Mysterious and Miraculous
2019 brought a lot of new experiences - some cool, some not so cool - but one of the coolest was becoming a published writer! So neat to have words I wrote printed in a magazine and a devotional. The thoughts below were the Christmas Day reading in Summit’s Advent devotional this year. What an honor and a joy to reflect on the birth of Jesus and His first visitors.
As we move into a new decade, my prayer is that my heart would remain tender to the mystery and miraculousness of God; that I would carry His presence with awe, humility, wonder, and joy; and that His hope and peace would overwhelm me and everyone I meet in the very best way.
Happy 2020, friends!
“Mary, did you know… Did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? When you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God?”
Doesn’t matter the season, time, or place; if I hear those lyrics or they pop into my head, I will cry. Those words are like the handle on the faucet that is my eyeballs. It’s the wildness of the truth that gets me every single time. While that precious baby boy was fresh and pure and helpless, the soul inside was God himself. All grace and all glory wrapped in perfect newborn skin. It’s absolutely wild. The mystery and miraculousness of God were on full display that first Christmas.
Gorgeous design by the amazing LJ Judy.
Jesus’ birth and first visitors proclaim perhaps the most mysterious miracle of all: God chooses us to be the carriers of his presence. Us. With our messy hearts and broken bodies. Us. Carriers of the presence of God, which means carriers of true hope, joy, and peace. God invites us to carry his presence… with great joy… to all people.
Mary is the only human to ever carry his physical presence, but we can carry God’s spirit with the same tenderness and care, awe and wonder. Just as a new mother studies the face of her baby and discovers an endless number of delights to learn and love, we can stare into the face of God and find new facets of his character, heart, and love for the rest of forever.
The shepherds were the first people on earth, outside of that sacred stable, to see God’s physical presence and accept the invitation to carry it. An angel burst through the night, outshining every star in the sky above their sleeping sheep, to proclaim the wild, wonderful news: “fullness of God in helpless babe.” They were herding, and then they heard, and then they hurried. They got themselves to the place of God’s presence as fast as they could. And, with their own eyes, they saw hope, joy, and peace. We may never get to see his physical presence, but we can carry God’s spirit with the same excitement and joy, humility and hustle.
When we hear, believe, and receive the good news, we become carriers of Christ. Carriers of God’s presence. Carriers of grace and glory. Carriers of hope, joy, and peace. Mysterious and miraculous gift of all gifts… God with us.