Christmas Shelter

A friend of mine told me recently that the word for Christmas in Iwaidja (one of her languages) is Mangu Mangu. It translates as "shelter", which is how the word "stable" was understood. And now the word has come to represent the whole of the story of Christ's birth and the modern holiday that surrounds it.

A mangu is a temporary shelter that is used for gatherings. Today they are mostly erected for funerals, but would have had more uses in the past, including shelter for temporary accommodation or protection from the elements. As far as I know, the Iwaidja don't keep domesticated animals, so it wouldn't have the same sense as "stable" for pastoralists. But, still a decent and helpful translation for retelling the Christmas story.

So, I wondered if this would be an ideal title for a Christmas book in my friend's language. I was mistaken though, because the book being prepared is in Gulumoerrgin, a different one of her languages, not in Iwaidja. So, it doesn't work anyway. But, she had another problem with the title too.

"It doesn't fit, Melody, this whole story is about how Mary and Joseph didn't find a place to stay, they didn't have a proper mangu."

So, since then I've been questioning the story and how we read it as urbanised, settled people. And what God meant by having his Son born in a "shelter" rather than a proper building.

Shelter is a huge theme throughout the Bible. Again and again we are urged to find "shelter" in God.

Psalm 27:5 NIV

For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.

So, in this story, is the point just his humble beginning, or is there a deeper message?

When John introduces his gospel with a description of the incarnation that is not a narrative of Jesus' birth, he uses these words:

John 1:14 NIV

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

This word "dwell" also means tent, and tabernacle. Is John referring to this "shelter" or "stable" where the baby was born?

A shelter is a place of safety, protection from rain or storm or shade from direct sunshine. A stable is not a place of shame or poverty, it's for security. A mangu is a refuge too. It's not a symbol of what Baby Jesus didn't have, it's a symbol of who he is.