Christmas is over. We’re clearing the clutter and packing away our manger scenes till next year. As we’ve been doing this at my house, a thought hit me.

We see the baby Jesus laying in a manger and it is such a serene setting. The manger scene makes us feel all cozy and warm inside. It’s a good thing.

In the movie Telladega Nights, Ricky Bobby prays to the little Baby Jesus. It is a laugh-out-loud funny scene, but what happens when our only image of Jesus is just that…the baby Jesus sleeping in a manger?

• Can a baby help you in a time of grief? Nope

• Can a baby show you the way when you are lost? Nope

• Can a baby feed you when you are hungry? Nope.

It’s so important to remember that Jesus came as a baby. We need to reflect on it, let the thought of Him as a baby get inside of us and change our perception of God. But, after that, we need to shift our gaze from the manger to the Man.

• Did Jesus the Man help those around Him in a time of grief? Yep.

• Did Jesus the Man show others the way when they were lost? Yep.

• Did Jesus the Man feed the hungry? Yep.

He was a baby, but He became a man. He’s been where we’ve been. He’s walked in our shoes. He knows our sorrows because He was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He is our Savior. He is our redeemer. He is the lover of our souls.

He is worthy of our praise and of our lives.

As we’re packing away our manger scenes, let’s use this opportunity to look past the manger to the Man of Jesus.