Manger Series No. 1
The Rooster
Mary gave birth to her firstborn son; and she
wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn.
Mark 13: 35-37
Therefore keep watch
because you do not
know when the owner
of the house will come
back – whether in the
evening, or at
midnight, or when the
rooster crows, or at
dawn. If he comes
suddenly, do not let
him find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I
say to everyone:
‘Watch!’”
Mark 14:72
Immediately a rooster
crowed a second time.
And Peter
remembered how
Jesus had made the
remark to him,
“Before a rooster
crows twice, you will
deny Me three times.”
And he began to weep.
Saint Luke tells us that when Jesus was born, Mary laid Him
in a manger – a feed trough for animals. In our Nativity
scenes, we often place a variety of animals around a
manger. These animals represent all of creation rejoicing at
the birth of Emmanuel – God with us. This short Advent
series provides reflection on some of the animals we choose
to display. First, the Rooster…
The rooster is the herald of the dawn of a new day full of
hope and possibilities! On the first Sunday of Advent in the
Gospel according to Saint Mark, Jesus tells us to watch for
the coming of God – that we might not be found sleeping. In
the darkness of the early morn, the rooster crows to wake
people from rest – from their inattention to duty – to be
ready for witness and service each new day!
The manger is so closely tied to the cross. Each of the
animals we place in the Nativity scene serves to remind us
of this linkage. After the Last
Supper, Jesus told Peter that
before the rooster crows, Peter
will deny Him three times. In
the Garden of Gethsemane
Jesus tells Peter, James, and John
to keep awake, to watch, to pray.
The Christ child we welcome at
Christmas as our Savior…
will WE deny him before Good
Friday A.D. 2015? The rooster
reminds us to keep awake!
Manger Series No. 2
The Ox and Donkey
The ox knows its master, the donkey its
owner’s manger, but Israel does not know, my
people do not understand. Isaiah 1:3
Job 39
Will the wild ox
consent to serve you,
Or will he spend the
night at your
manger?
Numbers 22
The angel of the LORD
said to Balaam, “Why
have you struck your
donkey these three
times? Behold, I have
come out as an
adversary, because
your way was
contrary to me.
John 12
Jesus found a young
donkey and sat on it,
as it is written…
Zechariah 9
See, your king comes
to you, righteous and
victorious, lowly and
riding on a donkey
First was the Rooster; now the Ox and the Donkey…
The ox and donkey humbly bear both witness and service.
Both are co-workers with us; given as a gift from God to
help us carry all our burdens through this life. Balaam’s
donkey bears witness to the God whose angel appears
unexpectedly, even when God seems to have disappeared in
the anxiety of our arrogance and doubt. Often the ox and
the donkey are shown at the manger based on the text of
Isaiah 1:3 perhaps Job 39. The ox (clean) often represents
the Jews and the donkey (unclean) the Gentiles – both
brought together in Christ.
Mary is often referred to as Theotokos – the bearer of God.
The humble donkey is then perhaps the bearer of the
bearer of God! Zechariah prophesies that our righteous
king and savior will come riding humbly on a donkey.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all tell us that Jesus entered
Jerusalem on Palm Sunday riding a donkey in fulfillment of
this prophecy.
We remember the journey of the
Holy Family to Bethlehem, their
flight to Egypt and return to
Israel, and the final triumphant
journey of Jesus to Jerusalem…
and to the Cross.
The ox and donkey remind us
to keep alert for the presence
of God in our daily lives, and to
humbly bear all our burdens to
the foot of the Cross!
Manger Series No. 3
The Sheep and Goats
The next day John the Baptizer saw Jesus coming
toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world!”
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Exodus 12
Then Moses called for
all the elders of Israel
and said to them, “Go
and take for
yourselves lambs
according to your
families, and slay the
Passover lamb.
Leviticus 16
The goat shall bear
on itself all their
iniquities to a solitary
land; and he shall
release the goat in
the wilderness.
Matthew 25
All the nations will be
gathered before Him;
and He will separate
them from one
another, as the
shepherd separates
the sheep from the
goats; and He will put
the sheep on His
right, and the goats
on the left.
Saint Luke tells us that “there were some shepherds staying
out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and
the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were
terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be
afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which
will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there
has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord….
When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the
shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight
to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened
which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a
hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the
baby as He lay in the manger.”
So sheep and goats with lambs and kids join our scene…
Sheep and goats are pervasive throughout scripture and all
of history in providing support
for human life. Jesus chooses to
care for us as a shepherd. He
takes our sins unto Himself,
atoning for them through His
sacrificial death, and bringing us
to life everlasting through
the power of His resurrection.
The sheep and goats remind us
we are both saints and sinners,
saved throughout history by
the grace of Jesus Christ –
our Good Shepherd!
Manger Series No. 4
Camels and Kings
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in
the days of Herod the king, magi from the east
arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has
been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in
the east and have come to worship Him.”
Isaiah 60
“Nations will come to
your light, And kings
to the brightness of
your rising…. The
wealth of the nations
will come to you. A
multitude of camels
will cover you, The
young camels of
Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba
will come; they will
bring gold and
frankincense, and will
bear good news of the
praises of the LORD.
Matthew 2:11
After coming into the
house they saw the
Child with Mary His
mother; and they fell
to the ground and
worshiped Him. Then,
opening their
treasures, they
presented to Him gifts
of gold, frankincense,
and myrrh.
As we come to the end of the Christmas season, we finish
the Manger Series preparing for the Epiphany of our Lord
on January 6th. In our manger scenes, we often find oxen
and donkeys, sheep and goats… Camels and Kings…
 The LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his
beginning; and he had 14,000 sheep and 6,000 camels and
1,000 yoke of oxen and 1,000 female donkeys.
 So the Queen of Sheba came to Jerusalem with a very large
retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold
and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she
spoke with him about all that was in her heart.
 Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their
eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was
coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic
gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them
down to Egypt.
The camels and magi represent
the wealth and intellect of the
nations recognizing Jesus as the
king of kings. The Epiphany of
our Lord is to all the world. All
creation is relative to the Christ,
whether they recognize it or not!
With camels and magi, and the
kings and queens of the earth,
we bear the Good News of the
birth of Jesus and God’s love
for all the world!