Manger | Presence
The manger is the incarnation—the God who takes on flesh, even to the point of being born in an animal feed box. The manger means that God is not distant, but near. It means that he comes to be with, so that you are not without him. It means that God dwells in the midst of messy human drama.
The gospel as the presence of God is thrilling news for those who are distant from God. This is gospel for those who feel lonely, alienated, and hurt. For those who feel inadequate. For those who feel that God could never love them, never come to them. For those who feel like the very lowest social caste. The manger: God’s presence with us.
Invocation
Make the sign of the cross and say,
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Invitation Prayer
“Remember that you were at one time separated from Christ, alienated…having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13).
Word
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Mark 13:32)
Meditation
“What’s Jesus Really Saying?” by Erica Tape
If the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are all one God, how can one person of the Trinity know something the others don’t?
My father-in-law is a pastor, so I asked him. He said some Bible passages emphasize Jesus’s divine nature and some emphasize his human nature. This spot emphasizes the human one.
I can see both parts of Jesus’s nature in this verse. I see divine Jesus saying, “That’s not something you lowly humans need to know. You don’t need to know exactly when the world will end.”
I would love to know when the world would end. I would like to plan accordingly. In addition to knowing when to do my last grocery run (because who wants to leave food rotting in the fridge?), I’d also get my whole life cleaned up. I’d be like, “Look, Jesus! I’ve done everything I’m supposed to. I’ve earned my way into heaven.”
But Jesus came to earn our way into heaven for us. He was born on earth, fully God and fully human, to die the death we should die for our sins. He paid the price. He did the work.
So the other part of me can see human Jesus saying in this verse, “That’s not something you need to worry about. I’ll take care of it.”
And he did. That’s the whole point of Advent. Advent is the beginning of human Jesus’s story. We celebrate it every year because every year we need a reminder that Jesus is the one who did all the work. We don’t have to worry about anything.
Closing Prayer
Lord, we pray for those who feel severe separation and alienation. For the depressed, lonely, and abandoned. For families that are divided. For those who quietly bear the pain of isolation. To a world of separation and division, bring your presence, O Lord. Amen.