"While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn."

Thus, the Savior of the World was born. Meek, humble, mild...all of these words, perhaps many others, serve to describe the scene. A young, as yet unwed, mother gives birth to a tiny child who is God among animals of all sorts, her betrothed carpenter there with her. Of all people, the dirtiest come to visit Him: those who spend their days toiling in the wilderness, shepherds. And he is laid in a trough to sleep.

We have all seen the pictures created for this event. They are depicted pretty much all the same. A young family is gathered in a barn, the babe in a hay-filled manger. An angel is hovering over the barn, as if keeping watch. Sheep and cows are gathered all around, staring in the direction of the child, laying down, with mouths closed as if keeping silent in awe of what had just happened in their home. Over the barn shines a bright star, lighting the place where the Christ-child was born. In the distance, and sometimes right there in the picture, are three majestically-clad men bearing gifts.

Yet there in the hay-filled manger is the ultimate gift. Rightly so, the celebration this time of year is over the birth and life of the Savior of the world. Why? Right now, here upon the earth is God...Immanuel: God with us! The event now is indeed spectacular; the miracle of God incarnate has and is happening.

Even in His birth, however, God does not let us forget the ultimate purpose for which He came. As the prophet Isaiah had said long before, the people walking in darkness have seen a great light. This child would grow up and call Himself the Light of the world. With God come down from His heights, now men will start to live in the presence of the glory of God, Jesus Christ. God demonstrated His love for His beloved creation, for as the Christmas hymn states, Love came down at Christmas, as He humbled Himself and took on our flesh to save us from our sins.

And as the miracle of the birth of the Savior of all the Earth takes place, He lets us in on some other of His miracles to come, including the miracle of the forgiveness of sins.

First, our modern minds have the wrong idea about the stable in which the Christ-child was born. We have this concept of the stable being similar to a modern barn: a wooden structure with a pitched roof and stables for different animals—sometimes we even picture it in the middle of town. However, Jesus was probably born just outside of town where the animals were kept, in caves used as stables. And it was from that cave that He would emerge to see the world He would save. 33 years later, He would emerge from His rock-hewn grave—the cave in which He was buried—from there He would emerge and gaze upon the world He has saved!

Second, there is a message in the cradle in which our Lord was laid. You could say that the animals were gracious enough to give their trough to the child as His bed. So, Mary laid her baby in the feeding instrument of these animals among which He was born. He used the supper table of cows and sheep as His bed, as if He was food. We can equate this with a real presence in, with, and under food, as in these, the days of Christ, He graces His supper table with His very body and blood. He is indeed food, nourishment for our souls for the forgiveness of sins and life eternal!

Third, we can look at how the babe was dressed. Jesus was laid in a manger, the trough of barn animals, wrapped in cloths. This is another burial image. True, it was common then to wrap a child in cloths after it is born...it is even common these days. Still, there in that cave, reminiscent to us of His burial cave, is wrapped a tiny body in swaddling cloths. This adds to the burial image we get from the cave, for when Joseph of Arimathea received the adult body of tonight's infant, he would wrap it in cloths and lay it in his tomb. After the resurrection, when Peter and John ran to the cave, the saw inside folded away the burial cloths.

When we step into the future from tonight event a few days, about 12, we come to another death and burial image. On that day, the day we call Epiphany, Jesus would receive gentile visitors, dressed in royal garb, and bearing gifts. Among the gifts the Christ-child would receive are frankincense and myrrh. How do these things foreshadow the death and burial of the Savior of the world? As we could read in later chapters of St. Luke or St. Matthew or St. Mark, Salome, Mary, and Mary Magdalene would go to the tomb early on the third day bringing spices to place upon the body to keep it from creating too large a stink. They were most likely carrying, among other spices, frankincense and myrrh, traditional burial perfumes.

Finally, these wise men were guided by their reading of scriptures which were given to their ancestors in the days of the Babylonian captivity. But, we are also told that the location was also marked for them (as well as all who would see) by a star that shone brighter than all the others. Most often, this star is depicted as having a particular shape. While there is no scriptural evidence to support it, many artists, perhaps unwittingly, draw a cross over the stable. What they have done, during Jesus' birth, is foreshadow the instrument by which He would die.

And that is the very purpose for which He came. God was born in the flesh to free mankind from the yoke of sin. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." We have this evidence to look at with the hindsight of the New Testament, but even those who had the scripture of Jesus' time knew the purpose for which He came. God has at various times spoken through His prophets to speak not only of the birth of His Son, but also the death of His Son, our Savior. Most notably, He says through the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah that He was led "like a gentle lamb to the slaughter."

So, once again, this Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the Savior of the World. God's plan of salvation is now drawn nigh. Love has come down. The glory of the Lord shines around us. It is the dawn of redemption. "See in yonder manger low, born for us on earth below, see—the gentle Lamb appears, promised from eternal years. Hail, O ever blessed morn. Hail redemption's happy dawn. Sing through all Jerusalem: Christ is born in Bethlehem!" See in the manger, the child born to die...for you. Rejoice, your salvation has come! "Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth, peace to men on whom His favor rests!"