THE WAY THROUGH THE MANGER
By Rev. James May
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
Christmas and the Holiday Season carries with it a bittersweet experience for a lot of people. Of course, the sweetness is story of the coming of the Christ child into a world that is lost in the darkness of sin. The most beautiful event in the history of mankind was the day that Jesus came from Heaven and took upon himself the form of a human being and became that baby in the manger.
Jesus, who said of himself, in John 14:6, “… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me”, came as a baby, grew up to become a man, stepped out into the world, and for 3 ½ years, testified that he was the Very Son of God, come down to this world for only one reason. He came to give his life upon the cross, to make the way of salvation for all men who would accept his sacrifice for their sin.
He, who is the Way, came by Way of the Manger, preached the Way of Salvation, and made that Way accessible to all men through his own death, burial and resurrection. Now the Way is made for each of us through Jesus Christ. That’s the real meaning of Christmas, and in fact, the way that Jesus made, is the way that all of life can have true meaning. It’s the only Way in which we can have perfect peace and that we can have that joy in our hearts that cannot be explained, but must be experienced one-by-one as we come to Jesus. It is the Way of a fulfilled life; a life of service to others, sacrificing of self to the cause of Christ; and truthfully, the only life really worth living that won’t leave you empty and wondering if your life made a difference.
The other side of this story is that it is during the Christmas season that much bitterness arises as well. You see, the coming of Jesus in that manger, made a way for us to come to know and serve the Lord, but he never promised that the Way would be made perfect and that we would never experience sadness and loss in life.
During this time of the year, more than any other, there are many who go through a time of deepened sadness because of the loss of a loved one. That loneliness is magnified when they see the happiness and togetherness that others are experiencing and they feel so much the more alone.
There are those who are saddened when they think of the fact that even though their loved ones are still on the earth, they can’t see them and be with them on this day. How many families this year will be saddened somewhat because a loved one is on the battlefields of Afghanistan, or on some lonely military outpost, guarding the freedoms of America? And how many families are torn apart because one, or both, of the parents can’t be with their children because circumstances keep them apart?
It has been proven that more people succumb to the depression at this time of year than at any other time. The sadness and loneliness becomes more than they can bear and the only answer to their heartache is to take themselves out of this world. And the saddest part of that is, that after they leave this world, the chances are they enter eternity without God, but it’s too late to turn back after they realize their terrible mistake. (No, I don't believe that suicide is an automatic ticket to hell; but for someone to reach that point, there is a clear indicator that there is a spiritual problem present. Let God be the judge.)
Even though we are not immune to experiencing that same sadness and sorrow, we who serve the Lord, are truly blessed, for even in the midst of sorrow, we have a great hope. That hope is in Jesus, that Way that came through the manger.
Most of you sitting here now know what I’m talking about. There’s an empty chair at your table, and an empty place in your heart that you just can’t seem to fill with anything that will make the pain go away. You’ve spent many long hours crying out to God for relief from the grief, for a return of the joy of Lord to your heart that you might enjoy life to its fullest once again. Your only thought is, Lord, If I could just go back and do it again, I’d do things a lot different. I would never take for granted that which you have given to me that I have lost. But then you realize, there’s no going back; only going forward, living from one day to the next.
One day at time you march on, but you march in faith, knowing that the Way has been made. You know that no matter how sad it may get, or how much your heart aches, there is a better day coming; a day of peace and rest; a day of great joy and happiness; a day of resurrection when you will be reunited with those who have gone before, and a day when we will all be with Jesus forever more. The Way to being reunited and having a part in that great day of joy lies through the manger; then the Way goes through the blood of Jesus that was shed upon the cross, and finally the Way leads us through the altar of God where you will give your life as a living sacrifice to Jesus.
Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “… lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” The manger has passed into history and become part of the most beautiful story in the Bible. The cross has passed into history, for Jesus came and died only once; his sacrifice
is sufficient for all sin, of all men, forever.
The Way has been finished; and the Way is forever open to all who will walk in that Way!
No matter what you are facing today, the Way is before you, making a Way for you to overcome whatever is ahead.
No matter how much your heart aches today, the Way of healing is made, for Jesus knows your heart ache, your fears and he hears your cries in the midnight hour when no one else is there.
No matter how much loneliness you face; the Way has the power to fill that emptiness in your heart too. The Way is Jesus, and I am so glad that I serve a God that cares and has power to heal any sickness, any disease, any loneliness and hopelessness. Through the power of the blood your healing is already done.
Matthew 8:17 says that Jesus, “… Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.”
Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
The Way is waiting for you to find your way to go to him. No man on earth can heal the pain you feel, but the He who is the Way can! No man on earth can fill the loneliness and ease the sorrow in your heart, but He who is the Way has power to answer your prayer and he will hear your cry, so take it to the Lord in prayer.
The problem for most of us is that we don’t always find the instant relief in prayer that we seek. Sometimes God will answer our cry instantly; but most of the time He takes his time, and for many of us, God’s timing is something that we just can’t understand.
