today in a manger: revisiting his story

8/8/2019 Today in A Manger: Revisiting His Story

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AN ADVENT DEVOTIONAL BY IAN STRACHAN

REVISITINGHISSTORY

IN A MANGER


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2010 by Ian Strachan

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, ortransmied in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, orother except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior wrien permissionof the author.

Published by BigCake Media LLC - Nashville, Tennessee. www.bigcakemedia.com

Cover design, photography and interior layout by Magnus Creative - www.magnus-creative.com

Scripture quotations marked GWT are from GODS WORD. Copyright 1995 by Gods Word tothe Nations. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked HCSB come from HOLMAN CHRISTIAN STANDARD BIBLE. 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Broadman and Holman Publishers. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ISV come from the Holy Bible International Standard Version .Copyright 1996-2008 by e ISV Foundation of Paramount, California USA. Used by permission ofDavidson Press, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

Scripture quotations marked MSG come from e Message by Eugene H. Peterson. 1993, 1994,1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV come from HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONALVERSION. 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of ZondervanPublishing House. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NLT come from Holy Bible, New Living Translation. 1996. Used bypermission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV come from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. 1982 by omas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010912396

ISBN 978-0-615-38217-3

First Paperback Edition

Printed in the United States of America

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to Anne, my wie:or her encouragement and the patience to see this project through


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Introduction

Day 1 In the Beginning 1

Day 2 Bringing It Together 5Day 3 Four Women 9

Day 4 Gabriel 13

Day 5 Marys Leap o Faith 17

Day 6 Time or a Journey 21

Day 7 Elizabeth and Mary Rejoice 25

Day 8 Marys Hymn o Praise 29Day 9 The Birth o John the Baptist 33

Day 10 Coping with the Incomprehensible 37

Day 11 Johns Opening 41

Day 12 An Uncomortable Journey 45

Day 13 A Strange Light on a Dark Night 49

Day 14 A Message or a Terried People 53Day 15 Visiting Shepherds 57

Day 16 Afrmation or Mary 61

Day 17 A Time or Covenant 65

Day 18 Presented in the Temple 69

Day 19 Prophetic Words o Joy 73

Day 20 Words o Strie 77Day 21 Anna 81

Day 22 A Star in the East 85

Day 23 Wise Men 89

Day 24 The Reugees 93

Day 25 Out o Egypt 97
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INTRODUCTIONEach year as Christmas comes around, familiar traditions fall into place. Carols are

sung, festive decorations appear in shopping malls, the Christmas tree is decorated

at home, and bright lights adorn the houses in our neighborhoods. As winter

darkens and deepens, we immerse ourselves in the excitement of shopping for

presents, ordering turkeys, writing Christmas cards, sending leers to Santa, and

so on.

Too oen, the Christmas story only impinges on the periphery of our lives.e purpose of this small book is to bring the story of Jesus back to the center

of your life. Without the coming of the baby Jesus we would have no Christmas,

simply a winter festival, as in pagan times.

However, we all know the story quite well. We even know by memory some of

the key verses that tell this story. In this book youll see the unfolding story, as it is

presented in the gospels, from a new perspective. My intention is to help you think

through what is happening and to meditate on its signicance.Each daily reading, beginning on December 1 and continuing through

December 25, takes about three minutes to complete. However, if you want

to delve deeper, then take time to look up the scriptural references included

throughout each reading. My prayer is that each will enhance your understanding

that God, through Scripture, designed a coherent plan from eternity to save

mankind (see 2 Timothy 1:9; 1 Peter 1:20).

Into our darkness came the light of the world and Gods love was nally and

fully revealed.


