by Barbara Latta
The Manger and the
Mercy Seat - The Heartbeat of Christmas Part 3
Not with the blood of
goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once
for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and
goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the
purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9: 12-14).
Hay crunched in the donkey’s mouth as she partook of the
offering in the manger. A young
kid pushed his way into the feeding area and
began to share the meal. Moans were coming from the woman lying nearby, but the
animals continued their feast. A cry echoed throughout the stable and the
four-legged creatures turned to see what disturbed their munching.
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| The manger brings us the mercy seat. |
Fresh straw was laid inside the stone trough they were
eating from. A small bundle wrapped in strips of cloth was laid within their banquet
area. A donkey gently nosed the tiny head and her nostrils were filled with the
hint of salt rubbed on the baby to cleanse Him from the birth.
Not far away, the night sky was full of light and angels
sang praise to God.
Thirty-three years later, blood flowed down a rough, wooden
cross and soaked the ground below. Joseph of Arimathea took the mangled flesh
that now hung suspended between heaven and earth and anointed the body with about one hundred
pounds of spices, wrapped a linen cloth around the bloody sacrifice, and laid
the precious gift to man on a stone slab in a tomb. On Sunday morning the earth
trembled, soldiers fled and two angels sat where the body of Jesus had lain,
one at the head and one at the feet.
When the Hebrews were in the wilderness, the bleating of
sheep and the lowing of cattle echoed throughout the camp as a perfect young
goat was brought before Aaron, the priest. The animal’s blood was shed and then
sprinkled on the Mercy Seat—the slab on top of the Ark of the Covenant
fashioned with two angels, one on each end.
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| Jesus shed His blood to atone for our sins forever. |
The Mercy Seat painted a picture of the future of the Son of
God. Laid on stone and wrapped in linen at birth and laid on stone and wrapped
in linen at death. Jesus is the only baby ever born whose destiny was to die.
The blood shed during birth showed us He was the Son of Man;
the blood shed at His death was as the Son of God who entered heaven and
sprinkled His blood on the Mercy Seat to atone for our sins forever.
The heartbeat of Christmas is… the blood on the Mercy Seat.
Without the manger we would not have a resurrection. Without
the resurrection, we would not have life. Each time we partake of Communion, we
can meditate on the price paid for our redemption. Jesus sprinkled His own
blood on the Mercy Seat of heaven and never more does God see our sin. Christmas is a time to thank Him for the
resurrection because that is why Jesus was born. When we partake of the bread
and fruit of the vine we can thank God for his unspeakable gift.
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| May you and your family have a very Merry Christmas! |
ban
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