PJP2 “7 PRAISES” - 161209 - MANGER MANGER: Messiah's Amazing & Never-ending GRACE Expresses (God's Plan of) Redemption As we continue on looking at various icons from our Lord Jesus' First Advent, a prominent one would be that of the MANGER. In our modern day tradition (to include Christmas Carols, (e.g.) "Away In The MANGER"; Nativity displays; Christmas Greeting Cards) the MANGER is usually represented as a wooden 'trough'. In looking at what the definition of MANGER, there's a wide-range of descriptions - most of which make the MANGER all-inclusive of being a stable, or stall where livestock were kept - some even think the first MANGER may have been a cave near or under Joseph/Mary's relatives that they would have attempted to stay with but, no-room for them, so they ended up in the MANGER. It is thought there may have been a 'trough' carved out of the rock in the MANGER where the livestock's feed/grain/hay would have been placed to feed the livestock. SO....very possibly, our Lord Jesus' First 'crib' was a stone-trough. Thus, what I am Hearing The Holy Spirit Discuss with me this morning is revolving around The MANGER, with a Focus on God's GRACE, which ranges from the lowest of the low, to His Highest. I mean, think on that for a second - here we Have His Only Son, Willingly taking on God's Mission to SAVE mankind. And our Lord Jesus Starts His Mission by Surrendering His Place By God The Father, to Take On the lowly flesh of man....AND to go one step further, be Born in a Barn, laid in the Feeding Trough....THEN through His Life, Sacrifice, Passion, Resurrection, and Pending Second Advent, our Lord Jesus Reveals to us that By His Obedience, He Has Once and For All Redeemed us to a Right/Reconciled Relationship with God The Father. We Are, via His Humble Beginnings, now Adopted as His Own, and Given Access to His Inheritance as His children - That Is The Highest of The High! Read with me God The Father's Promise to Rescue us and Shepherd us to His Glory.... Ezekiel 34:22-24 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."I Will RESCUE MY Flock; they Shall No Longer be a prey. And I Will Judge between sheep and sheep. And I Will Set Up Over them One Shepherd, MY Servant David, And He Shall Feed them: He Shall Feed them And Be their Shepherd. And I, The Lord, Will Be their God, And My Servant David Shall Be Prince among them. I AM The Lord; I Have Spoken.".... So, as we ponder His MANGER and His Shepherding us, May we Be Open To Him, His Son, our Lord Jesus, and His Holy Spirit, as God The Father Guides us to His Safe Haven in His Loving Arms of GRACE. Lord Jesus, In Your Precious and Holy Name, we Lift Up our Prayers.....Amen and Amen....jaj