Day 1 of Advent is here! In one of the greatest mysteries of all time, Creator God stepped down from Heaven and took humanity upon Himself. I reflect back on my time in seminary and I humbly recognize that even after all those hours and all of the money spent to get my degree I am still no closer to understanding the Incarnation. I understand what happened but the why and the how are still too far above me. The best I can understand is that it is because this was the exact thing God promised. If you heard my sermon this past Sunday it looked into what hope is and how it is tied to fulfilled promises...the birth of Jesus is another fulfilled promise of God's that enables us to trust His future promises even more. In celebration of this fulfilled promise to humanity I have written a poem called The Birth of the One Who Birthed Everything. I pray that it is encouraging to you and helps you reflect on the magnitude of what happened in Bethlehem all those years ago. Blessings to you this Advent season!
THE BIRTH OF THE ONE WHO BIRTHED EVERYTHING
A prophecy given of Immanuel,
Was given as hope to captive Israel.
But who would it be? The timing seemed odd
because decades had passed with no answer from God.
Until one day an angel arrived,
God sent Gabriel to a young virgin bride.
To Mary he came with word of God’s plan,
Nine months to complete what a promise began.
A promise of old, now reality… the birth of the One who birthed everything.
God’s Spirit showed up inside of her room,
The Son of God now inside her womb.
Her pregnancy soon was seen by all,
Despite the shame, Joseph heeded God’s call.
But then a demand was placed upon them,
A taxing trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem.
When they arrived there was no room to fit in,
So inside a stall her labor begins.
Ready or not the time was at hand…the birth of the One who birthed everything.
The one who had first breathed life into man,
Was breathing his first as his life began.
The first to find out were shepherds asleep,
From hosts of angels outnumbering their sheep.
Glory to God who is the most high,
A manger and cloths the Messiah’s sign.
So racing to town and leaving their herd,
They worshipped the babe and shared every word.
The time had come for the world to know…the birth of the One who birthed everything.
So why in the world would God choose to step down,
From Heaven above to a Judean town?
It goes way, way back to Adam and Eve,
And their sin against God which forced them to leave.
Sin and death were not part of God’s plan,
Yet he was ready to crush them before He made man.
Jesus would come and die sinless at the Father’s command,
Then rising again with our salvation in hand.
Intimacy with God was offered anew…the birth of the One who birthed everything.