The Peace of Salvation

Being ill, with a gastrointestinal virus, is never fun; However, it does allow a lot of thinking and praying time if one chooses to do so. My musings continue even when ill and in interesting ways brings comfort during such retching times (sorry if the metaphor is too literal).

Every year, we enter into a tizzy of comforting rituals as the year presses to it's end. Kicked off with a feast of thanksgiving and moving to the celebration of the birth of an amazing baby who transformed the world and how humans might view the way we live. Yet as the years pass, our eyes seem to dim, our hearts slowly loosing the passion that gushed into us the moment we understood the incredible way God chose to deal with our waywardness. Our focus shifts from the pondering to the doing, flooding our time with baking, shopping for that perfect gift, decorating our homes, inside and out, with lights, tree, trimmings, all the familiar parts of The Season.

Every year I find myself wrestling to receive some powerful revelation that seals the season for me. While finishing writing a Christmas song, and pondering it's words, I was struck by one line: "No room to be found as God entered His earth." A question arose in my heart. Why didn't God save one room, one place of comfort and 'home away from home' place for Mary, Joseph and Jesus? Though Jesus wasn't born in the dead of winter, He was born in late fall. Barns do not have heat, and a feeding trough for a baby's crib? A room was reserved for the flaming throws of the arrival of the Holy Spirit. A donkey was held in wait for the triumphal entry of Christ on Palm Sunday. Why wasn't there a single room held in wait for the birth of the King of King and Lord of Lords?

Prophesy meets with reality exposing the incredibly masterful way of a powerful God; one who will not use power and providence to seal our understanding of His majesty, but rather allow those who, with all the intelligence we can muster, find and see that He is who His is, the most holy, powerful, full of grace, almighty God. The life of Jesus Christ, is an amazing unveiling of power, forgiveness, the ugliness of sin, and our dire need for a savior. That such a God would 'reduce' Himself to the confines of His creation to fully demonstrate His character to the world, holds a deeply enlightening revelation for those who choose to peer deeply into the event and times of Jesus' presence on earth. No greater love can be exhibited by the Almighty, Glorious and Most Righteous Heavenly Father than this act of incredible humility and show of devastating power through simplicity. Can you see it? Can you understand the power? The majesty? The need to interact with such an amazing God?

The Peace of Salvation
November 18, 2010

In my wildest of dreams I just can’t understand
Why God would leave heaven and walk as a man?
To be born in a stable a humble estate
In the hands of a baby, redemption awaits.

All the heavens would sing of this glorious way
A child fully King changed our lives Christmas day
As the world held its breath and a star shone its light
The peace of salvation lives on from this night.

As the holy Lord Jesus God Himself became man
And the angels did sing yet could not understand

There was hustle and bustle in the town of His birth
No rooms to be found as God entered His earth
But His mother and Joseph just walked and obeyed
In a manger, in a barn the holy babe laid.

Yes their hearts were alight never once filled with fright
But a chill filled the air on that most holy night.
As the glory of God would now conquer the grave
For the peace of His birth would redeem and now save.

As the holy Lord Jesus God Himself became man
And the angels did sing yet could not understand

It’s a magical season but not without pain
A suffering servant would soon walk in disdain.
As a man He was sinless and God’s glory would rise
Through the suffering angst filled with grace in His eyes.

He would meet with a harlot and sinners galore
And His passion would heal while His love would restore
Joy and hope to the hopeless with the lost to be found
Given peace that surpassed any peace then around.

As the holy Lord Jesus God Himself became man
And the angels did sing yet could not understand

Silent night, holy night.
Wisemen led by starry light.
Radiance beams from this Godly face
In this dawn of redeeming grace.
Blessed heavenly peace
Soon we’ll live in heavenly peace.

In my wildest of dreams I just can’t understand
Why God would leave heaven and walk as a man.