Tonight at the Christmas family service my kids will be Mary, Joseph and Jesus. The unplanned baby, all six months and 21 pounds of him, will star as the Messiah!
As I am an emotional sort, I suspect some emotions to flow. Perhaps, most intensely, I will feel the burden of fatherhood. Looking at my baby and thinking about his future, I am keenly aware that The Father/God of Jesus had no such questions. He knew that baby Jesus was going to grow up and fulfill the hopes and promises of Israel. How much harder it would be to celebrate the birth when one knows that the cross looms in the future. The celebration of new life and joy is shrouded, at least in part, by that reality.
The cost to God of making salvation possible is often overlooked by us. I hope you will sing a Christmas hymn or two that includes verses about the Savior. "Nails, spears will pierce Him through... the Babe, the Son of Mary." Tonight, several times in our little church, we will gather in eucharist (thanksgiving) and remember His birth and ponder on what it means. I pray all of you who have spent your valuable time reading my thoughts will be blessed with a deep fullness of the meaning of Jesus.
I will post again after the new year! Blessings in the Only Son, the Sole Source of Life and Blessing.
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