Luke 2:7 – And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. (KJV)

One of our Christmas traditions is to remember the whole Christmas story as told in Luke 2. Many people will have a creche in their homes, and some people will start by putting out the angels and an empty manger, and then, as Advent progresses, they will continue to add more pieces. By Christmas Eve, all the pieces will be in position for the retelling of the Christmas story.

Our Christmas tradition has more to do with the positioning of our creche. For us, the creche always has to be under our Christmas tree to remind us that we have already received the most important gift of all. I'll always remember one Christmas as we were putting a few gifts under our Christmas tree when our son said, "But, Mom, when you put all the gifts under the tree you'll have to move the creche." I could understand this rationale coming from a very excited child, and it is so common to hear this in our society today. Just as there was no room in the inn for Joseph and Mary when Jesus was born, often there is no room for Jesus on Christmas morning as we tear into all those nicely wrapped presents. So, if you were to come to our home for Christmas, you will find our creche under our Christmas tree to remind us that the greatest gift of all was given to each of us by God — the great gift of His Son!

Prayer: Lord, we give You thanks for Your Christmas gift to each of us. As we share our gifts with each other during the Christmas season, help us to remember Your gift of love to each of us in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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About the author:

Ruth McCowan <rbmccowan@shaw.ca>
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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