And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. [Luke 2:7,13-14]

And she... wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

It did not become an issue of disdain for Mary and Joseph to give birth to their adorable, first child in the animals house rather than the inn. Actually, the way the Bible sounds here connotes that the "inn" was a preferable clinic than a manger. Their choice was the inn, but it was not available. It is not a decision by Mary or Joseph that Christ must of necessity be born in a manger, no, it was because there was no space in the inn. But I noticed that the lack of space in the inn did not become an issue of prayer and fasting for them to begin to seek for a "higher place", they simply opted for what was available, and it did not become an issue of disdain, ridicule or littleness.

Christianity is not about the physical issues. It is not about a physical place, a possession or a status issue. I see many people today shouting that 'my God is not poor...', so they think that giving birth in America glorifies God more than giving birth in a manger, that is a distortion of faith. If you can afford delivery in America, no problem, and if it is a nearby health centre that you can afford, it's the same thing, it's just an issue of choice, it's not an issue of faith. When greed and worldliness begins to worry many people, they begin to use God to achieve their personal lusts. To begin to exalt the rich in money and goods as if those are the men rich in faith is to bastardise the Christian faith. Your status or position or what you can afford is not a height in Christianity.

A manger is a container, a trough or a feeder made of stone, wood or metal and used to hold food for animals. Jesus was wrapped inside a manger - the dirtiest container... Imagine, where dirty animals put their mouths to feed, was where Jesus (the King of kings, Higher than the highest) was kept, and that had nothing to do with who He was or what He became.

When we begin to give testimonies for worldly achievements as if that is what Christianity is supposed to achieve, is that not a slap on the face of Jesus? Somebody is beginning to say, "God is good, God is good...", and you ask, "why?", then he says "because He buttered my bread". So, for those who don't have what you have, who can't afford butter for their bread, who are happy with just groundnut for their bread, does that mean God is wicked to them? Is the purpose of God being achieved in human lives, or we are simply substituting Him for some selfish desires?, has God become another 'cleaner' means of pursuing the world which God came to deliver us from?

Sometimes, there may be no room for you in your desirous inn, that does not become an issue to question God about. If it is a manger that is your closest available option, then use it. Whatever God designs to accomplish is never tied to whether it is an inn or a manger. Those who have inns, praise God, and those who have mangers, praise God too. Money riches, affluence, fame, additions... are never divine determinants. To begin to accrue the inn to spirituality and attach the manger to faithlessness is to discredit divine purpose or to call God blind.


And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God...

What heaven rejoices in, is deeper than what earth delights in. Heaven looks at the goal, the end, and rejoices at the purpose, but men look at the present, the immediate, the camouflage, and celebrate the pomposity rather than the purpose.

Were the angels not ashamed of the surrounding circumstances of Jesus' birth? How could the King of kings be born in the gutter? It is enough for Christ to be born in a dilapidated animal house, but to now begin publicising it with joy and gladness and directing people to the venue as if that is a palace, is something that baffles me. It opens my eyes to the fact that heaven does not concentrate on physical things, and heaven sees at an angle completely different from man's.

Beauty, to heaven, is not physical, it is His presence- wherever it may abide.

I thought the angels should have allowed Joseph to relocate mother and child to a more presentable place before the publicity? I thought that good presentation and beautiful furnishings/decoration is next to godliness? I thought this would enhance a greater reception of Jesus by the human world? But I discover, that whatever God wants to achieve, He doesn't need you and me or any natural input to give it a facelift, neither does He need a brilliant presentation for acceptability. His anointing and power ALONE is sufficient to get His works done without any human or physical assistance. Right in the smelling manger was where the whole heavens were converged to welcome the Saviour of the world, and that had no diminishing effect upon the plan and program and goal of God.