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01DAY IN THE BEGINNING


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DAY ONE

I

t is a strange way to begin a book. It is a very strange way to introduce a

new religion. But Mahew and Luke both chose to open their Gospels

with genealogies, Mahew with a list of forty-six names, beginning withAbraham and ending with Jesus (Ma. 1:1-17) and Luke with seventy-six

names, beginning with Jesus and going back to Adam (Luke 3:23-37).

e purpose of the New Testament is to introduce us to Christianity,

the way of Jesus the Messiah, so this beginning to Jesuss story in Mahew

chapter 1 is strange for four reasons:

First, if you were going to tell all the world the mind-boggling good news

that God became man and lived among us and then died for our sins, wouldyou start o with a list of names?

Second, why would you imbed this list in the history of another religion,

Judaism, with its panoply of great heroes?

ird, this male-dominated list includes, in its penultimate position,

Marys husband, Joseph, who was not the biological father of Jesus.

Fourth, the genealogy in Lukes gospel (Luke 3:23-37) starts with Josephthen makes a jump over to Marys genealogy (without saying so) and traces

her history all the way back to Adam. So how can we say that the Bible is

consistent?

What is going on here? It all seems very confusing, so lets try to unravel

it. Each of the gospel writers had a dierent readership. Mahew wrote

his gospel to a Jewish audience who had become believers in Jesus or werethinking of doing so. To the Jewish people, ones family line delineates your

standing within the community. To be able to trace your heritage back

to David, Abraham, and Adam gave Jesus real authenticity. Mahew was

steeped in his Jewish heritage. His intention was to show that Jesus was the

unique bridge between Judaism and this new religion that would be called

Christianity. Ten times in his gospel he used the formula all this took place


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IN THE BEGINNING

to fulll what the Lord had said through the prophets. He quoted sixty-one

times from twenty-ve dierent Old Testament scriptures to demonstrate

that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the fulllment of all God has promised. Jesusis the epitome of Israels history.

Other gospel writers had unique and purposeful openings to their stories

too. Mark identied his gospel as the gospel about Jesus the Messiah, the

Son of God (Mark 1:1 NIV). Luke wrote to a Gentile audience to give them

an orderly account . . . so that you may know the certainty of the things you

have been taught (Luke 1:4 NIV). He wanted to connect Mary with Adam,

the rst man, so his gospel would be orderly. (We will look at how Johnopened his gospel on Day 11.)

At the beginning of recorded biblical history, Adam and Eve chose to

disobey God and listen to Satan. Evil became a human reality. However, as sin

entered Gods creation, He promised that, one day, a successor of Eve would

crush Satans head (Gen. 3:15). e bale between good and evil is a choice

that we face every day, every time we encounter temptation. We cannotdefeat this evil on our own. ats why its critical that God has a plan for our

salvation. And as you read Mahews very disparate list of forty-six men and

women, you see God at work.

Gods plan, from eternity, was to send His Son so that all who believe

in Him will have eternal life in His presence. He loved us while we were

still sinners (John 3:16, Rom. 5:8). Because Jesus came, one day God will

make His home among us (Rev. 21:3). e gospel story has indeed a greatbeginning.

PRAYERLord, sometimes You talk to me in strange ways. But the act that You want

to talk to me is an amazing thing. Each day as I ace the choice to do good or

evil, please help me to hear You, to understand what You are saying, and in the

power o Your Holy Spirit, to obey You.


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05MARYS LEAP OF FAITHDAY


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DAY FIVE

Y

esterdays meditation told a dramatic story. But an even more

incredible event took place six months later, when the angel Gabriel

appeared to a young teenager named Mary. She was possibly as youngas fourteen years old. He greeted her with the words:

Good morning!

Youre beautiful with Gods beauty,

Beautiful inside and out!

God be with you. (Luke 1:28 MSG)

[Mary] was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting

like that. But the angel [Gabriel] assured her, Mary, you have nothing to fear.

God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son

and call his name Jesus.

He will be great,be called Son of the Highest.

e Lord God will give him

the throne of his father David;

He will rule Jacobs house forever

no end, ever, to his kingdom. (Luke 1:29-33 MSG)

Mary was uerly overwhelmed. She was a very young, simple peasant girl.In her small village she had no social standing. ere was absolutely no logic

or sense in what this angel was saying. But how? Ive never slept with a man,

she asked (Luke 1:34 MSG).

