And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn Son and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. (Luke 2:6-7)
A strange town full of people. Labor pains, and a search for a place to lie down—somewhere, anywhere, as long as it was safe and private. A midwife Mary had never seen before, to help her through her first labor. A baby's cry. And then the swaddling cloths she had packed so carefully in faraway Nazareth—and a manger full of straw, to keep Jesus warm and safely off the floor.
Did Mary wonder why God chose such a birth for His Son?
She may have. We wonder, looking back at it. Jesus wasn't going to have anything easy in His life—not even His birth. And in the years to come, He would be a refugee—a homeless teacher and healer—a Man betrayed by a friend—the crucified Son of God, dying naked on a cross for the people He loved so dearly.
We see Jesus' glory even more clearly for the darkness that surrounds Him. This is love—the God who became a human baby for us, who suffered for us, who rose from the dead to give us everlasting life. This is love, shining into our own darkness to give us joy and salvation.
WE PRAY: Jesus, You are my light and my salvation. Keep me always in Your hands. Amen.
Reflection Questions:
* What do you know about your own birth, if anything?
* Why do you think God deliberately chose such a hard human life for Himself?
* How do you see Jesus' love for you in the birth He chose?
Advent Devotions were written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Today's Bible Readings: Ezra 8-10 Revelation 15
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