Searching for the Manger

We decorated our house for Christmas a few days ago. We have a lovely, warm living room with a brick fireplace and an oak mantle. The room is decorated in earthy fall colors year round, but when the Christmas tree and other Kruger family decorations are finally in place the room comes to life - as if it is finally able to fulfill it's destiny. Decorating the house is more than task or chore however...

Naturally our decorations consist of the usual ribbons and bows. We have ceramic figurines of penguins in various Christmas garb. My wife Ann is a penguin lover from way back - long before Morgan Freeman could even spell penguin. We have many objects with a "story" on our tree. Decorating the tree is as much about remembering as it is about making something pretty. Amidst the sounds of loudly sung carols and Christmas songs (also a Kruger tradition) you might hear....

"Remember when Aaron brought this home? He must have been around 5."
"I think my mother gave us this one when Grandma died."
"Where did that little rocking horse go? I love that little ornament. Your best friend gave it to us in Kentucky. Remember?"
"What's up with this crepe paper turkey? I can't believe it lasted another year."
"I think this plastic angel has seen better days. It's a shame. My aunt Louise gave me that."
"Whoops, looks like the dog chewed up another reindeer".

.... and on it goes with each ornament adding its little piece of family history. It's our own little private history that will probably never be recorded, but it stays with us from year to year as a running narrative.

Homemade ornaments with snapshots of our children's faces pasted on a paper cutout of a Christmas tree or wreath with the help of a teacher have survived another year. Small, painted nutcracker men made of wood or little reindeer made of clothespins sit happily in the branches next to fancy ornaments of glass and tin. The tree is dotted every year with embroidered snowflakes tatted many years ago by Ann's grandmother. In the evening, as I sit in the room and write (as I'm doing now), or play the piano, or do a crossword puzzle with Ann, the room seems a cogent reminder of how God has blessed us with joys and triumphs and sustained us through tears and sorrow.

The Hidden Meaning

Rustic Nativity Scene Also among the decorations are dioramas of the nativity. We have about six of these set up near the tree or elsewhere in the house. They range from a single ceramic figure of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, to a couple of elaborate scenes replete with wise men, shepherds and angels. My father brought us one from Israel that is carved out of olive wood. It has a wonderful savory smell and the skin is smooth like finely tanned leather.

There it sits on the mantle, enshrined among the penguins and snowmen and red and green. What is it about the "nativity scene" that holds our attention? It doesn't have the garish pomp of a oversized benefactor in a red suit laughing and shaking and handing out presents. It doesn't have the sentimental feel of hot cider or sugar cookies. It's a strange, unearthly scene. A lowly, common setting, a new mother and father, animals and shepherds - surely the oddest of all royal births.

Classic Nativity Scene The nativity scene is an attempt at a snapshot. It's a frozen moment in time. It is that moment when the Son of God was acknowledged as living in the flesh among His creation. He was finally here! Think about it. All over the world in thousands of different statues, dioramas, paintings and sculptures the "crèche" (fr. crib or manger) is given a place of honor. Millions of figures and images are all trying to capture the essence of a single verse of the Bible:

She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them.
- Luke 2:27 (New Living Translation)

This single moment in history is Christmas. The spirit of the season is really His Spirit. The "holiday joy" is really the message of Joy to the World that burst on the scene that holy night. No matter how many other things try to crush it, there is Jesus, in the center, in the manger. It's hard to avoid if you are looking for it.

The Alter

What we think of as the "manger scene" started as an alter, not a decoration. Most scholars believe that St. Francis of Assisi (known for his fondness of nature and animals) first used a simple, unadorned, straw-filled manger as an alter for Christmas mass. But the manger was an alter long before that. On the night he was born the little manger was an alter as well. Those who saw the miracle worshipped the new born king. But the alter was not just one of worship. It was also one of sacrifice. Jesus emptied himself to become one of us (Philippians 2) and offered up his life freely starting that very night. Little more than 30 years later the sacrifice was complete as he bled and died on the cross.

Here's my Christmas charge to you. Look for that little alter as you do your shopping or handle your Christmas preparations. I think you will find, as I have, that the manger alter is everywhere. I have found the manger in the mall, at the gym, in people's yards, even on television. Each time you see the manger remember it's purpose. I think you may be surprised at how often you are given cause to stop and wonder.

Muse Devotions