Gabriel answered,

e Holy Spirit will come upon you,


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MARYS LEAP OF FAITH

the power of the Highest hover over you;

erefore, the child you bring to birth

will be called Holy, Son of God. (Luke 1:35 MSG)

is was quite impossible for the young teenager to assimilate, so Gabriel adds

a very human touch: And did you know that your cousin Elizabeth conceived a

son, old as she is? Everyone called her barren, and here she is six months pregnant!

Nothing, you see, is impossible with God (Luke 1:36-37 MSG).

Nothing is impossible with God. Do you actually believe that God can

do anything? He does not do what we want done. He does not fulll ourwish lists. He does His will in His way. at is what prayer is about: learning

to know and do things Gods way. Just as He worked through the life of this

young lady, He can use you to fulll the most wonderful things that He has

planned for you. Mary challenges you to trust in God as she so evidently did.

When you hear God speak, do you trust, do you accept, or do you analyze

and then reject?What did Mary do? She replied, Yes, I see it all now: Im the Lords maid,

ready to serve. Let it be with me just as you say. en the angel le her

(Luke 1:37-38 MSG). is enormous, implicit leap of faith changed Marys

life forever.

Marys remarkable faith is in stark contrast to that of her ancestor Sarah,

the rst Jewess. When Sarah was told in her old age that she would become

pregnant, she laughed in disbelief and then lied about her lack of faith (Gen.18:12-15). Mary would have been ridiculed by peasant folk in her village,

Did you hear how she became pregnant? As many as sixteen hundred people

would share in this sensational gossip. Her baby would be born among

animals in a manger. She would become a refugee. She would watch her Son

die and later ascend into heaven. e apostle John would look aer her in

later life and she would die in the hills above Ephesus.


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DAY FIVE

And yet she became one of the most famous and highly respected women

in human history. As she grew older, she would take on board the amazing

prophecy made by Isaiah, more than seven hundred years previously, that avirgin would become pregnant and that her Son would be called Immanuel

(Isa. 7:14). Later, an angel would make this very point to Marys anc,

Joseph (Ma. 1:23). And all this because, when God spoke to her, she

obeyed.

So what is God telling you to do today? What leap of faith do you need to

take, as Christmas approaches, to ensure that His will is accomplished?

PRAYERLord, I thank You or the wonderul aith You gave to the teenage Mary, who

was ready to trust You when all You said to her seemed impossible. Give me

the trust in You that Mary had. Prepare me to make the leap o aith that

demonstrates that I obey You and will bring honor to You.


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15VISITING SHEPHERDSDAY


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DAY FIFTEEN

L

eaving their sheep, the shepherds went quickly. Luke tells us they

hurried. ey must have been excited but also very apprehensive.

What did these messages from the angels mean? How would theynd the inn and stable in Bethlehem? And what would they discover when

they got there? Despite their fear, questions and excitement, they descended

the hills into the small village. ey probably ran. Momentarily they had

forgoen their responsibilities to their sheep. Now they were on a mission.

And there in the stable behind the inn was the couple, Mary and Joseph,

and their baby. And sure enough, He was lying in a manger. When they saw

the Child, they told the young parents the incredible story about visitingangels, bright lights, and the singing chorus. But most importantly, they

shared the message that a Savior, the Messiah, had come among them as both

Lord and baby. Can you imagine these shepherds jabbering and gesticulating,

their words pouring out? What they had experienced was totally outside the

closed familiarity of their daily lives among the sheep. ey were ordinary

men who had seen the wholly extraordinary.Shepherds are hardly the quietest people on earth. Up in the hills they

had to shout to hear each other over long distances, to draw in wandering

sheep, and to scare away wild animals. Not for them, the quiet connes of a

library. Clearly the commotion they raised brought people from the inn to

the manger to see what was happening. Luke says, When they saw the child,

they repeated what they had been told about him. Everyone who heard the

shepherds story was amazed (Luke 2:17-18).Of course people were amazed! Two thousand years later we are still

reading this story with amazement. ese shepherds became the rst

evangelists of the gospel, of the new kingdom that Jesus would bring into

being. is event had begun to transform them, and this transformation took

place because they not only saw and heard the angels but also acted thereon.

