The Cave

“And she gave birth to her newborn son; and she wrapped him in cloths and laid him in a manger.” (Luke 2:7)

When I was a girl, we lived across the street from an entrance to a park.  Now this was not just any park.  This was a very special park.  The entrance into the park was accessed down a winding road which was great for brave souls like my brother and myself riding our bicycles.  When you reached the bottom of the road, you were met with a large area filled with all sorts of playground equipment, including one of the coolest spiral slides a kid could want.  In the middle of the equipment was a place to buy ice cream cones.  Next to the playground was a large hill that was covered with sledders in the wintertime.  Not far down the road from that was a swimming pool.  Oh, not just any swimming pool.  This pool was huge – and round.   

But the best part for us were the caves that nature had dug out along the river that flowed through the park.  My brother and I would climb cliffs and investigate the inside of every cave we discovered.  But our favorite cave was the large one closest to the edge of the river.  You see, the parks department had placed bears in that cave.  Yes, bears – black bears.  I can’t remember if there were two or three of them.  They resided behind a large cage that had been erected.  We would stand and watch their shenanigans for hours.  What a great experience for kids!

There is another cave that is special to me.  Not one I even knew about as a girl.  But as a woman, it has become the most special cave that God has ever carved out.  It is the cave where the King of all Kings was born.  I know, you have believed for years that Jesus was born in a wooden stable like the one on the cover of Christmas cards.  But that is not the real story – or perhaps I should say the rest of the story.   

When unable to find lodging in the village, Mary and Joseph went to a cave near the village.  It was a cave where newborn lambs were wrapped in strips of cloths and laid in niches that had been hewn out the side of the cave.  The Lamb of God laying in a manger scoped out for the offspring of sheep.  Many well-respected scholars and theologians verify this cave to be accurate.

Today in Bethlehem, there is an ancient church called the Church of the Nativity, which is an important site that attracts millions of visitors from all over the world.  The church was built over the cave, the site where Jesus was born.  The place where shepherds came to worship the glory of the Lord.

So, I guess you could say my own earthly journey began with caves that I climbed and investigated as a child.  I still hold fond memories of them.  But the dearest cave to my heart is the one my Savior laid in after he was born in Bethlehem.  The one that began his earthly journey to the cross.  May that cave be dear to each of you this Christmas!

                                                               Darlene