RUNNING TO THE MANGER by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Kurt Young)

Running. Sometimes we run for pleasure or for exercise. But sometimes we run to get away from something… we are afraid of something. We run because we are frightened and we need to get away. We run for our lives. We also run to get to something. We run because we are in a hurry. We are excited, or we want to beat everyone else to that place. Perhaps it is a contest and we want to win the prize by being the first one there. Sometimes we want to buy something and the doors have just opened on Black Friday. We want to get the best deal and don’t want to miss out. I think the best time to run is when you are at the airport because you are meeting a loved one that you have not seen in a long time. You run to meet them and you give them a big hug. 

In the Christmas story (for those following from afar we used Luke 2:1-20 from The Message), the shepherds run to the manger to go see the baby Jesus. They are sort of running to get a prize. They want to get there before anyone else. But most of all, they are going to meet someone who will love them like no other. They are meeting the source of love in the world, God in the flesh. They run like the wind to the manger because they want to see this Christ child. 

But let’s back up a little bit and remember this familiar story.  Mary and Joseph have traveled to Bethlehem, from their home in Nazareth, because there is a census. Bethlehem is very crowded because of all the out of town visitors who are part of the descendants of David. There is no room anywhere for them to stay, so they end up in a stable with the animals. Of course, the time comes for Mary to give birth and she gives birth to Jesus. They put him in a manger, which is like a feeding trough for the cows. They swaddle him in a cloth and lay him there on a bed of hay. 

At that time, angels come into the story. We’ve been having lots of angel visitations during this season of Advent, leading up to Christmas. This time, the angels come to visit some shepherds in a field near Bethlehem. Now what you need to know is that shepherds they were at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the social classes in that day. They were dirty, and smelly because they worked out in the fields with the sheep and rarely got home to take a bath. No one thought very highly of shepherds. These were not the cute little boys in bathrobes that you see in your average Church Christmas pageant. 

Nonetheless, a host of angels, which means a whole big bunch of them, appears to the shepherds and gave them a message: 

 First one says: “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

And then the whole host sings:

“Glory to God in the heavenly heights,
Peace to all men and women on earth who please God.”

The shepherds look at one another, talk it over for a minute, and say, “Let’s go over to Bethlehem and see what’s going on.” And so they went running to find the manger. They ran because this was important; this was no ordinary night. Angels had appeared to them, promising a Savior. They had no time to waste.

And so they found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying there in a manger just as the scripture says “Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed.”

You see, when you see something that changes your life, you have to tell others. When the shepherds saw Jesus, they saw the fullness of God’s love born in the flesh. They saw the one who would save the people, the Messiah. They saw one who would bring light to the darkness, and hope to their despair. They saw God in the flesh. They knew they were in the presence of God. Even though Jesus was just a tiny baby, perhaps a day old. Even then, Jesus had a presence and a power. 

So those shepherds couldn’t have keep quiet. They told anyone who would listen. “The Messiah has been born, our Savior.” Remember that the people of Israel were living under the oppression of the Roman Empire. Life was bleak for them. It was welcome news that someone was coming who would rise up and be a new king for them. Of course they had no idea what kind of king he would be. He would be a humble king, a servant king, like none they had ever known. 

And so the news spread like wildfire. Something has happened in Bethlehem. A baby has been born, a baby that will turn our world upside down, a baby that will change our lives forever. I’m sure there were other visitors that aren’t recorded in scripture. Jesus drew people to him, even as an infant. People ran to see him in the manger, because they were longing for the new life he came to bring. 

So the story goes, the shepherds “returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out the way they’d been told!” At the same time “Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself.” You see Mary was more reflective and quiet; she was simply filled with awe and wonder at what God was doing through her. 

So we have the introduction of Jesus into the world. He was born, and people came running to the manger. I wonder, what would it take for us to go running to the manger tonight? I wonder how we could put ourselves in the sandals of the shepherds and be filled with the same excitement and wonder that they felt on that first Christmas night. Because you see, Jesus was born for us too. He is born anew for us on this Christmas night. 

All we have to do is come to this manger and receive the gift of Jesus. The gift of Jesus to us in unconditional love. That’s it. And that is so much for us to comprehend. 

God loves you fully and without question. You don’t have to earn God’s love. You don’t have to prove yourself to God. You don’t have to check things off a list, achieve a bunch of goals, be the perfect wife or husband, mother or father. You just simply get to be, and God loves you. Just rest in that promise for a moment. God loves YOU. The creator of the heavens and the earth, LOVES YOU. God knows every hair on your head, every mistake you have made. And God forgives you, without question. You are forgiven and you are blessed. 

This is the good news we have to share tonight. Just like the shepherds ran out to tell their friends, we have this message to share with everyone we meet. Christmas is about God being born into the world in Jesus. And Jesus comes to love us fully. So we don’t need to fight with one another. We can give each other a break when we are imperfect, OK? We can give one another a second chance. Jesus came to show us how to forgive and how to love. We can follow him and we can be like him. Really, we can do it. 

So, on this Christmas Eve, let’s join the shepherds at the manger and receive the only Christmas gift – the gift of God’s love in Jesus. You are loved. You are precious to God. You are a blessing. Amen.