"Don't be frightened, Mary," the angel told her, "for God has decided to bless you! You will become pregnant and have a son, and you are to name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!" (Luke 1:30-33 NLT).
An angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to go ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21 NLT).
And so our infinite God stepped out of the perfect peace and pure joy of heaven into a single cell in the womb of a girl--a girl that He had knit together in her mother's womb. For nine months baby God grew. He grew a heart, lungs, and eyelashes--all part of His ingenious design. Then, in a stable with animals that He had created, baby God was born. The One who had dreamed up the earth moved nearer to place His feet on it. God didn't come as a grown man--that would have been marvelous enough--He came as a wobbly-necked newborn.
It was His plan.
. . . From heavenly crown to earthly cradle . . .
. . . From throne to womb . . . and then to a stumbling toddler . . . to a curious child . . . to a young adult . . . to a grown man . . . to die on a cross.
All to rescue us.
It's just too much. Yet it's not a mere story, it's not just a fairy tale. It's an event that actually happened. It's historically true. At a point in time, the brilliant Master of the Universe left the perfect love of heaven to step down to earth and rescue us.
What kind of God does that? What kind of God leaves His overwhelmingly magnificent home, a home that's more marvelous than we can ever imagine because we've only lived in fallenland? What motivated You to come here, God? To submit Yourself and all of Your infinite glory to the confines of a womb of one of Your creations? And then, years later, to die for those creations--some whom would never even turn and acknowledge what You did for them?
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son . . ." (John 3:16).
Christmas morning was a declaration of the heart of God. Jesus' baby cries proclaimed for all the world, "This is who I am. I am Your God, the God who came to earth to find and rescue you. I am the God of goodness, justice, peace, mercy, hope, and wholeness. I love you deeply--can you see just how much? So do not worry, I am here. Do not fear, I have come."
Our God didn't just say "I love you." He lived "I love you." And He lived His "I love you" all the way from the womb to the cross.
God, The King of the Universe, loves you. So much that it's almost inconceivable. So much that it's hard to believe. But do believe it. It is overwhelmingly, wonderfully true.
In the birth of the Baby in a manger, may your soul find its worth this Christmas.
I wish I could remember where I found this. I saved it to my computer last year and just came across it again this week. Hopefully it will remind you, as it did me, just how much you are loved!
Merry Christmas to all of you. :)
PS-I'm getting ready to make Jesus' birthday cake...it's a family tradition. Do you think He likes spice cake? I couldn't decide. Anderson doesn't, but it's not for him anyway! More on that later. ;)
