Francis Fernandez: Manger

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed Him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. Luke 2:4-16

“We can well imagine the scene: Joseph explaining time and again with growing anxiety, the same story, that they had come from… and Mary, a few feet away seeing Joseph and hearing the refusals… She probably encouraged him, telling him not to worry, that they would manage… So they made their lodging in one of those caves which served as a stable outside of town with the few belongings they had been able to bring from Nazareth: the swaddling clothes, some items that Mary herself had prepared with that joy that only mothers can experience when they prepare for their first child…

Jesus, newly born, does not speak; but He is the eternal Word of the Father. It has been said that the manger is a chair of learning. Today we should learn the lessons which Jesus teaches us, even when He is just a newly born child, from the very moment He opens His eyes on this blessed land of men. He is born poor, and he teaches us that happiness is not to be found in an abundance of earthly goods. He comes into the world without any ostentation, encouraging us to be humble and not to depend on the applause of men. God humbled Himself to allow us to get near Him.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 1 (London: Scepter, 1993) 222-223.

Three times in this excerpt from Luke’s Gospel we read about the manger. Don’t miss the message of the manger: “God humbled Himself to allow us to get near Him.”

And don’t miss the excitement of the moment for Mary. The swaddling clothes represented the first baby outfit that she had packed for Jesus in her birth bag. Those cloths did not just appear from nowhere! She was prepared.

And Fernandez urges us to notice the lesson of the newborn. The first teachable moment from Jesus to us: “Happiness is not to be found in an abundance of earthly goods.”

God filled Mary and Joseph with happiness and joy as they welcomed Jesus, togged Him in his first outfit, and laid the bread of life in a humble feeding trough. God showered the shepherds with happiness and joy as they got the message and found baby in the manger.

And God lavishes us with happiness and joy as we celebrate together and proclaim the good news widely that “God humbled Himself to allow us to get near Him.” Seriously, we join the story as the sheep who find life only as we feed on Jesus, the bread of life.

Happiness and joy flow to all people according to the angels because the circumstances and the outlook for the future of all humanity changed for all time with the arrival of Jesus. Happy Christmas, indeed!

People ask me why I only say Happy Christmas and not Merry Christmas.

It comes from my study of the biblical languages. In the Old Hebrew and New Testament Greek, “merry” is not a good word; it implies self-indulgent living (cf. Ecclesiastes 10:19 and Luke 12:19).

Sadly, Christmas has morphed from a time of worshipfully and peacefully celebrating the arrival of our Savior to a season of noise, self-indulgence and seeking satisfaction from the purchase of consumer products.

On the contrary, the words “happy or blessed” echoes the response of the wise men en route (cf. Matthew 2:10) and captures the language of texts like the beatitudes (cf. Matthew 5:1-12).

Happy or blessed are those who celebrate the Christ mass. When we observe the coming of the Christ in the manger who has changed everything for everyone, our hearts cannot help but overflow with happiness and joy.

Happy Christmas!

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9

“The poverty that God asks of all of us is not a matter of squalor, meanness, slovenliness, or idleness. Virtue does not reside in these things. In order to learn to live detachment from things in the midst of the world of men, we have to look at our model, Jesus Christ, who for your sake became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 1 (London: Scepter, 1993) 206.

At Mission Hills Church this last Sunday, Dr. Craig Smith, drilled down on the contrast between Jesus arriving in the lowly manger and the message of the angels about “glory to God in the highest” and it got me thinking.

Jesus did arrive in the lowest of low places. He became poor so through His poverty, we might become rich.

And when we serve Him generously, we accomplish the same thing. We become poor so that we might enrich others. And in so doing, God enriches us for ongoing generosity.

So as you gaze at the nativity today or ponder the first Christmas eve, think about Jesus, our model.

He humbled himself and showed us the way of poverty not as a way of squalor, meanness, slovenliness, or idleness. He showed us the way of detachment from things and attachment to God.

As we prepare our hearts for Christmas, let us ask God if there is anything we need to detach from.

I will ponder that with you on my walks with Grace today. I posted her as a header photo as the mornings where we live near the mountains have been gorgeous this week. Not a white Christmas for sure.

As Jesus and His disciples were on their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:38-42

“It is not ridiculous to be so meticulous about bodily things when the feast [of Christmas] draws near, as to get out and prepare your best clothes days ahead… and to deck yourself in your very finest, all the while paying not the slightest attention to your soul, which is abandoned, besmirched, squalid, and utterly consumed by desire.”

John Chyrsostom in Homily 6; PG 48, 276.

In my Advent devotional, Waiting, I wrote this about today’s Scripture.

“Mary and Martha illustrate how to wait and how not to wait.

Mary models waiting by taking a posture of listening at the feet of Jesus. She waited for Jesus to speak to her. What a great example for us! Martha, on the other hand, learns that waiting on Jesus leads only to distraction and missing
sacred time with Him.

