25 DECEMBER 2002
LUKE 2:8-20
SALEM EV. LUTHERAN CHURCH, MILWAUKEE, WI
JOHN L. HOH, JR.
Dear fellow Redeemed, brothers and sisters of the baby in Bethlehem's manger:
Signs are all around. We looked for signs as we did our Christmas shopping: "Wal*Mart," "K-Mart," "Boston Store," or "Dollar Tree" told us of places where we could buy gifts. Signs asserting "Half-off," "Clearance," and "No pay till May" sought to reassure us of bargains. Even the timing of signs told us that Christmas was coming. Remember looking for Hallowe'en candy and bumping into trimmed Christmas trees and animated Santas?
This year here at Salem we also focused on signs as we approached this Christmas Day. We looked at the signs given by the prophets and how those signs were fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Today we focus on a sign, not a sign from Old Testament prophecy, but a sign given by angels to some shepherds in the fields at night outside Bethlehem. The sign given to the shepherds was "You will find a baby lying in a manger." Jesus chose a crude, simple place to lay his infant head. Jesus today chooses our crude, stone hearts to live and rule.
Jesus chose a simple, crude place to lay his infant head. To understand the meaning and impact of this sign, we need to know something about mangers. Usually we think of mangers as crude, wooden vessels bearing hay for cattle. This manger I have here is the type of manger we usually picture. As you can see, the wood is crude. It is not sanded down. I would imagine one could get a sliver. Animals also tend to chew on wood. I raised rabbits when I was in high school. They were notorious for chewing on wood. Many wooden mangers I have seen on farms bear the results of chewing by the animals. Thus this manger is pristine by comparison. Add to that the fact that animals drool, and you can see that a baby is the last thing a mother would put into a manger.
There are scholars who assert that the stables in Bethlehem were nothing more than caves and the mangers made of stone, likely carved from existing stone inside the cave. Think not only of animal drool, but also think how uncomfortable and cold a stone manger would be. I'm guessing not too many here this morning would pitch a tent on a rock bed.
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