ADVENT DAY 19: Dec. 19
Luke 2:6,7
Jesus
6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 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 guest room. ESV
Enter the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
By Cyndi Scharadin
The whole world had been waiting, hoping, and praying for this moment. The long-awaited Savior—the promised Messiah—was finally here! The King who would rescue humanity from hatred, sin, and every evil that stood against a holy God was stepping into human history.
But wait… this is not at all what we expected. Instead of arriving in a palace, surrounded by grandeur and power, He was born in the humblest of places—laid gently in a manger.
The King of Kings entering the world not with fanfare and majesty but in quiet simplicity, surrounded by animals and straw—this turns every expectation upside down. It challenges our ideas of what power and greatness look like. This manger scene sends a powerful message: God’s kingdom doesn’t come through worldly might, wealth, or spectacle. It comes through humility, vulnerability, and love.
The contrast is staggering: the Almighty God wrapped in swaddling clothes, born in a stable, lying in a feeding trough meant for animals. His presence in the manger tells us that God meets us where we are— whether in our grandeur or our brokenness. He steps into the messy, ordinary moments of life to bring redemption and hope.
Let’s remember that true greatness is found in humility, and true power is made perfect in weakness. The One who laid down His glory to be born in a manger created the design for us all to follow and in our weakness He is glorified.
Prayer:
Jesus, thank you for coming to us in lowliness. Help me not to despise the lowest place. Open my eyes to see your glory in the place you choose to be, not only where I expect you to be. Amen.
