Posts Tagged ‘baby Jesus’

Baby Jesus has Grown Up

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Christmas approaches bringing familiar strains: “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed…the little Lord Jesus lay down His sweet head…”

"Away in a manger..."

I love that carol, especially when sung by children’s sweet voices. The lyrics transport me to another place and time, to that star-studded night in a distant land. They take me to a dark and lonely stable where a nervous young husband coaches his bride through childbirth’s groans and writhes. They help me envision a young couple wrapping their infant in a blanket and gazing on His face with wonder, awed at the privilege of holding God incarnate in their human hands.

Imagine the baby Jesus cooing, crying, sucking at his mother’s breast. Squinting through newborn eyes. Wrapping his wee fingers around Joseph’s man-sized thumb. Demanding nighttime feedings. Spitting up on Mary’s shoulder.

Now imagine baby Jesus all grown up. Need a little help with that? Try this description, courtesy of John the Baptist:

“And standing in the middle of the lampstands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were like flames of fire. His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave’” (Revelation 1:13-18).

Wow. This season, we celebrate the baby Jesus—the newborn wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger fast asleep as sheep and cows stand reverently nearby. He deserves our adoration, but let’s not forget to worship Him as the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is indeed, the living one who holds the keys of death and the grave. He’s our Savior, our Hope, our Peace, and our Joy not just in this season, but forever.

Take time this busy season to ponder John’s description of the grown up Baby Jesus.  What part of it grabs your attention the most? Why?

Photo courtesy: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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Jesus — More Than a Sleeping Baby

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009

My 2-year-old granddaughter, Anna, enjoys playing with her family’s Nativity scene. “Baby Jesus sleeping,” she says, pointing to the inch-long plastic figure lying in a wee manger. She picks it up, gives it a shake, drops it on the coffee table, and turns her attention to another toy. So much for toddler theology.

Sadly, some folks embrace toddler theology for a lifetime. To them, Jesus is no more than a sleeping baby in Nativity scenes. “What good is a God like that when cancer strikes or I lose my job or my kids run away?” they ask. Others consider Him a fable or fairy tale…His Bethlehem birth makes for a nice story but it’s only make-believe. Others think He was a fraud, a fool, or a fanatic who claimed to be God’s holy Son. As for me, I believe He was, and is, God’s Son, but I think my understanding of Him often falls short of reality.

The baby Jesus was mankind’s introduction to God in flesh. But the image of the sleeping infant is a far cry from the Jesus who’s revealed in Revelation 1:13-18. Read this description and meditate on it throughout this Christmas season. This, my friend, is the Jesus we’re celebrating!

“…Standing in the middle of the lampstands was the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one who died. Look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”

I read these words and my heart cries: “Forgive me for minimizing You. Forgive me for placing limitations on You because of my finite understanding of Your majesty and holiness. Open my eyes to see who You really are, and transform my life as a result. I adore You, the living God, the first and the last, the One who holds the keys of death and the grave. I’m Yours. Amen.”

How about you? What emotion or response do these verses elicit in you?

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