On The Journey, Judy Bowman SPIRITUAL MATTERS
The cross in the manger
We love the manger scene at Christmas, don’t we? Ever since St. Francis of Assisi made the first one in 1223, Christians of all sorts have loved seeing the tender scene of the stable at Bethlehem. Tiny Nativity sets on our coffee tables. Carved wooden family heirlooms under our Christmas trees. Large realistic statuary in front of the altar of our church. We love the sight of all the animals gathered into the stable around the manger. We see the shepherds there, running in from their flocks to worship the newborn baby. The angels who proclaimed His birth hover nearby, trumpets in hand, trailing banners that read, “Gloria In Excelsis Deo.” The sweet old man leaning on his staff must be St. Joseph. A misreading of Scripture sometimes places the three wise men in the Nativity scene too, though it was probably at least a couple of years later that they made their appearance. Every manger scene features the Blessed Virgin Mary looking down lovingly at her newborn son. Even the most spartan Christian denominations trot out a Nativity scene at Christmas. No one could object to these warm and fuzzy images. And then, there’s the baby — tiny and perfect and cooing up at His mother and foster father. Just looking at Him gives us a warm glow, a feeling that all is right with the world once more. We look at this idyllic scene and smile.
And yet to view His birth as only a kind of Disney cartoon filled with little lambs and singing cherubs is at least a misunderstanding and maybe even a heresy. This is not just the miracle of another birth to another poor couple in desperate circumstances. This is the Creator God Whose birth is cleaving creation in two. By being born as a baby, He is dividing time itself. We measure time as either before or after the Incarnation. This cooing infant has all the power and knowledge of the great “I AM” in Him from the moment of His conception. Fully human and fully divine, this newborn is the Word made flesh. Look closely at Him and you’ll see much more than just a babe in swaddling clothes.
Nestled in His mother’s lap in the stable, does He also imagine the last time she’ll hold Him, as He is taken down from the Cross? Looking around Him there in the manger, does He notice the donkey patiently chewing some hay nearby and does he see that other one that He’ll ride into Jerusalem for that last Passover? Does His borrowed stable remind Him of the borrowed tomb yet-to-be? Does He wonder why so many want to see Him in the crib, but so few will want to walk with Him to Golgotha? Crowds come to pray at His birth, but He knows that in Gethsemane, He’ll pray alone. The stable filled with love and homage will one day be a lonely hill, rocky and barren and full of suffering. Does the baby know this? Surely. And yet He chooses to come to us anyway. He comes to be one of us so that we can know how to be more like Him. He comes because He knows we have nowhere else to go and no one else who can save us. He comes because it is His Father’s will and He and the Father are One. He comes out of love because He IS Love. The baby in the manger is already sacrificing Himself for you and for me. The star shining so brightly overhead throws a shadow on His face, the shadow of a Cross. We can never truly know the joy of that Bethlehem night unless we also embrace with Him that long afternoon on Good Friday. Our beloved manger scenes at Christmas hold the promise of Easter morning within them, if we only choose to make the journey with our Savior. It begins here in Bethlehem as we kneel by the baby. Mary’s little lamb is already the Lamb of God “slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8).
Glenda Smiley, Pleasant Valley Baptist Church
Pleasant Valley Baptist invites you to in-person Sunday morning and evening worship services. You are always welcome. Services require social distancing, hand sanitizing, and mask-wearing. Please join us worshipping the Lord while practicing recommended safety measures. Wednesday in-person services continue to be suspended, but worship time can be watched on Facebook or Youtube. Come join with us in person as we hear from God’s Word this coming Sunday.
Wesley Crider, guitarist, will be our guest Sunday, December 20, 11 AM. We have been blessed to have him with us over the last several years to share his Christmas music. It is a day of honoring the Lord and the season of celebrating Christ. Mark your calendar and be with us this Sunday. We all need a time of refreshing.
Remember to pray about the vastly increasing cases of Covid 19 and take measures to protect yourself and others.
PVBC had a wonderful day Sunday worshipping the Lord. Pastor Flood always brings heartfelt and inspiring messages from God. During this pandemic, if you feel yourself drifting away from God, be sure to watch the messages, or better yet worship with us on Sunday.
Our world, leaders, families and friends need our prayers. Please pray for these days in which we now live. Everyone must realize the greatest need and answer to our struggles is to turn back to God. Our nation must acknowledge God, His Son, and our sin. Be expecting Christ’s return.
Georgia has a hugely important run-off election to settle control of the US Senate. Georgia is the firewall. Republicans, Christians, must be a constraining hand against Democrats and left-leaning politicians whose stated goal is to fundamentally change America forever. Everyone with a moral compass, everyone who loves America and defends freedom must vote in this run-off on January 5th. If you value the rights you possess granted by the constitution, and for which many have served and died to defend, you must vote. If you don’t vote, they will. You will be responsible for not defending our nation against a socialist takeover. Each of us MUST vote January 5th to defend America! Pray, vote, and trust God. Pray for President Trump and other leaders of our country.
Pray for members Wyonda Hill, Mike Cross, Denise Pitts, Betty Pitts and her brother and sister, for our pastor and his family, Glenda and Mike Smiley, Larry Armstrong and Paul all need our prayers. Pray for our shut-ins Carolyn Denton and Lula Petty and others with high-risk situations. Pray for our churches, missionaries, and evangelists.
Pleasant Valley Baptist continues to live-stream Facebook and Youtube Sunday morning/ evening services 11 AM, evening 6 PM, and streaming mid-week Bible study. Visit our services or view our services for encourage