24th December, 2012
Nigerian Christians currently on pilgrimage in Israel on Sunday in Bethlehem visited the Church of Nativity built on the manger where Jesus Christ was born.
According to Bible account in Luke 2:7, Mary brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
A tourism official, Mrs Edna Halda, said the star at manger showed the actual place of the birth of Jesus.
“A manger is a feed trough found in a stable used to hold food for animals.
“In Bible times, mangers were made from clay mixed with straw or from stones held together with mud,’’ she said.
In a short sermon at the church, Venerable Peter Ogunmuyiwa, urged the pilgrims to “pray that God should touch their hearts and affect their lives as they visit the birth place of his son.’’
The pilgrims had earlier visited the shepherd field where biblically, the shepherds were rearing their flocks when an angel appeared to them and announced the birth of Jesus.
The pilgrims also visited the Shepherd’s Church which was designed in the form of a tent where the shepherds lived.
The pilgrims attended a Mass service at the Church of the Visitation, where John the Baptist’s parents lived when Mary visited.