It was their leap of faith.


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e shepherds were experiencing the most remarkable night in their entire

lives. A few hours earlier they had been with their sheep, living among them

once again through a dark night. But an angel delivered a message, followedby many angels with a chorus. e sight had been incredible; the words

spoken even more so. But we sometimes miss what was the most remarkable

part of this experience.

When we hear this story, we tend to concentrate on the visual. What we

miss is that in going to see the baby, the shepherds took into their hearts three

incredible things the angel told them about Him. First, He was to be a Savior;

second, the Messiah; and third, God. It was the beginning of a life-changingexperience.

I wonder if they were still shepherds thirty years later when Jesus began

His ministry? I wonder where they were when He died on the cross? C. S.

Lewis pointed out that Jesus cannot simply be considered a good man. But

that is what most people in the world think of Him. He is either the Savior of

mankind, or He was a mad man and a charlatan.During His earthly ministry He told His disciples, I am the good

shepherd. e good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep . . . I know

my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the

Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that dont

belong to this fold. I must lead these also, and they will listen to my voice. So

there will be one ock and one shepherd. is is why the Father loves me,

because I lay down my life in order to take it back again. No one is taking itfrom me; I lay it down of my own free will. I have the authority to lay it down,

and I have the authority to take it back again. is is what my Father has

commanded me (John 10:11-18 ISV).

e shepherds returned to their ock. ey gloried and praised God for

everything they had seen and heard. Everything happened the way the angel

told them. ey had proven to be eective evangelists, which is why God

VISITING SHEPHERDS


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DAY FIFTEEN

chose to tell them rst about the birth of Jesus.

As the commercial Christmas crowds around us, how eective can we be

as evangelists for the Good Shepherd?

PRAYERJesus, You are my shepherd. You laid down Your lie or me. You know me. There

are other sheep to bring into your old. So teach me how I can talk about You

to my riends. Teach me to be animated when telling the good news, just as the

shepherds were.


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19PROPHETIC WORDS OF JOYDAY


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DAY NINETEEN

D

o you ever look at people and wonder what they do for a living or

what sort of people they are? Do we sometimes too easily dismiss

people as uninteresting? Mary and Joseph brought baby Jesus tothe temple in Jerusalem for the rite of purication. ere they meet two

apparently insignicant elderly people. What they said to Mary and Joseph

was even more meaningful to them than their faithful adherence to fulll

ceremonies set out in the Jewish scriptures.

Luke introduces us to an old man named Simeon. He tells us that Simeon

was righteous and devout (Luke 2:21-35). He spent time with God, and

God clearly spent time with him. His willingness to be commied to Godmade him virtuous and honorable. We need these aributes in our lives too.

Simeon was waiting for the One who would come to help Israel, and the Holy

Spirit rested on him. In fact, it had been revealed to Simeon by the Holy Spirit

that he would not die until he had seen the long-promised Messiah. Each

day he waited on God; each day he asked himself whether this would be the

special day of fulllment.And then it happened. Simeon heard an inner voice, the Holy Spirit,

saying to him, Go to the temple now. When he got there he saw a young

couple who had brought their child to the temple to fulll the law of Moses.

Simeon took the child in his arms and praised God.

Here was a man who has waited a lifetime for this moment. He was lled

with prophetic joy. e God he talked to each day had, through the Holy

Spirit, brought him into the temple on this special day and given him wordsof prophetic revelation that Christians still treasure: Master, now you are

dismissing your servant in peace according to your promise. Because my eyes

have seen your salvation, which you prepared for all people to seea light

that will reveal salvation to the Gentiles and bring glory to your people Israel

(Luke 2:29-32 ISV).

