On the manger with the stable as backdrop much attention is focused these days. Almost everywhere you go you find various sizes of replicas, often romanticized by various coloured light effects. But . . . it all looks so clean.

For days now already millions of people, especially on this continent have been preparing to celebrate Christmas.

Sweet Christmas tunes seem to come from nowhere, and in the simple heart this creates a longing for peace, peace on earth, and people are moved from store to store in search for a little friendliness, warmth, cheer. "And one angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born . . . a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. . . . ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, laying in a manger".

With the thousands who have heard the promise of great joy, we begin to look for the stable, but where must we begin ?

We do not belong to those who in these days are waiting in the neighbourhood of Jerusalem and Bethlehem to make the annual pilgrimage to the supposed original stable and place of birth.

Sure, we could just do as if we where there, and meditate about it at home, but then, what would we find ? A stable ? No, a chapel. The stench of perspiration, manure, animals, decay ? No, instead some scents and fragrances.

But our Saviour was born in a stable ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger". Do we find the child there, that makes us fall down on our knees to worship and adore? No, we find pilgrims of various kinds, and tourists, people like you and me. And that is not what we are interested in. We have heard the glad tidings "For unto you is born a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord". We do not want to celebrate an anniversary of a birth, we want to find our Saviour. For that is what everybody is searching for, to be happy, peaceful, joyful, yes, in one, word to be for ever at rest. And now we have been told that the person who can do this has been born and that we can find Him. He lies in a stable, but where ? This stable must be somewhere for every day there are people who witness and testify that they have found Him, the Saviour, their Saviour. They too, like the shepherds, "returned, glorifying and praising God".

Where is that stable that we also may worship and adore Him ?

Our Saviour was born on the worst spot on earth for He came to a world lost in sin. His coming was in line with His task and work, "to seek and save that which is lost". He did not come in glory, neither in an ordinary, average., citizen's home, but in a stable. And not in a modern stable, which is kept clean and tidy, but in a dirty, stinking, courtyard.

In such a place He arrived for that symbolized the situation and condition of the human race of each person, a dirty, stinking courtyard.

Many scholars hold that the inn and the stable were cut out in the rocks, and this is very likely SO. This makes the comparison even stronger : the Lord came to a world, which generally speaking looked not bad ; but which was rotten inside. And he came to man, who outwardly can behave himself quite decently, but who stinks inside. That is why He came in such a stable.

Where then can we find this stable ? We have searched, possibly for such a long time already; maybe in more than one church, or by different ministers. And we are getting so tired from all that searching, all that walking, all that thinking.

Where is that stable, where is the Saviour ?

0, we fools ! We search everywhere except at one spot, that hidden, cut-out, dirty courtyard,

that secret little room, of which possibly nobody knows that it exists, where we keep our own pride, and ugliness, and self-conceit together with many other traits ; that stable hidden deep within our own heart, so deep that we ourselves sometimes forget that it exists, or deny that it is there. Come along, and you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger, in a stable. We have to walk a little ways ; past the wonderful quietness of the Christian night, that quiet part of our heart ; past all those houses and cabins in which our good characteristics are living; past all those thoughts which tell us that after all we are not so bad ; past all the compliments we get past all outward appearance which we keep up to fool our neighbour ; past all the compliments we get ; past all the comfort and ease which we build continually for ourselves ; past all this to that stable, the existence of which we rather forget.

What does this mean? Complete honesty, confession, acknowledgment that there is such a dirty place in your heart; acknowledgment that you yourself are unable to clean up that stable ; and ultimately, to lay yourself completely open before God. It is his glory which attracts you ; and this is correct for that is why everything must be cleansed.

Finally we arrive in that part of ourselves where everything is so dark, where there is sickness unto death, where not even a hundred parties with their lights and noise and santa-clauses are able to chase away the darkness, the dismay, the ugliness and the wickedness. We uncover all this. We acknowledge debt and come to confession of sin. We fall on our knees, we throw ourselves down, right there in the midst of that dirty stable, and the words stumble out : "Lord be gracious unto me, a sinner' .

And then the voice of the angel sounds clear and joyful unto you is born this day ... a Saviour, which is Christ, the Lord." And hesitantly we look up. And there in the midst of bur misery is I Christ who meets us friendly and says "Be not afraid, it is I". And then we celebrate Christmas, for then the Lord is born unto us also, glory be unto God.