A Manger Moment
Matt & Kayla Ferguson
The Christmas Lamb
As the Kids Pastors of our amazing church, we have children at the forefront of our minds! In thinking of the Christmas story, our hearts think of the sweet baby Jesus and His entry into this world. “Wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” My husband, Matt is a builder and one thing he loves is carpentry. So when thinking of the Christmas story he not only thought of the baby, but also thought of the manger and how it was made to hold our Savior. In his study of the manger he read an article from a Pastor that took us by surprise.
This particular article we found stated that the manger was probably not made of wood, but of stone. Of course mangers are animal feeding troughs but in ancient Israel they were made of stone which is not what you would see in a modern day nativity scene. Not very comfortable, but great for protection. That's why those who were experts in this matter, the priests, would put their newborn lambs in them for protection. Not just any lamb, the unblemished perfect lambs that were used in the sacrifice for sins.
Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, was known for their unblemished lambs used for the sacrifice. These lambs had to be perfect so they would wrap them tightly in a cloth and lie them in the manger to keep them safe. This is why the only time mangers are mentioned in Jesus' birth story it is being told to shepherds. In Luke 2 it says "This will be a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger."
The shepherds would have understood this powerful parallel! They KNEW what the cloth and the manger meant! We imagine that the shepherds baby would be the perfect sacrificial lamb,the Messiah who would sacrifice His life for the sins of the world. He wasn't just a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger, He was GOD: perfect, sinless and Holy. He humbled Himself to become the unblemished, sacrificial Lamb to reconcile us back to Himself!
Could you just imagine that “Night in Bethlehem?”
-Matt and Kayla
The Christmas Lamb
As the Kids Pastors of our amazing church, we have children at the forefront of our minds! In thinking of the Christmas story, our hearts think of the sweet baby Jesus and His entry into this world. “Wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” My husband, Matt is a builder and one thing he loves is carpentry. So when thinking of the Christmas story he not only thought of the baby, but also thought of the manger and how it was made to hold our Savior. In his study of the manger he read an article from a Pastor that took us by surprise.
This particular article we found stated that the manger was probably not made of wood, but of stone. Of course mangers are animal feeding troughs but in ancient Israel they were made of stone which is not what you would see in a modern day nativity scene. Not very comfortable, but great for protection. That's why those who were experts in this matter, the priests, would put their newborn lambs in them for protection. Not just any lamb, the unblemished perfect lambs that were used in the sacrifice for sins.
Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, was known for their unblemished lambs used for the sacrifice. These lambs had to be perfect so they would wrap them tightly in a cloth and lie them in the manger to keep them safe. This is why the only time mangers are mentioned in Jesus' birth story it is being told to shepherds. In Luke 2 it says "This will be a sign for you, you will find a baby wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger."
The shepherds would have understood this powerful parallel! They KNEW what the cloth and the manger meant! We imagine that the shepherds baby would be the perfect sacrificial lamb,the Messiah who would sacrifice His life for the sins of the world. He wasn't just a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger, He was GOD: perfect, sinless and Holy. He humbled Himself to become the unblemished, sacrificial Lamb to reconcile us back to Himself!
Could you just imagine that “Night in Bethlehem?”
-Matt and Kayla
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