last year i remember thinking and reflecting a lot on Mary... it seemed to make sense since i had a newborn... i felt like i could relate in a very small way or at least i could understand some of the things she must of have been thinking. but this year my attention has been turned toward that baby, named Jesus.
Matthew 1:23 {ESV} says,
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
Immanuel isn't just his name, it's his presence. When i think about his presence and how he promises to never leave nor forsake us (hebrews 13:5) i think about the peace that brings. i am never alone. never... no buts, no maybes, no it's conditional on how you act.... he is with us... that's part of who He is and He is faithful to everything He is. Immanuel, think about it.
the other part of the birth that i have been thinking about is the mercy in the gift of Jesus.
the definition of mercy: is not getting what i deserve.
the book of Isaiah prophesied that there would be a king that would be born and that He would pay the price for our sin.
Isaiah 53:3-6 says
"He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all."
you almost have to read it over a few times to grasp all the gifts that he gives to us... all the things that he bore that we don't have to because he took them upon himself instead.
i was thinking about the funny thing about mercy... like the fact that if you extend mercy to someone you think, wow, that person owes me and i'm so great because i gave them what they didn't deserve.{don't leave me hanging here, haven't you ever thought that... i know it's pride that is soon to be broken... stick with me} but on the other hand if you need mercy given to you by another you think about all the reasons why you deserve 'mercy' {oxymoron: i think so}. and then you think about the mercy that God gives us- i don't know about you but it's momentarily here in our house... {please don't think i'm trying to boast in sin but rather acknowledge that i fall short a lot} well... daily, hourly, even minutely--- God has given me so much i don't even deserve. mercy = wow & pride= instantly broken
that's the baby that was in the manger named Jesus... he embodied peace with his presence and mercy in the fact that he would pay for all our sin and yet he was born a babe so we could see his humility even with all of that on his resume. after being out shopping in busy places today that reminds me of the exact opposite of the vibe in the air... and reminds me of how fresh and awesome and indescribable this baby Jesus was and is.
he is more than my words will ever say.
merry christmas,
kg:)
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