Birth: To Bring Forth

“And the glory (majesty and splendor) of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.” (Isaiah 40:5 AMP)

“And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.”

(John 1:14 AMP)

“My Son has set you free to love, to believe that I am good and that the good story I am telling is unfolding under His control. Faith in Me and hope for tomorrow free you to love today. And loving with divine power releases a kind of joy into your soul that nothing else can bring.” (God’s Love Letters to You, Dr. Larry Crabb)

Marvelous morning. After a night of laboring, a child is born. It often happens this way; the mother goes to the hospital with contractions close together. The staff settles her in her bed, and then the waiting and the breathing and the groaning begin. Sometimes things slow down for awhile, and then the pain increases, the pressure builds and after a fair amount of pushing— love gushes out. Joy comes in the morning.

Here we are, we have arrived at Christmas. We can welcome the memory of Jesus’ birth in its fullest. But He was not only born, He lived and loved. He dwelt among us. And through the Holy Spirit dwells with us still. My soul is overwhelmed within me. A supernatural, miraculous wonder and awe overtake the quiet moments of early morning before anyone else in the household rises. I am alone with my Savior, our Savior.

I am drawn to the nativity. Figurines set out on tables to remind us that Jesus was born. It was recorded, His parents pondered Him, the shepherds proclaimed Him and the Magi proceeded by a star entered the scene to give Him the honor due his birth.

Can you believe it? Will you embrace this good story? The hope, the joy, the peace and the love transcend anything our minds can comprehend. Yet there is a place in us in our hearts, souls, spirits, minds and even our bodies where faith wells up and needs to be expressed. A desire, a longing that no words adequately express.

Silently, with tears brimming in my eyes, I marvel at this Birth.