Christmas at the Manger

It’s hard to believe Christmas season has come… To say the least, it has a very different feeling this year. In my little village, we don’t experience the hustle & bustle of shopping, there are no holiday parties to attend, no hopes for a white Christmas, and no trees to decorate or Santa Claus to visit in the mall. Life feels somehow the same as every other day; and yet, there is a clear understanding that there is reason to celebrate.
This season I’ve been reminded again of my first trip to Kenya. I’ll never forget wallking down that dirt path only to find a young pregnant lady named Christine in labor and ready to deliver. She had walked several miles, having heard there was a nurse in the village, and I was the one she had found. I remember thinking, “this is no place or way for a baby to be born”; and yet, that is exactly what was about to happen. Just down the path, there was a small mud hut that became a delivery room. Little Joshua was born on a dirty floor made of cow dung without complication, and God’s peace and presence filled that place in a way I had never experienced before. I was amazed to later learn that the people who were gracious enough to open their home were named Mary & Joseph. After that day, the humble birth of Jesus took on a whole new meaning to me.
Over the past few weeks, I have been blessed with a little taste of home as my parents and a team from their church in Redding, California have come to visit Kip Karen. Without doubt, one of the highlights of their trip was the night we celebrated Christmas together. Yes, it was a bit early as it proceeded December 25 by a few weeks; nonetheless, an unforgettable night. With great love & care, the team had brought presents for each member of the family I live with and myself. After opening my presents, I was thankful for the generosity of gifts given; but in my spirit, I needed something more. I desired what “things” could not provide me.
As we prepared to continue with the party, I explained to the team: “to truly celebrate, there’s not enough room in this inn”. They didn’t really understand what was about to take place; but through the rainy night, we made our way to the stables & simply stood at the manger. Among the animals, we read the Christmas story with a greater understanding of what actually took place that first Christmas. It was not glamorous and the most unlikely place for the Saviour of the world to be born; and yet, it was the way he chose to come and be among us. Tears streamed down my face as the words of the old Christmas carol kept running through my head: “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed. The little, Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the sky looked down where he lay. The little, Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.”

I wondered, what kind of love would allow Jesus to come to the world in this way? I still wonder… I do pray that your Christmas will be blessed and filled with great joy. And just maybe, through the busyness of the season, you can find your way back to the manger. It is an incredible place to go- it’s where God chose to come.