Now In Flesh Appearing

Words so familiar they can be sung without thought. Yet they embody the vital Truth of the universe.

O come all ye faithful,

Joyful and triumphant,

Here is the call to us and the way we are to stand, or perhaps in this case, kneel.

The second verse of this ancient hymn is left out of hymnals now days, to our hurt.

It says it all:

God of God,

Light of Light,

Lo! He abhors not the Virgin's womb;

Very God,

Begotten, not created;

O come let us adore Him,

Christ the Lord.

The scope of the daring love of our God - a womb, a birth.

While miracles, births are messy and bloody. Yet through this means Love chose to enter our sinful sphere in order to identify with us, to truly know what life in the flesh from day one, is all about. Our life.

Through this He learned obedience in the every day events of a boy in a family, to the obedience of a Cross to come.

Through that cross and His resurrection, He became in reality our High Priest who knows all our struggles, fears, pains and sorrows. He knows about those trusted who fail and disappoint. He knows about the death of ones much loved. He knows the reason for tears and how to shed them along with us. He knew hardship, hunger, temptation. He experienced friendships, laughter and joy giving us permission to laugh out loud and rejoice in the good things of this life.

He lived through all, endured all keeping His eyes on the Joy Beyond, to the Throne and Glory.

Amazing, heart-stopping Grace! So we follow in His footprints.

As one of our young men prayed recently "Lord, we know You are the 'reason for the season'; and I know You are the only reason to get up in the morning."

So, we Faithful, come - joyful and triumphant as we delight in this blessed season remembering in our Eternal Now the first coming in Eternity Past and the glorious one yet ahead in Eternity Future.