“What a strange place to put such a special baby”.
These were the words of my 7yr old daughter when considering Jesus being laid in a manger. I later discovered she was quoting a line from her upcoming school Christmas play, but the line struck a chord.

It is indeed a very strange place to put such a special baby.
But that is perhaps the point. The two ways in which the power of the universe – the Logos – could have entered this world in a noticeable way would have been to either come in splendour and glory, a bit like the angelic host appearing to the shepherds, or in a remarkably understated and strange way, a bit like being laid in a manger. He chose the latter. And that was the point.

When the first angel appeared to the shepherds he said, “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:12 ESV
The ‘strange place’ becomes the sign.

The shepherds quickly found the baby and the manger and it seems that the manger wasn’t so strange to them and helped them go directly to where the baby might be.
In contrast the heavenly apparition of the angels was strange and filled them with fear, but the ‘strange place’ of the manger was neither strange nor fearful.
It was a place of great joy which resulted in wondrous worship.

Is our response to Jesus being laid in the manger one of strangeness and surprise, or a place where we know we can find the One we’re searching for?

This Advent may the ‘strange place’ of the manger be a place of discovery.
May you find your saviour, not in the familiar and safe places, but in the unfamiliar and unexpected places.
May it be a sign to you, as it was for the shepherds, that leads you to the place where you will find Him.