NOT JUST MARY'S CHILD
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders. Isaiah 9:6
"Congratulations, you have a son!" are words to celebrate. Life will never be the same for those who hold their newborn child in their arms and set out to parent him for the rest of his life. The weight of responsibility is both frightening and wonderful.
Isaiah made it clear that Emmanuel was coming, that He would be born to 'us', not just Mary. Yet, many will treat him casually, walk by the manger and shrug their shoulders in indifference. They do not know that He is theirs to embrace, to love, to know.
I encourage us to pray creatively this Christmas. In the stillness of some stolen moments, let us close our eyes and pick up the baby in the manger. Let us exclaim in wonder, "You were given to me. Oh, you're beautiful. You're my Emmanuel. My Savior. I'll do everything I can to really know You." Lay His sweet head against Your cheek and rock Him gently.
Such ownership and investment will, most likely, awaken our heart to the reality that faith is about relationship, not ethics and education. Affection for the Savior can grow stale in the halls of institutions. Seminary studies promise nothing more than intellectual prowess if not rooted in the sweet embrace of the Christ child. Let's blow the dust off the padlock that guards our hearts. Let's speak to our fear that causes us to study rather than love, ponder rather than embrace. Mary gave her heart at the manger and it was still engaged at the foot of the cross thirty three years later. She never lost her first love and wonder.
You have been born to me. I want to experience You like never before this Christmas. Amen
For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org
Originally published Thursday, 21 December 2023.
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