And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

The more time that I spend over the years reading and thinking about the account of Jesus’ birth, the more I think…this is such a strange story! By “story” I don’t mean “fiction.” I simply mean that it is a truly peculiar string of events. Take the sign that accompanied the birth of the Christ-child. No, not the star that rested over the place of his birth. Not the angels appearing to announce his birth to shepherds. I’m talking about the surprising sign of a dingy manger.… Continue reading