"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 guest room available for them."

- from Luke 2:6-7

As a birth assistant (doula), I think there is no greater, more beautiful miracle than the birth of a baby. But the births I’ve witnessed are so different from the birth of Jesus. This was no sterile hospital ward or posh birthing center or even a comfortable bedroom. This was a smelly, noisy, germ-filled shed for animals, not where kings are usually born.

Why did God choose a stable and a manger as part of the Christmas story?

Jesus—King of Glory—gently and unassumingly descends to join the human race. From the very start He is a human among humans, without pomp and circumstance.

Throughout scripture from prophecies about Jesus before His birth to stories of Him after His death, it is mentioned that He can relate to our weaknesses, our temptations and our hardships in life.

This was no accident that He was born in a stable among livestock and laid in a feeding trough. This was the humble continuation of His commitment to give up His life in heaven, lay aside his royalty, and submit to the limitations of a physical body. This was the plan right from the start

… a way to reach out to us

… a way to grab our attention

… a way to show us the enormity of His love

… a WAY in a manger.

Have you ever considered what it meant to Jesus to give up his position in heaven and be born as a baby? That coming to rescue you was his compelling reason for it all? Does that change the way you think of how God views you?