Matthew 1:18a, 2:1a; Luke 2:1-21

The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

October 8, 2012      The City of David, My Birth Place Page 21-22   Matthew 1:18a, 2:1a; Luke 2:1-21

Sometimes when I am throwing toys for my dogs to fetch, they lose sight of the toy. I’ll point to the toy, but instead of looking where I am pointing, the dogs look at my finger. They get focused on the sign and miss where the sign is pointing.

Sometimes people make that same mistake. At Christmas time we may get so focused on the symbols of Christmas, we may miss where they are pointing. The story of Jesus’ birth included the manger three times. Mary laid Jesus in a manger; the angels told the shepherds they would find the new born Messiah in a manger; and the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found the baby Jesus lying in a manger, just as they had been told.

The manger was a feeding trough hewed in stone, and this is where Jesus began his life, in a feeding trough in Bethlehem. The name Bethlehem means city of bread. Jesus will be known as the bread of life. At the last supper, Jesus took bread and broke it, and told his followers the bread was his body.

Thus the manger is a sign, pointing the way for the shepherds to find the Messiah. The manger, a feeding trough, is also a sign pointing to Jesus’ ultimate gift to his followers: “Take, eat, this is my body given for you.”

When I think of Jesus as the bread of my life, I recall the words of the praise song, Breathe:

This is the air I breathe
Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread
Your very word spoken to me

And I I'm desperate for you
And I I'm lost without you

 Breathe ©1995 Mercy / Vineyard Publishing

Words and Music by Marie Barnett

Sē’lah

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What word or phrase in today’s reading attracts your attention?

Reflect on that word or phrase.

What insights come to you?

How does this passage touch your life today?

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

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The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ

October 9, 2012      Simeon and Anna Were Waiting For Me Page 22-23   Luke 2:22-38