This was written by our rector:
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
"Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.'"(Luke 2: 11-12)
I was reflecting on Luke 2 and the references to the manger for the school carol service last week. I am sure that many of us these days use banking apps and we are familiar with the "one-time passcode" verification process – a passcode is sent to your mobile phone so that you can verify your identity before the transaction is able to proceed.
I think something similar happens in the Christmas story. The first reference to the manger in verse 7 appears to be almost incidental – "she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in the manger because there was no guest room available for them." But when we get to the message of the angels, we realise that the manger is a sign to verify the identity of the Lord Jesus (see verses 11, 12 above).
So, having received the equivalent of a "one-time passcode" the shepherds hurry down to Bethlehem to see whether there is indeed a child that has been recently born and has been laid in a manger. We don't know how long they searched in Bethlehem and how many other new-born children they came across but eventually we learn in verse 16 that they "found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger." Now that the sign was clearly accurate, it meant that the identity of the new-born child could be verified – he really is the Saviour, the Messiah, the Lord.
But just as the one-time passcode is given not for its own sake but to enable a transaction to occur, so the sign given to verify Jesus' identity is to enable us to have a transaction with God. In our banking transactions we might make a purchase or transfer funds. With the advent of the Lord Jesus, he has come to purchase our salvation and to transfer us into his Kingdom. The manger is not an incidental detail, but a vital part of the verification process and it gives us the assurance that Jesus is indeed able to be our Saviour.
