The Message of the Manger: Christmas Reflectionsနမူနာ

The Miracle and the Message of the Manger “If you could communicate anything with Zoey (our puppy) – and she could understand it – what would it be?” That was the question posed by my young son to our family. We gave answers such as, “I would tell her to stop barking!” and “I would say stop chewing the furniture!” Quietly answering his own question, he replied, “I would tell her that I loved her.” Is that not the message and miracle of Christmas: God telling the world, “I love you”? The miracle of the manger was told to Joseph when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and the prophet Isaiah had spoken of the coming birth of the Christ Child, which had been planned in the heart of God since the beginning. Through this miracle, the message of the manger was boldly proclaimed. What love was “birthed” in the heart of God and then, when the fullness of time had come, was birthed in the manger! That is the miracle - and the message - of the manger to this day : Because of His great love, sonship is made possible, and salvation is available to all who believe! Yes, because Christ was born not just to live but ultimately to die and rise from the dead, we can become children of God. Just as we had many messages that we would have desired to communicate to our little puppy, one rang louder and truer than them all: the message of love. Likewise, allow this message of Christmas to ring louder and truer in your own heart, cutting through all the noise that comes with the season: God’s declaration to all mankind - and to you individually - “I love you.” The message of the manger is the greatest message of all time. May we marvel at such a message this season and all year long.