By this point most of you reading this probably know where I am headed. The combination of mangers and the Holy Land can mean nothing less than a post about the Nativity; an event celebrated worldwide by a common phrase "Merry Christmas!"
The fact that the Savior of the world should come to an ordinary family on an ordinary night and be placed in an ordinary manger is, to this blogger, nothing short of extraordinary! God's Son could have come as a conquering hero, and political champion, a famous celebrity or athlete, but he didn't. He came as an ordinary guy. Just one more Joshua, Hosea, Hoshea, or Jesus to add to the list. The son of a carpenter and his faithful young bride-to-be. He came as an ordinary man so that he could relate to all of us. Someone who could experience everything we experience, and therefore be qualified to represent all of us and redeem us all.
Perhaps we need to take another lesson from the Savior this Christmas. In the hustle and bustle of Christmas it is easy to get distracted by extraordinary nature of the season. Lights, crowded shopping malls, decorations galore (including my neighbors 2 story blow-up Santa on a motorcycle) all vie for our attention. In this time of extraordinary stress, activity, and distraction, please take some time to find joy in the ordinary -- the simple, but profound nature of God's gift. "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us."
