As we reflect upon His coming into this world via a lowly cradle, let’s also remember His drinking of the cup of wrath (Matthew 26:42). The Messiah, King of Kings, the Holy One of Israel – took upon Himself that rugged cross. It was an incomprehensible act of love and meekness. Therefore, this wonderful time of the year is not about trees, ornaments, or gift-giving. Nor is it about cozy fireplaces or, dare I say, family reunions. This is a time to survey your heart and assume a position before your Lord. I hope you do this with all sincerity, as a New Year lies before you. God willing He provides us with the opportunity to step into it, will you do so with remembrance of His sacrifice? Will you too experience the imperishable and everlasting joy of a repented heart? Here is a short poetic excerpt which touched me this Christmas season:
He drank Your Cup of Wrath
the Holy One of Israel
the One swaddled in a manger
the One who Healed the lepers
and the God who walked on water
He’s walking to get to You
but don’t flippantly use His Flaming
and Glorious Name
if you still want the stains,
and not the Blood
that cleanses
He drank Your Cup of Wrath
Source: Misfit1965
We must also remember that one of the reasons God came to earth in a physical form, as a human (which we cannot grasp with our human mind, this great secret of such greatness and power confined to one body...), is so we could experience Christ spiritually by the life He left for us to see and pass down through the ages... I'm not very good with words so maybe this makes no sense, but what I've noticed is that every step of Christ's life on earth is also paralleled in our spiritual life - starting from the angel's news to Mary (радуйся благодатная!) and ending with His death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Christmas is a very worldly holiday - even those who have grown up on the "Christmas story" have no idea what it is to have Christ born inside of you - to go through the pains of birth and the mockery of bearing an illegitimate Child. No idea. The nativity scenes and Christmas trees and lights and angels and stars are all just a facade of pretend Christianity. If anyone lets Christ begin his Life in them, then they will see how insignificant it all is, how really everything is about the cross and bearing it with Christ Jesus... He should not remain a babe every single December. He should grow until the point of crucifixion and death has been reached! What glory will then be - Christ made manifest inside all of us! No longer I live, but Christ!
ReplyDeleteI do want to make it clear that in no way is it my intention to belittle Christ's early years in the flesh; from the manger to the temple where people listened to Him with amusement. Every story in God's word carries a specific meaning and is left for us with a purpose (Luke 1:37). My intention was to capture at least someone's attention with the big picture. Thank you for commenting - you make some good points in regards to spiritual growth and maturity. As an affirmation to this post and our mini discussion, I was pleased to hear some great sermons in the past few days, which entwined Christ's birth and sacrifice. Very compelling!
DeleteOh no, I wasn't trying to argue with you at all! Your post makes a very good, solid point and I was just trying to complement it with some more Truth :) Sorry if I got a little too excited there...
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