Finding grace in empty things

One of my favorite things about the days leading up to Christmas is seeing the empty manger. It reminds me of just how much we, as Christians, love things that are empty. We see an empty manger, an empty cross, and an empty tomb. These empty things are the core of the Gospel message. Jesus took on human flesh, died, and rose again. However, one of the risks that we run is that we often linger too long at these empty places. If we stop and stare too long at the manger, we loose track of the divine nature of Jesus. If we stare too long at the cross, we loose track of what salvation means in terms of our relationships with each other. If we stare too long at the empty tomb, we risk forgetting to turn around and share the Good News of the resurrection.

The fact is, there is grace to be found in these empty things. We awaited the coming Savior. We celebrated Jesus saving death on the cross. We marveled at His victory over death and the grave. Now, we turn, taking that grace to the world. We go out into the world bearing witness to these empty things.

There is now one more empty thing with which we must deal. We look now to the empty throne. This is the throne from which God will rule the new Jerusalem. This Christmas season, celebrate the grace that we have come to know in the empty manger and the promise of the new Kingdom.