The census forced Joseph and Mary to travel far away from the securities of home and they ended up in Bethlehem. The arduous journey would have been a strain for Mary. No place could be found to stay and so a very unclean stable was offered them.
“And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
Luke 2:4-7, ESV.
The following Carol was written in the late 1800’s.
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.
The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.
One of the most amazing aspects about Jesus is that he came among us as a human, born of a virgin, born in humble circumstances and raised in a small village. So many carols have been written about this event. Over the next few weeks we will consider some of them.
A song called “Jesus Freak” was made famous by the American Christian band, DC Talk, over 20 years ago. One of the lines is, “People say I’m strange, does it make me a stranger, that my best friend was born in a manger?” Our humble Saviour is on a mission to bring Good News to a fallen world.
“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”
1 Timothy 2:3-7, ESV.