Do you remember the rst time you held your child, your siblings child,


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PROPHETIC WORDS OF JOY

or your grandchild in your arms? Can you picture this old saint holding his

newborn Savior? Now, having seen Jesus, he expected to be immediately

dismissed in peace into eternity, taking with him this experience of Godspromised salvation. Simeon understood what many people today do not:

salvation comes from God, not from within ourselves. Only when we accept

Gods authority and sovereignty in our hearts does life truly make sense.

Luke tells us that Jesuss father and mother kept wondering at the things

being said about Jesus. ey must have been amazed that this child would

not only bring glory to Israel but would also bring salvation for all people

everywhere. Jewish people knew the prophecies of a Messiah to come, butthey oen ignored those prophecies that saw the Messiah coming, not just

for Israel, but also for all nations on earth. But we know that was Jesuss

purpose, for in Isaiah we read, e Lord says, You are not just my servant

who restores the tribes of Jacob and brings back those in Israel whom I have

preserved. I have also made you a light for the nations so that you would save

people all over the world (Isa. 49:6 GWT. See also Isa. 45:22, 49:26, 52:10,56:8; Eze. 39:7).

And there is something else. Simeon told Mary and Joseph that God had

prepared this salvation. Just before He died, Jesus prayed to His Father in

heaven, I gloried you on earth by completing the task you gave me to do

( John 17:4 ISV). Paul tells us that God prepared this salvation before He

made the world (Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9. See also Gal. 4:4-5). Like Mary and

Joseph, we also have much to ponder as we think through the implications ofJesuss birth. What expectation will God fulll in our lives today?

PRAYERLord Jesus, give me a relationship with You that allows Your Spirit to speak

through me to a world that needs to hear about You. I pray especially or the gits

o wisdom, knowledge, and discernment so that I am efective and prophetic in

Your name. Make me expectant that You will use me today.


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ABOUT THE AUTHORIan Strachan lives in Northern Ireland. He studied at Queens University,

Belfast, and Harvard Business School. He worked in Hong Kong for thirty-two

years and has been a Christian for y-ve years. Ian is married to Anne and has ason, daughter, daughter-in-law and three grandchildren.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSis book has been in my mind for more than twenty years, though I only

began to write it three years ago. I must thank my family: Anne, Dawn, Amy,

and Bob for their advice and encouragement to complete it. Colin McCall and

Phil McMaster read early dras. I greatly appreciate the four people willing toendorse the book. Kate Etue has done an exceptional job in editing. Mike Heath

revolutionized the conceptual approach to the project. Finally, without the input

of my son Bob at BigCake Media this book would not have been published.

July 2010


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WWW.TODAYINAMANGER.COM

PUBLISHED BY BIGCAKE MEDIA

SUGGESTED RETAIL $12.99

Ian Strachan has done the Christian world a great service with these meditations.This is a distinctive contribution to the devotional literature o the Christmas

season. The meditations which can be dipped into at leisure or usedconsecutively, are thoroughly biblical, ull o lovely insights and entirely relevant

to Christian living today.Very Rev. Dr Russell I Birney BA, BD, D MIN, DD

(Former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland)

This inspirational presentation o the events surrounding the birth o our Lord

provides a wonderul Advent season devotional. With clarity and consistency,

Ian helps us to see with resh eyes the wonder o it all. Prepare to be

encouraged and uplited!Phil Lemaster, Interim Senior Pastor,

Franklin Christian Church, Tennessee

Strachan takes us deep into the wonderully rich world o Christmas as it was but

he is not content to leave us there. For him and or us there is always the return

journey laden with spiritual treasures or a world in desperate need o the Christwho has come and will come again.

David Shepherd PhD, Principal, Belfast Bible College

The Birth o Christ is one o the most widely celebrated events in history but

also one o the least understood. This book provides much needed background

to the serious seeker o insight. The amiliar story comes to lie and will cause

one to pause and ponder.Dr Gary Stephens, Mercy Ships Lindale, Texas

WHAT THEYRE SAYING

today in a manger: revisiting his story

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