Birthing Cry (Advent) - Sunday, December 10
Birthing Cry - Sunday, December 10
"Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.…"
Genesis 2:7 (ESV)
The Lord God, Creator of all life, has blessed David and me with many grandchildren. I have been privileged to be present when many of them entered this world. I have witnessed them taking their first breath of air. I have heard their first cries, and they each sounded unique.
With each birth, there is wonder and mystery. Who is this tiny new person and what shall he or she become? What joys and sorrows lie ahead for each new one as they start the journey of life? What ways will God use to bless them and others through them?
When Mary held Jesus in her arms for the first time and His birthing cry made her heart ache in love for Him, what did she expect for her son?
Yes, she remembered the angel had told her: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High … and of His kingdom there will be no end.” But she had no idea how the story would unfold. She could not know the joys and bitter sorrows that would come to her through God’s calling on her life.
To Nicodemus, Jesus said, “Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5). We are a new creation when we take our first breath after following Jesus into the waters of baptism. As we walk in repentance and forgiveness, we experience a continual dying to self and rebirth.
Jesus lay lifeless in a tomb for three days. On the third day, He raised up on the cold slab, removed the shroud from His face and breathed His first breath of the resurrection life. It is, in fact, because Jesus conquered death, sin, and the devil that we will draw the breath of eternal life. What a birthing that will be!
And what sound will come out of our lungs? I think it will be the sound of praise we read about in Revelation 19:6: “Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.'”
Father God, we have no words to thank You for the gift of Your son, Jesus. Your love is unfathomable to us. We praise Your name forever!