Where to Stand in the Manger Scene

It’s not enough at Christmas time to admire nativity scenes. We need to know our place in the Nativity scene. Studying the book of Haggai allows us to take a wider view of the birth of Christ so that we can see where we fit in the Christmas story.

Luke tells us that our King was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger because there was no room in the inn (Luke 2:7). For centuries, artists have pictured the scene. Where was Joseph? Where was Mary? (Very close by!) What animals warmed the scene?

But it isn’t enough to know that Mary was in the Christmas story, we need to see that for those who know Christ, we are also part of the nativity scene. We are part of the story. In order to know how our stories relate to the Christmas story, we must step back from the starry night in Jerusalem Bethlehem and see the big sweep of the story of salvation that all of Scripture describes.

It is possible to see all of Scripture from 30,000 feet. D.A. Carson once gave an overview of the message of the Bible in 221 words:

God is the sovereign, transcendent and personal God who has made the universe, including us, his image-bearers. Our misery lies in our rebellion, our alienation from God, which, despite his forbearance, attracts his implacable wrath.

But God, precisely because love is of the very essence of his character, takes the initiative and prepared for the coming of his own Son by raising up a people who, by covenantal stipulations, temple worship, systems of sacrifice and of priesthood, by kings and by prophets, are taught something of what God is planning and what he expects.

In the fullness of time his Son comes and takes on human nature. He comes not, in the first instance, to judge but to save: he dies the death of his people, rises from the grave and, in returning to his heavenly Father, bequeaths the Holy Spirit as the down payment and guarantee of the ultimate gift he has secured for them—an eternity of bliss in the presence of God himself, in a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

The only alternative is to be shut out from the presence of this God forever, in the torments of hell. What men and women must do, before it is too late, is repent and trust Christ; the alternative is to disobey the gospel (Romans 10:16;2 Thessalonians 1:8; 1 Peter 4:17).

But it is not enough to fly over Scripture from above the clouds. If we are to really gain a feel for the overall sweep of the Bible – – -and know where we “stand” in the nativity scene – – then we need to delve into the details of Scripture from books like Haggai.

This Christmas season, I will be preaching from the book of Haggai at the Red Brick Church. Haggai gave his prophesies, collected in 1 book, from August to December in the year 520 B.C.  Central to the book of Haggai is how he encouraged his listeners to anticipate Christ.

I am “stoked” to preach these Christmas messages because our church will:

• Learn how our story fits with the story of Old Testament Israel and the birth of the Lord Jesus
• Be motivated for what God has called us to do in the New Testament church.
• Understand the disillusionment and cynicism that has come to characterize our culture.
• Anticipate with excitement the return of Jesus.

Don’t go through the holiday season treating the nativity as a sentimental scene from the past. Let’s dive into the details of God’s Word so that we can see our place at the foot of the manger.

See also The Present We Need and Plan to Get in the Christmas Season at the Red Brick Church