12.19: “Come, Let Us Adore Him”

 

Thursday, December 19

“For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given.”   Isaiah 9:6a*

 

What a magnificent birth announcement!

Seven hundred years before Jesus arrives, God has already given the promise of the ultimate gift of love to us, the very reason we celebrate Christmas.  Wrapped up in these few short words is the mystery of what Isaiah is foretelling…that this child will be both human and divine.

The fact that Jesus will be born as a Child points to his humanity, so that we can experience God in a whole new way.  The title of Son points to the deity of Jesus, that He is still fully God.  The name “Immanuel: God with us” signifying His presence with us, not only in the fulfillment of this promise in the Gospels, but also for us today.

In the music of the Messiah, this powerful verse is performed with tender delicacy by sopranos and then answered by the shimmering tenors conveying the subtle majesty of the royal, yet humble, earthly birth of a King.  Let this miracle, that has reverberated throughout the ages, through the Advent season and Christmas, fill you with awe. Let it echo throughout the rest of the year and remind you of the incredible power of the God we serve and the ultimate gift He has given.

 

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, words can never express the gratitude we feel for the promises and gifts you continue to give us.  Thank you for the miracle of your Son coming as a Child and making a closer relationship with you possible.  May the examples He gave of selfless giving touch our hearts, that we may be faithful witnesses of Your love in the world, to share it with the people who cross our paths. May our words and actions be pleasing to You this holy season and on into the new year.   Amen.

                                                                       Dena Haas