The Throne of Straw: Meeting the Humble King
Pastor Rasol Manouchehri Ardakani - 18 December 2025
“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.”
Welcome to Day 18.
If you have ever been to a children's nativity play, you will know that the manger is usually the centrepiece. It is often a nice, clean wooden box filled with bright yellow straw. It looks rustic and charming. We sing "Away in a Manger" and think about how sweet the scene is.
But if we strip away the Christmas card glamour, the reality of Luke 2:7 is actually quite shocking.
Mary placed the Son of God in a manger. A manger is not a cot. It is not a cradle. It is a feeding trough for farm animals. It is the place where donkeys and cattle slobber over their food. It is dirty, it smells, and it is full of germs.
This is where God chose to enter the world.
If we were writing the script, we surely would have done it differently. We would have booked the finest room in the finest hotel. We would have ensured there were silk sheets, a team of doctors, and a press conference ready to announce the arrival. Kings are supposed to be born in palaces, surrounded by luxury and power.
But God is a different kind of King. He didn't come to dominate us with His power; He came to woo us with His humility.
Theologians call this the "condescension" of God. That sounds like a negative word to us, but it actually means "to come down to the same level." God descended from the highest heights of heaven to the lowest depths of a stable. He went to the bottom of the ladder.
Why? I think it is so that no one would ever feel excluded.
If Jesus had been born in a palace, the shepherds would never have been allowed in to visit. The poor and the outcast would have been kept away by security guards. But because He was born in a stable, the doors were wide open. The lowest of the low were welcome at His bedside.
This manger scene shows us that God is "With Us" in our humility. He is not impressed by our status, our bank accounts, or our job titles. He is comfortable in the grit and grime of real life.
This challenges our own pride. We spend so much of our lives trying to climb up. We want to be important, respected, and comfortable. We want the best seat at the table. But Jesus, who deserved the very best seat in the universe, willingly took the lowest place.
St. Paul later wrote that Jesus "made himself nothing" for our sake. The manger is the first step on a journey that would lead all the way to the cross. It is a visual reminder that true greatness in the Kingdom of God is not found in how many servants you have, but in how many people you serve.
So today, as you look at your Christmas decorations, take a moment to really look at the manger. Let it remind you that we serve a humble King. And let it challenge you to look for ways to be humble today, perhaps by serving someone else when no one is watching.
Prayer of the Day:
Lord Jesus, we are humbled by Your humility. It is hard for us to grasp that You, the King of Glory, would choose to sleep in a feeding trough. Thank You for coming all the way down to reach us. Please strip away our pride today. Help us to stop trying to be important and instead follow Your example of serving others with a humble heart. Amen.