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The Pastor’s Pen
O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, bless his name;
tell of his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples. Psalm 96:1-4
And The Earth Sang for Joy!
Author unknown
The Babe in a manger in a barn—But why? Perhaps a barn was the first indication that Jesus would have a hard time gaining admittance to a place of power and position in the world. There wasn’t much room for him in the inn, nor in the halls of political and religious leader of his day. But there was a place for him in a barn.
However, a barn isn’t a cozy place where soft and compliant animals come to cuddle. Instead, it is a place where the breath, depth and struggles of life come in to focus. Wood, water, dirt, stones, fur, blood, sweat, and tears, frustration, food, excrement, birth and even death are all evident here. All the power of life and death, which circulates throughout creation eventually take place in a barn! Or this makes a barn precisely the right place for the baby Jesus to be.
The God of Jesus Christ does not merely aim to save a remnant of Humanity. God’s love is so much bigger than that! It extends to every place and creature, which is why the psalmist invites all the earth to sing a new song to the Lord? Both field and barns and everything with them can sing for joy because the divine love that creates, sustains and eventually reconciles every creature is the same love that became flesh among us, a baby lying in a manger named Jesus. Not only named Jesus, but also Emmanuel. God is with us! Yes, “Love came down at Christmas, Love all lovely, Love Divine! “
Pastor John
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