{"id":23980,"date":"2024-12-23T11:28:54","date_gmt":"2024-12-23T19:28:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greaternw.org\/news\/?p=23980"},"modified":"2024-12-23T11:28:56","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T19:28:56","slug":"the-manger-scandal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greaternw.org\/news\/the-manger-scandal\/","title":{"rendered":"The Manger Scandal"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Rev. Paul Graves<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In an early December Facebook meme, a cartoon man ponders this: \u201cThey said \u2018keep Christ in Christmas.\u2019 But wouldn\u2019t that mean loving everyone, being inclusive, helping the poor, and working for peace on Earth?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This cultural contradiction goes hand in hand with \u201cthe manger scandal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The powerful Google image of \u201cChrist in the Rubble<\/a>\u201d caught the attention of millions of Christians in the last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The baby Jesus lies in a manger of broken rocks and bricks. Instead of swaddling clothes, Jesus is wrapped in a black-and-white Palestinian keffiyeh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This image \u201chas become a symbol of Palestinian resistance to Israeli aggression\u201d in Gaza, according to the Religious News Service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rev. Dr. Munther Isaac stood beside this rubble-manger on Dec. 23, 2023, in Bethlehem\u2019s Evangelical Lutheran Church Christmas service. Then, he spoke eloquently and passionately about if Jesus was being born today, \u201che would be born under the rubble in Gaza.\u201d A year later, it\u2019s still a powerful metaphor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The image has been multiplied in countless churches across the world. Seeing the baby Jesus in a manger of destruction is jarring to the senses. Seeing the baby Jesus like this could even be called scandalous, which is as it should be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The manger is a scandal in many ways. Yet when we let ourselves be easily captured by the cultural Christmas environment, we don\u2019t pay attention to what that scandal is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The word \u201cscandal\u201d in several languages suggests a \u201cstumbling block,\u201d like a trap of some kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1 Corinthians 1:23, Paul speaks of Christ as a \u201cstumbling block (offense) to the Jews and foolishness (nonsense) to the Gentiles.\u201d That offense and nonsense show up in the manger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scandal basically means we\u2019ve been tripped up by our own expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our own superficial expectations often become a stumbling block to a deeper, fuller life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1580s meaning of the word \u201cscandal\u201d was \u201cdamage to one\u2019s reputation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is your reputation built on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your self-expectations and what others expect of you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you look at the manger at Christmastime, what expectations do you see?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe an innocent baby, Jesus sweet and mild? Love? An antiseptic stable? Perhaps you even mix the manger up with Santa\u2019s sleigh carrying gifts for \u201cgood boys and girls\u201d \u2013 but not the naughty ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But scandalously, the manger is filled with grace and undeserved love \u2013 not naughty-nice, merit-driven goodness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Greek word \u201cskandalon\u201d suggests a stumbling block, but also \u201ca trap or snare laid for an enemy.\u201d But there is no trap for an enemy in the manger. Undeserved love has no enemies. That\u2019s how God created us to be, even if we choose to ignore that reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Christmas challenge is to unlearn our expectations that conflict with the expectations of the Gospels\u2019 writers: Jesus the immigrant to Egypt as a baby; the subversive challenger of unrealistic Judaic laws; friend to tax collectors, sinners and prostitutes; a wise rabbi who called out hypocrisy through indirect parables and direct confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, he was a man willing to die for his friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All this from a baby? Wow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our expectations turned upside down. Scandalous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Embrace the scandal. We don\u2019t have to stumble over the manger. We can free ourselves from the trap where we fear and paint \u201cothers\u201d as our enemies. Remember Jesus\u2019 ministry of compassion and courage. We\u2019re called to live out in our own actions how Jesus lived his life: welcome the \u201cother,\u201d whoever that might be; feed the hungry; comfort the wounded (of heart and body); push back against acts of injustice whether personal, legislative, systemic. Most importantly, love each person \u2013 even those scandalized by your love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

The Rev. Paul Graves<\/strong> is a retired elder member of the Pacific Northwest Conference of The United Methodist Church.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In his latest commentary, Rev. Paul Graves delves into the meaning behind the humble manger and challenges us to live out the true spirit of Christ\u2019s teachings. He invites us to reflect on the unexpected symbolism of the manger and its call to embrace inclusivity, aid the poor, and strive for peace on Earth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":23983,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74,16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23980","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-opinioneditorial","8":"category-pacific-northwest-conference"},"yoast_head":"\nThe Manger Scandal - Greater Northwest Area | News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/greaternw.org\/news\/the-manger-scandal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Manger Scandal - Greater Northwest Area | News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In his latest commentary, Rev. 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