Luke 2:12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths (swaddling cloths) and lying in a manger.”
This verse has always meant so much to me because it is so personal. The word “cloths” is literally “swathing” strips of cloth to wrap securely around an infant. I believe the strips of cloth were found as rags lying around a stable, used for cleaning and other various tasks. The manger was of course a feeding trough. No matter how much you cleaned it, it would still be a very unsanitary crib for an infant, and yet the most important human ever borne was wrapped in those rags, and made His resting place in that feeding trough. The angel told the shepherds that all of this would be a sign to them, and it is still a sign to us all. This stunning sign gives us insight into the heart, plan, and power of God. Here it is!! God is not ashamed to wrap Himself up in the rags of broken people. He makes the unclean His Resting place, and in the process transforms them into an environment of glory. I’m sure the Shepherds barely noticed the rags or the manger, but instead noticed the glory emanating from the rags and the manger. All that the rags and manger had to be was to be available. In our weakness His strength is made perfect. 40 years ago all that I had to offer Him were the rags of my broken humanity, and the manger of an unclean heart. He took them as if I had offered Him a priceless treasure. He proudly clothed Himself in them and I became a dwelling place for His glory. Don’t think you have to get your act together so you have something of value to offer Him. Just surrender your rags, for that is the Christian life: “Our rags forHis riches.”