Look into the Manger

“This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12

We have entered into the season of Advent with the expectation and celebration of the coming of our Savior. The signs that Christmas is approaching are popping up everywhere - strings of lights, crèches, Christmas trees, Black Friday sales, etc. Our consumer driven society beats the drum of hurried and extravagant shopping but the still small voice of God beckons us to slow down and reflect. Instead of loading up, drop everything and come; kneel and look into the manger.

Advent is God’s invitation to love and be loved more deeply. It is a time to clean house so that Christ may take up residence more fully in our lives. It is an invitation to ‘stock up’ on relationship.

I don’t want to be the same in this coming year yet transformation into Christlikeness cannot be fully realized without deep and continual change. Grace is God acting in our lives to do things and to bring change that we cannot do on our own. Dallas Willard states, “Grace is not opposed to effort; it’s opposed to earning”. None of us will keep a life of prayer unless we are committed to change. We will either give it up or turn it into a little mechanical ritual. “Father, this Advent, help me adore Jesus and be changed”.