Christmas 2025 “The Manger and the Cross”

                The infancy narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are said to be stories that explain the whole mission of Jesus. If we didn’t have the rest of the accounts of the life of Christ, we would still understand what Jesus represents for all of us who are Christian. Two symbols stand out in the life of Christ.  One symbol is the manger.  The other is the cross.  The two are intimately tied together. 

                The manger symbolizes the sacrifice of Jesus in that Jesus gave up unlimited power to come to earth to live with us. What kind of human being did Jesus choose to be?  He could have been a prince or a king.  The irony of the story told by Luke is striking.  We begin with a reference to Caesar Augustus who was the most powerful man on earth.  His power is shown by the fact that he can order vast populations to migrate from place to place so he can count the people.  He wants to know where the people who live in his empire are so he can control them.  Caesar has power. He wants to keep it.

                In contrast we have Jesus.  Jesus had all kinds of supernatural power.  But Jesus gives up that power.  The manger, a feeding trough for animals, symbolizes the vulnerability of the child Jesus. Jesus lowers himself, not just by becoming human but by becoming poor.  He lives in an obscure part of the world. His father is a common laborer who would pass on that occupation to Jesus.  When Jesus was born in a barn, he was basically a homeless person. His family was displaced, living on the margins.

                The cross is a further symbol of Jesus’ lowliness.  At the end of his life, Jesus is executed as a common criminal.  In his last hours he is still powerless.  His status hasn’t changed.  The manger mirrors the cross.

                A whole genre of Christian art reflects connection between the cross and manger. Quite often in nativity scenes we see crosses hidden away in the artwork.  We also have pictures of the child Jesus with Joseph in the carpentry shop in Nazareth.  As Joseph labors at his workbench, we see Jesus making a cross out of wood as he plays on the floor.

                Perhaps the most thought-provoking painting that connects the manger and the cross is painted by Bartolome Murillo, the 17th century Spanish artist.  He pictures the baby Jesus asleep lying atop a cross that serves as his cradle.  The baby Jesus seems completely at peace. He is resting comfortably. The manger and the cross are the bookends of Jeus life.  You can’t have one without the other.

                Jesus came to conquer death.  He came to open the gates of heaven for us.  Earthly life isn’t the end of the story. Caesar believed that it was. Jesus didn’t.  For that reason, Jesus slept comfortably on the cradle that represents his cross.  He knew he would never really die.  And that is part of what Christmas joy is all about.  Many people fear death.  If we do, we need to remember why Jesus came. We can find deep peace if we meditate on the Incarnation

                I am reminded of Christmas eve 52 years ago. My aunt, who had thirteen children, was getting her Christmas pies ready. She was standing at her kitchen counter when without warning she collapsed because of a massive heart attack.  Her youngest child was a one-year-old.  Our family was thrown into turmoil.  How could this happen at Christmas? We had to remind ourselves that the reason Jesus came was to proclaim that death isn’t the end but only the beginning.  As we come to grips with that it puts the Christian message into perspective.

                All this came back to me yesterday when I received a text that my cousin Sue, who has been suffering from terminal cancer, was dying. I was informed she is in her last hours of life. Sue was just a young teen when her mother died.  I have talked to her a couple of times since I heard of her diagnosis. She has been through a lot in her life, but her attitude is one of optimism. She trusts God implicitly. She learned the lesson of the manger and the cross on that Christmas so long ago.   And that mystery has been a principle that has guided her philosophy of life. She believes that all things that are passing away will be made new.

                When we look at the manger in our Christmas creches, during these Christmas days, let us do this considering the cross and the empty tomb.  Jesus has come so that darkness may be dispelled by light.  Jesus has been born so that despair may give way to hope.  Jesus has come to establish his Kingdom where he lives and reigns forever and ever, Amen.