Salvation Sunday: The Smells of the Manger Scene!

Yesterday, we set up our Christmas tree. Judah was so excited to get out the ornaments as he asked to get them out all afternoon. He even has played with ornaments non stop since on and off the tree.

In the middle of decorating the house, however, Judah had this awful dirty diaper that was pretty rank in comparison to the Christmas smells of of candles and real pine trees. So we stopped for a break to change the diaper which I just did right next to the Christmas tree on the floor.

As I was changing the mess, the thought came to my mind. This is probably more the smell that filled the manger scene with all those animals nearby. The nativity certainly was not ginger and spice by any means. Imagine a newborn being born in a so called barn scene with the smell of manure. Humbling beginnings for sure for anyone but especially for a king, a Savior.

What a picture this paints. A Savior, a king, God himself in flesh, coming to earth in the midst of sin, dirt, and messy filth. His presence at birth for all permeated freshness and a sweetness from the stench, pain, and sorrow of life to that of Christmas joys and peace. Christmas came down right next to the filth of everyday sin.

And yet he came to do just that. "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Luke 2:12

And again: "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant,being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross! Philippians 2:6-8