Borne in a Manger

My savior was borne in a manger in the midst of manure and the pervasive smell of animals. There was no room for Him in the hostels, and there never is. It was in my derelict building amongst ugliness and foul smells His life again found a place to be manifested. Not many saw it and perhaps I was the one who saw it the least. Little did I know that the savior of the nations was born in me. It wasn’t until God revealed that Christ was formed in me that my inner eye was opened and I could see this miracle taking place in this most unlikely place. Christ come in the flesh again defying any religious ideas of God.

Christ has grown in wisdom and stature until one day He stepped forward as a mature full grown man. That is, my consciousness has in increasingly measure been enabled by the Spirit to behold this mystery. This evolvement hasn’t been something that has gone from worse to better, or from less to more, but from glory to glory. For Him to be fully formed it has been necessary to oppose and rebuke religiosity and legalism in this nation. However, compassion and love has flowed like a wild river when His companion has failed miserably or faced temptations and afflictions which have almost worn him completely out. All this have been of God so that this manger could be transformed into a glorious castle. When darkness has surrounded the building and it has been attacked from every perceivable angle God has turned on the lamp and I have recognized that He was there even in the fiercest of battles, and with a vehemence unbeknownst to man He has slain every enemy which has raised its head against the knowledge of God.

He is the all in all. Even when the pile of dirt has been so huge it has obstructed every view from my limited vantage point He has used it for His redemptive purposes. He is greater than everything and humble enough to identify with nothingness so that He can be recognized as the all in all. Who is like Him? His rest is so encompassing that it far transcends the notion of having died to the law. He is the rest. He is the all encompassing sufficiency. True rest can only be found when He is acknowledged as the one who fills everything and purposes everything after His counsel to the redemption of His creation. Every moment self-consciousness finds a crack in the mind He is diminished and oneness seems like a distant reality. Nevertheless, He is there working forth His magnificent will so that the abundance of life can flow unimpeded to His glory. To be in Christ means no condemnation, that is, it is I, yet not I, but Christ who lives in me. I am found as I am in Him in every now, because that’s where He is.