ary and Joseph had an up-close view of Jesus as He lay in the manger. They knew things about Him that others could not. They knew all the things that make every new-born child unique and beautiful in its own way. When we see Jesus portrayed in church pageants, pictures, or a parade float, we know it's not really Him. It's only a substitute. We appreciate the image but we know that if we got close and looked it wouldn't be the Savior of the world. We don't expect it to be Him. It couldn't be Him.

The danger of knowing too much is that we keep ourselves from discovering everything we could if we would bother to look more closely. When we look in the manger do we see the Savior? When we look at the cross do we see the Conqueror? Do we see the "Lord of Lords and King of Kings"? The problem with images, whether spiritual or secular is that we are tempted to take them at face value.

To grasp what God has really done through Christ, we must get close enough to the manger to see His humility. After all, it was God Himself in the straw, not a substitute. We also have to get close enough to the cross to understand the depth of Jesus' selfless love for people like us. We can't just be in the crowd, we have to go there one at a time and see. If we haven't been close enough to the manger or the cross how can we possibly grasp that in both instances it was Jesus the Conqueror who was in the manger and hanging on the cross by His divine choice?

We invite you and yours to share these truths with others at Hillside's annual Christmas Program on the 19th at 6:00 pm, and during our special Christmas Eve service at 6:30 pm on the 24th.