Manger Series No. 1 The Rooster Mary gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths,...
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- Slide 1
- Manger Series No. 1 The Rooster Mary gave birth to her
firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a
manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Mark 13:
35-37 Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner
of the house will come back whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not
let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone:
Watch! Mark 14:72 Immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And
Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, Before a
rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times. And he began to
weep. Saint Luke tells us that when Jesus was born, Mary laid Him
in a manger a feed trough for animals. In our Nativity scenes, we
often place a variety of animals around a manger. These animals
represent all of creation rejoicing at the birth of Emmanuel God
with us. This short Advent series provides reflection on some of
the animals we choose to display. First, the Rooster The rooster is
the herald of the dawn of a new day full of hope and possibilities!
On the first Sunday of Advent in the Gospel according to Saint
Mark, Jesus tells us to watch for the coming of God that we might
not be found sleeping. In the darkness of the early morn, the
rooster crows to wake people from rest from their inattention to
duty to be ready for witness and service each new day! The manger
is so closely tied to the cross. Each of the animals we place in
the Nativity scene serves to remind us of this linkage. After the
Last Supper, Jesus told Peter that before the rooster crows, Peter
will deny Him three times. In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus tells
Peter, James, and John to keep awake, to watch, to pray. The Christ
child we welcome at Christmas as our Savior will WE deny him before
Good Friday A.D. 2015? The rooster reminds us to keep awake!
- Slide 2
- Manger Series No. 2 The Ox and Donkey The ox knows its master,
the donkey its owners manger, but Israel does not know, my people
do not understand. Isaiah 1:3 Job 39 Will the wild ox consent to
serve you, Or will he spend the night at your manger? Numbers 22
The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, Why have you struck your
donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary,
because your way was contrary to me. John 12 Jesus found a young
donkey and sat on it, as it is written Zechariah 9 See, your king
comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a
donkey First was the Rooster; now the Ox and the Donkey The ox and
donkey humbly bear both witness and service. Both are co-workers
with us; given as a gift from God to help us carry all our burdens
through this life. Balaams donkey bears witness to the God whose
angel appears unexpectedly, even when God seems to have disappeared
in the anxiety of our arrogance and doubt. Often the ox and the
donkey are shown at the manger based on the text of Isaiah 1:3
perhaps Job 39. The ox (clean) often represents the Jews and the
donkey (unclean) the Gentiles both brought together in Christ. Mary
is often referred to as Theotokos the bearer of God. The humble
donkey is then perhaps the bearer of the bearer of God! Zechariah
prophesies that our righteous king and savior will come riding
humbly on a donkey. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all tell us that
Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday riding a donkey in
fulfillment of this prophecy. We remember the journey of the Holy
Family to Bethlehem, their flight to Egypt and return to Israel,
and the final triumphant journey of Jesus to Jerusalem and to the
Cross. The ox and donkey remind us to keep alert for the presence
of God in our daily lives, and to humbly bear all our burdens to
the foot of the Cross!
- Slide 3
- Manger Series No. 3 The Sheep and Goats The next day John the
Baptizer saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb
of God, who takes away the sin of the world! We are His people and
the sheep of His pasture. Exodus 12 Then Moses called for all the
elders of Israel and said to them, Go and take for yourselves lambs
according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. Leviticus
16 The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a solitary
land; and he shall release the goat in the wilderness. Matthew 25
All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate
them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the
goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the
left. Saint Luke tells us that there were some shepherds staying
out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And
an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of
the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But
the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you
good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today
in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is
Christ the Lord. When the angels had gone away from them into
heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, Let us go
straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened
which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and
found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the
manger. So sheep and goats with lambs and kids join our scene Sheep
and goats are pervasive throughout scripture and all of history in
providing support for human life. Jesus chooses to care for us as a
shepherd. He takes our sins unto Himself, atoning for them through
His sacrificial death, and bringing us to life everlasting through
the power of His resurrection. The sheep and goats remind us we are
both saints and sinners, saved throughout history by the grace of
Jesus Christ our Good Shepherd!
- Slide 4
- Manger Series No. 4 Camels and Kings Now after Jesus was born
in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the
east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born
King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to
worship Him. Isaiah 60 Nations will come to your light, And kings
to the brightness of your rising. The wealth of the nations will
come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels
of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba will come; they will
bring gold and frankincense, and will bear good news of the praises
of the LORD. Matthew 2:11 After coming into the house they saw the
Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and
worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. As we come to the end of
the Christmas season, we finish the Manger Series preparing for the
Epiphany of our Lord on January 6 th. In our manger scenes, we
often find oxen and donkeys, sheep and goats Camels and Kings The
LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he
had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and 1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000
female donkeys. So the Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem with a very
large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and
precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about
all that was in her heart. Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as
they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites
was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and
balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt. The
camels and magi represent the wealth and intellect of the nations
recognizing Jesus as the king of kings. The Epiphany of our Lord is
to all the world. All creation is relative to the Christ, whether
they recognize it or not! With camels and magi, and the kings and
queens of the earth, we bear the Good News of the birth of Jesus
and Gods love for all the world!