Dear Friends in Christ, today I invite you to take some time with this devotion and use it as a reflection tool as we continue to “make room” for the coming of the Christ child. – In Peace, Pastor Ruth

How To Be a Manger

Be soft
Be strong
Be open

Picture in your mind a manger, the kind the baby Jesus would have been laid in after he was born. Rough and ready worn wood, some kind of bedding material, and available for parents who didn’t have a baby shower, a pack n’ play, or even a place to stay. As we wait for Christ’s birth, how can we make room to welcome God? 

Be Soft: Where are you soft already, or where do you need to soften in order to welcome God? 

Be Strong: How are you strong, and how do you use your strength? Are you being called to use your strength in new ways to welcome God? 

Be Open: How open are you? To surprise, to joy, to suffering, to learning, to rest? What do you need to do to make room to welcome God? Do you need to clear out some things (mental, emotional, or physical clutter) so that there is room? Play with this thought of how to become a manger. May your preparation make you ready enough to be changed by the life and ministry of Jesus. 

Let us pray, 
Blessed are you, O Lord, the source of all joy. Open our hearts to make room for your coming among us to show us the hope, peace, joy, and love of God. While we wait, help us make room for joy in our discouragements so that our hearts overflow with it, our lives are rooted in it, and we share the hope of Christ to a world in need. Come, Lord Jesus, come! Amen.