Immanuel
9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world came into being through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. 12 But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:9-14)
The birth of a baby is usually cause for much celebration. Loved ones gather to get a peek, everyone looks for features of the parents and extended family. How Mary must have gazed into the face of the wondrous child in her arms - the Son of God! She probably interrogated his every movement for signs of divinity, and listened in every coo and cry for the voice of the Almighty.
It's impossible to grasp the mystery of God's embodied Word, God becoming one of us, living in our midst. We can not dare to imagine holding God in our arms. But maybe we can recognize, in God, a parent who would do anything to reach, to love, to save their children. For the Creator of the universe, the laws of nature were no match. God considered the healing of our souls to be worth the trouble. God's desire to truly see us, and truly see life from our perspective, is a gift that can't be contained in a box tied with pretty ribbon.
As we come to the close of this year, challenges abound in our lives and in our world. Yet, if we can carry in our hearts even some of the love that God has for us, we can experience the wonder of Immanuel beyond this season.
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17)
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