The child in the manger

   «- today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.» Luke 2:11

   A child! God, a child in a manger!
   It comes to a stop for human reason and intellect here, faced with this to us so surprisingly message - the Christmas gospel!
   Oh, how helpless and shallow doesn't the human heart proves to be towards the deep spiritual truths in the Word of God, even there where they comes to us dressed in such a simple garment that a child should be able to understand it. Yes, it presents the human heart in its true light this: Unfamiliar towards God! Unfamiliar with His ways and His love. Yes, also completely unacquainted with its own true condition.
   This sounds year after year in churches filled with people, thrue magazines, newspapers, radio and TV: «He is Christ the Lord! He is Christ the Lord!»
   In spite of this it is still just some in this ocean of people who really hears the message. This poor, ejected child in the manger, is the Lord Himself, come to your salvation!
   The message do contains more than that He is the Lord - yes, thanks God! It contains more. He did not became a human being for His own sake. No, today... has been born for you a Savior! This child is a Savior! Our Savior! Yours and mine Savior!
   It is just as if good and bad deeds, human effort, goodness and evil, is collected in the same sack and put totally aside. Then it sounds a message, a word from the mouth of God, in stead: «- today... has been born for you a Savior, who is - the Lord!»
   An incomprehensible wonder - God was born into the world as a human being, under the terms of man.
   You who read this: «Awake, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.» (Eph. 5:14).
   Noone will deny or take away from you neither «Christmas feeling» nor «Christmas cosiness» - no, just keep that now, but above all - awake for what the actual content of Christmas is, while it still is time: «- today... has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!»

E.K.

Holy Bible New American Standard Version
Translator: E.K.