in a shiny box. He wasn’t born in a palace or surrounded by luxury. God chose a simple place. In that way, the manger becomes a powerful symbol of humility.

Jesus was born in a place where anyone could enter—shepherds, the poor, the overlooked. From the very beginning, His life made it clear that He came to be accessible to everyone, not only the powerful or important.

Alejandro reminds us that this humble beginning was the first glimpse of the character of the King who came to serve. God used a small village, modest surroundings, and an ordinary family to bring about extraordinary purpose—creating greatness where it might have seemed there was nothing at all.

There are at least three powerful truths found in the symbol of the manger:
• Jesus loves the simple.
• He transforms the humble.
• He seeks open hearts, not perfect ones.

If Jesus chose a manger, He can reign in your life as well.

Alejandro wants everyone reading this to remember that humility opens doors. Humility isn’t about thinking less of your worth; it’s about thinking less about yourself and more about God. It means serving without waiting for applause. It means obedience, even when the cost is high. It means offering your life as an available manger — ready to be filled with the presence of the Lord.

From everyone at Sowers4Pastors, we wish you the merriest of Christmases and the happiest of New Years. May the glory of the Lord fill you. May His courage strengthen you. And may you remember that Jesus takes what is humble and transforms it into something rich with purpose and meaning.

If He chose to be born in a manger, He can also be born — and reign — in your life.

  - posted by Christi