We know that God hears us. We know that the Way to our answer is already made. We know that Jesus cares and that there’s nothing impossible with God. We know that our prayer will be answered. Our only question is “Whennnnn??!” I need an answer God; and I need it now; not tomorrow, not in the morning, not in January when the holidays have passed…I NEED IT NOW! And then the answer comes and God says, “Wait; just a little while longer. Your answer is on the way!”
I am reminded of a passage of scripture that someone gave to me a few weeks ago.
2 Corinthians 12:8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
Every one of us carries an infirmity in one form or another, in fact, we are all part of the human condition and that means that we are weak and frail in so many ways.
Physically – we are easily susceptible to sickness, disease, pain and even death
Emotionally – we can become a basket case over even trivial things if we let it get the best of us, much less those things are really hard to bear
Mentally – well, all I can say about that is that the older we get, the more that goes too. But for some of us, it starts going very quickly and the French fries start falling out of our Happy Meal while we are still quite young.
Spiritually – we were dead in sin and we’ve been born again; even so we must ever guard our salvation lest we fall back into the trap of sin once again
How many times have we prayed for those things that are weak to be made strong? How many times have you cried to the Lord to deliver you from the despair, the loneliness, the fears, the heartaches? Like Paul, you’ve cried more than once, I’m sure.
But never let us forget what God’s answer to Paul was. 2 Corinthians 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
Now I can hang with the idea that God’s grace is sufficient. I can even understand and live with the idea that through my suffering and weaknesses, God is somehow making me stronger. But I don’t know about this “glorying in my infirmities” stuff. God, are you sure that part is supposed to be there? Did Paul do a little ad-libbing on his own? Was that part really inspired by the Holy Ghost? Yes, that part is still part of the inspired Word of God, so we should give God glory in the midst of our suffering, and walk on in faith, believing that Christ in us will help us to overcome it all.
We must ever remember that God is with us in the midst of the battle. We must remember that He has already made the Way of escape, and that nothing we face will have the power to destroy us if we will walk in faith before Him.
Jesus will never leave you, nor forsake you, and through the path of life may seem so impossible, Jesus is there, walking with you, and he has already made the Way for you to make it all the way to the end of your journey in his presence.
God has not left you as an orphaned child. That’s how he found you, but he has adopted you into the Family of God, and God intends that every one of his children will be cared for. He watches over you like a mother hen. You are the Apple of His Eye and he loves you so much. If you know the Lord as your Savior, then you have found the Way through the manger.
If you don’t know Him, the Way is open for you to step in and become a part of God’s family.
Let me close this morning with an illustration that I read here at Sermoncentral.com: (I did some slight editing so I could read it easier)
In 1994 two Americans responded to an invitation from the Russian Minister of Education to teach morals and ethics in some of the public schools. They were also given opportunities to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments, and finally, at a large orphanage. The amazing thing was that the Russian Minister gave them permission to teach morals and ethics based upon principles of the Bible, something that America itself was trying to stop.
It was nearly Christmas time when the Americans reached the orphanage, and so they decided to tell the story of Jesus’ birth to the orphans. This would most likely be the first time these children had ever heard the traditional Christmas story. They told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem and finding no room in the inn, and how the couple went to a stable where Jesus was born and placed in the manger.
Throughout the story, the children sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word. For the first time they heard the message of a Savior who had been born in a manger, but died on a cross and rose again to may a way of salvation for all men.
As a follow-up activity to the story, each child was given three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manager. Each child was also given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins which the children tore into strips. These paper strips became the straw in the manger. Small squares of flannel had been cut from old garment and were used for the baby’s blanket. From pieces of tan felt a doll-like baby was made.
As the Americans made their way around the room to observe the children, all went well until they got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project.
As they looked at the little boy’s manger, they were surprised to see two babies in the manger. Quickly, they called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger.”
The translator said that Misha had very accurately remembered the story that had been told until he came to the part where Mary put Jesus in the manger. “Then Misha,” he said, “started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the story.”
This is what the little boy said, “And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no momma and I have no papa, so I don’t have any place to stay.
So Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn’t because I didn’t have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift.
So I asked Jesus, “If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?” And Jesus told me, “If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me. So I got into the manger. Then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him – for always.”
As little Misha finished his story, his eyes filled with tears that ran down his cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook and he began to cry. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon or abuse him, someone who would stay with him – FOR ALWAYS!”
Do you sometimes feel like this little orphan boy, that somehow Jesus has left you, and that no one cares; there’s no one to call out to; and no one to hear your weeping in the night?
You have not been abandoned. You are a Child of God, a prince or princess of Heaven. God hears your cry and he will never leave you or forsake you. He is always there, listening, hearing, and comforting you. He has brought you this far; and He will never let you fall.
No man has your answer; but Jesus does. He will strengthen you day-by-day. Each morning when you arise, he will give you the strength to make it another day. Though the infirmity may still be there, yet His grace is sufficient. He will give you the grace for one more day of victory. He will give you the strength to walk one more mile. And every day that strength will be there, the grace will be there and Jesus will make a Way for you.
Just keep walking by faith with your eyes on Jesus.
Let the Christmas story and the picture of the baby in the manger remind you always that Jesus came to become your Way through the manger. Your Way is finished through the blood shed upon the cross; and your Way is clear all the way to Heaven. Just keep walking by faith.
