And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7**
To one woman, You were a firstborn son.
To us, You were King, laid low, but to her — then — You were her first born. First cry, first suckle, first swaddling of one that was her very own flesh.
She was still mother, even though You were Savior.
You made Yourself flesh, even to she who was invited in to the holy huddle that night. You didn’t compromise Yourself and You didn’t compromise flesh. You were of her flesh and blood.
I adore You, God who wrapped Yourself in the vulnerability of infancy, all so that my vulnerable flesh might taste Your glory. You didn’t just visit flesh, You embodied it. All so that we might know the smell of Your skin.
You put definition to Your Father’s nearness. It wasn’t simply so that we would acknowledge how much our lives have been understood by our maker. You came near so that God would have a face, to us.
You gave me a grid for looking into Your eyes and receiving Your look into mine.
For witnessing Your tears.
For putting an expression to joy and delight and for putting words to love.
For seeing how holiness responds when flesh is stretched. God, You reached out and you touched so that I might know this very thing.
You touch. You hold, You cup, You cradle. You did, then, as a visible expression of what You had always done. You put on love so that my weak flesh might see it.
I adore You, God nearer than I know.
Your love breathes and sighs. It sings and it laughs. It weeps. And, yes, it feels.You don’t shout commands from on-high, You are teeming with nearness.
Your love is active.
And she held it. That love was her firstborn son.
I adore You, holiness wrapped in flesh that demonstrated that the two might find home in the other.
Your wonder, in that night, has a forever-wonder to work in me. Father, You have only just begun in me …
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**So what do I do with these posts, you ask, other than just read them? First, if you haven’t yet, read: Why I Adore and Morning Chai, Explained to give you a context for this little space on my blog.
If you are compelled, I invite you to participate. Set up a space and time in your own life to begin adoring. Over laundry or dinner dishes, on your commute to work, or in the wee morning hours — five or ten minutes is a great start. You can use the verse I list here every day or two as a launch pad for your own adoration. (Showing Up gives you some practicals.)
Then practice praise.
I promise your weary soul won’t regret it.
You can see all of the Morning Chai posts with this link: http://www.EveryBitterThingisSweet.com/posts/chai/ and you can easily subscribe to these devotional meditations as they are delivered, by using this feed: http://feeds.feedblitz.com/chai or by entering your email address in the second box on the right-hand side.
And a note: Photos compliments of Mandie Joy. This girl has also set me up on instagram. Friends, it took several sittings for me to know exactly what that means and I still don’t quite get it …except, that you can now find updates and useful graphics on Instagram @everybitterthingissweet. Mandie keeps me in the 21st century.