How often do we wait on Jesus, like Martha, instead of waiting for Him, like Mary? As He needs nothing from us, our busyness only causes us to miss what He has for us. Notice the posture associated with these examples. The one who waits for Jesus sits peacefully at His feet. The one who waits on Jesus scurries and worries.

What about you? Are you waiting for Jesus or waiting on Him?”

All that said, while it’s great to “Deck the Halls” as the song goes and make our homes look festive. And it’s great to put on special clothes or even Christmas pajamas. Yes, my wife has me togged up in functional and festive sleeping apparel.

But we must not neglect the decking of our souls. That’s why I write these posts. To sit at the feet of Jesus daily to learn and share what I discover with others, lest my own soul, and yours waste away due to spiritual malnourishment.

In case you missed the devotional, you can download it here. I wrote it for Advent and anytime in the year as we all benefit by studying the topic of waiting, exploring how it shapes us, and ways we can make the most of waiting opportunities.

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. Matthew 24:42

“To maintain this state of alertness we need to struggle, for we all have the tendency to live with our eyes fixed on the things of the earth. Especially during the time of Advent let us not forget that our hearts are darkened by gluttony and drunkenness, and the cares of this life, and so lose sight of the supernatural dimension which every action of ours should have as its milieu.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 1 (London: Scepter, 1993) 6.

As we approach Christmas, notice what makes you most excited. That shows where your heart is.

On Friday night, my wife and I watched a cute animated movie on Netflix called, “The Star.” The main characters included a donkey, a bird, a sheep, three wise men, some nefarious characters, and of course, Mary and Joseph.

We both cried at the end, tears of joy because against all odds, we saw the birth of Jesus.

It was one of the highlights of my Advent season because it helped me enter into the story of the real-life human difficulties Mary and Joseph faced leading up to the birth of Jesus, including a king who wanted the baby dead.

All that said, the reason that movie comes to mind links to the star.

The animals saw it. They knew something special was happening. We might miss it if our hearts are darkened with gluttony, drunkenness, and the cares of this life. Watch it. See for yourself.

And don’t lose sight of the supernatural dimension. Live in that milieu every minute of every day.

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” Acts 5:29

“May we strive to contribute towards having the person and teachings of Christ proclaimed in every corner of the globe, without ever giving in to human respect. May we cast aside all pessimism, ever confident in the ultimate triumph of good over evil. The effect of our good deeds will have an immeasurable impact on society. With the grace of the Lord we will be like the stone that falls into the lake and produces one ripple and then another and another until the end of time. Truly Jesus grants supernatural efficacy to all our words and deeds in a way that we are must of the time unaware of.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 7 (London: Scepter, 1993) 357.

Someone asked me recently to comment on why the American society had drifted so far from God. In the words of Fernandez, I said that people give in to “human respect” instead of obedience to God.

In today’s Scripture, Peter passionately reminds us to obey God rather than humans. Only when we do this can we have immeasurable impact on society. We must living in the confidence of the ultimate victory we have in Christ.

Related to our generosity, our good deeds will have great impact. We may never know the reach of them, but like a ripple effect, they spread far and wide. Keep doing good everyone. God sees.

And we may not change the world, but we can impact he world around us in immeasurable ways.

So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find. Matthew 22:9

“All noble human professions, like the study and teaching of philosophy or the calling of the soldier, for example, are circumstances in which men and women can help draw others closer to the Lord.” Business trips and recreational expeditions can no less be opportunities for spreading the teachings of Christ. There are countless occasions on which the laity can exercise an apostolate of evangelization and sanctification. Family ties, sickness, friendly social visits to the homes of our friends, sending Christmas cards… all provide good opportunities for doing apostolate.”

John Chyrsostom in Catena Aurea III, 63 as recounted by Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 7 (London: Scepter, 1993) 356-357.

Don’t miss the good opportunities to introduce people to Jesus, or as Fernandez says, “doing apostolate.”

This post seemed fitting because Jenni and I will be stuffing our Christmas cards tonight. In the cards for our neighbors we plan to put cards to invite them to our Christmas eve services. We pray they come.

Our job in apostolate is not to save people, but to share good news and encourage them in the faith.

How will you during family gatherings or social visits engage in the generous work of pointing people who do not know Jesus to the Christ of Christmas? Or encourage those who do to grow in the faith?

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

“We cannot rest content under the impression that there is little we can do in the course of our everyday professional work to promote the evangelization of the world. God will multiply enormously the effect of apparent small offerings of work well done, of prayer and initiatives that we can offer him. Besides, when many people do what falls within the scope of their capabilities, entire countries can be converted, as happened in the earliest centuries.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 7 (London: Scepter, 1993) 355-356.

Wherever you find yourself as retired or a homemaker, a professional or a student, or anywhere in between, please do what you can as part of Christian mission and trust God to multiply enormously your offering to Him.

In recent history, I think of South Korea. It went from having no Christian presence to serving as a missionary sending powerhouse in only a century. They showed the power of prayer and humble initiatives.

Pause. Consider what you can do. Do it and ask God to multiply it enormously. In my GTP work with 7,000+ workers in 134 countries and territories, I see God takes our efforts, combine them with others, and do the impossible.

Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16

“Today we may consider what we can contribute in our everyday circumstances… Do we foment an active interest in bringing our family and friends closer to Christ? Do we take advantage of every occasion, without missing opportunities, to speak courageously about the faith we carry in our heart? Do we take our own Christian formation seriously? Could we offer our time to teach or to engage in works of mercy? Do we lend financial assistance to sustain projects that contribute toward the human and spiritual development of people in need?”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 7 (London: Scepter, 1993) 355.

As I continue reading to the end of this book by Fernandez, this phrase struck me in how we can contribute in our everyday circumstances, namely aiding the “development of people in need.”

Or as we say at GTP, don’t give handouts that create dependency, but give a hand up to build disciples.

When we do this, when we contribute to the development of people in need, we write a new future for those people. We shape the future of church and ministry administration in nations.

I praise God that only about a month ago GTP had 30 monthly givers and today we have 70.

We find ourselves 30 away from our goal to reach 100 monthly givers. Why pursue this goal? Here are two big reasons. Firstly, a major foundation considering making a large grant to GTP wants to see this metric by year-end.

And secondly, monthly giving contributes to development of people in need.

Please help us reach the mark of 100 monthly givers. Make your monthly gift here. And to encourage you to do this, we have a giver willing to contribute $100 for each new monthly giver.

Don’t focus on what you can’t do. Focus on what you can do with what you have where you are!

He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.” He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; He did not say anything to them without using a parable. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.” Matthew 13:31-35

“We Christians are called to be leaven in the very heart of society. The strength of the faith has not diminished over the course of twenty centuries. It is constantly being renewed. For this reason we cannot relax the intensity of our struggle as if everything had already been accomplished. In the face of the evil that threatens to destroy the seed which Christ desires to to sow and cultivate in the heart of every person, we need to be more persistent than ever in helping to bring Christ’s salvific mission to completion. If the early Christians had allowed themselves to become intimidated by the enormous challenge before them, if they had relied on human efforts alone, they would not have accomplished anything in those first centuries throughout those early pagan societies. The Lord encourages us to renew continually our efforts in the face of so urgent a task. Each of us is called to participate fully in this effort with the means we have at hand.”

Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 7 (London: Scepter, 1993) 354-355.

Today Fernandez urges us to continue to serve as leaven with the means we have. He echoes the impact Jesus spoke about in parables. Even as a small amount of yeast can leaven 60 pounds of flower, our focus can shape our generation if we deploy the means we have at hand. It can lead communities, cities, and even nations to faith.

To this point, I would urge readers to put the resources at your disposal in play, showing that you paid attention when Christ taught in parables. If you recall the parable of the shrewd manager (Luke 16:1-9) and the parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21), you see the difference between faithful and foolish stewardship.

What account will you give? How will your stewardship have shaped (or failed to shape) this present generation? Too many what difference they can make and so they do nothing. Jesus reminds us that our small contribution, like a mustard seed, can grow into a large tree. But that only happens if we sow it. Be faithful, not foolish!

Right now for GTP, I am putting the finishing touches on our most recent on demand course, based on my first book, The Sower: Redefining the Ministry of Raising Kingdom Resources. We will pilot it in January 2025 and release it to the world in April 2025. We want to multiply sowers all over the world with this free certificate course.

In short, the aim of the course intends to challenge God’s workers to challenge every person they serve to plant their proverbial mustard seed, to be leaven with all they have, to put the work the means they have to participate in kingdom work. If you want a free PDF copy of this book, reply to this email and I will share it with you.

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

“Luke is the only one who offers us a moving account of the birth and infancy of Christ which we can savor every Christmas. There is one very that stands out above all the others: “wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” This single phrase has given rise to crib scenes throughout the world and to thousands of beautiful paintings. These artistic creations are one more invitation for us to contemplate.”

Albino Luciani in Illustrissimi (1976) 234-235.

I love the crib scenes or nativity scenes that accompany the celebration of Christmas.

Each one fits the cultural context. They always appear humble and beautiful. They include people, beasts, and baby wrapped in swaddling cloths, simple strips of cloth, and lying in a manger.

When we contemplate this scene recorded only for us by Luke, we discover the wonder that God became flesh.

This scene inspires our own generosity because, wherever we find ourselves, we too can become ordinary and, with love, accomplish extraordinary things. The humble scene makes following Jesus accessible to everyone.

Contemplate the crib scene afresh this year. See how the some simple, yet profound aspect of the story, inspires you.

Every year my Bible study does it. In the process, I see something new in the story of Luke 1-2. Lean into a word or phrase in the “Christmas story” that stand out.

This year with Luciani, maybe since we have a new granddaughter, the swaddling cloths move me.

Father in heaven, thanks for generosity of the crib scene and the the humility of the swaddling cloths, for the obedience of Mary and Joseph, and for announcing your arrival to shepherds. May this scene inspire our sharing of the good news afresh. Amen.