Jesus Makes Room in the Manger
Reflection for the 3rd week of Advent
Jesus was born into a world that had “no room” for him (Luke 2:1–20). From his first breath, the Savior knew what exclusion felt like, beginning his life on the margins. God chose the manger, a simple feeding trough, over palaces, making it a symbol of radical welcome: open, simple, and accessible to all.
The very first invited guests were shepherds, socially distrusted outsiders. God’s birth was announced to those least likely to be invited anywhere, signaling that the joy is universal, not selective. God’s welcome needs no qualifying conditions.
The manger reveals a God who is both approachable and vulnerable. We don’t need perfection to come close; we simply need to be open and ready to receive. God draws near in fragility. Mary, witnessing this profound mystery, treasured and pondered these things, choosing contemplation rather than control, even as God’s ways surprised her.
Belonging- this is what the manger also expresses. It becomes the first church: a place where all gather, where all find room, and where God’s love is accessible to every person. This week, let us contemplate the profound room God makes for us.
For Reflection
- Where have I experienced “no room” in my own life?
- How might God be drawing close to me in vulnerability?
- What does the manger say about God’s welcome?
- In what places do I most feel like a shepherd—and how is God meeting me there?
Reflections on the Artwork
Moses who designed the artwork for this year’s Advent Reflection writes:
Room in the Manger
There is a sort of classic imagery when I think of our blessed Lord, Jesus in the manger. A sort of trough, a hut, and Mary holding her child. I imagine some of those familiar elements but in a different setting. This is the brightest photo – the most dazzling – out of the whole series of 4 images. It is designed as such not because it is a grand spectacle, but because I feel it helps to exemplify absolute acceptance in this humble space. The smallness of the manger, has now been expanded into a wider space.
We often speak of Jesus being made man and coming as the infant that is s God’s visible sign of love for us. Mary exemplifies this too in the tender care for her son. She is completely focused on being there for her son. She will then continue to be with him in places of miracles, rejection and simplicity too.
I feel like God makes room for me right there in these moments. I belong not because I’ve earned it, but because God’s love chooses the place of simplicity as the perfect place for welcome. Lord, grant me grateful joy that You opened to embrace me and many more.