IN SKIN CALLED JESUS

“He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him. Yet to all who received Him He gave the right to become children of God…The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son who came from the Father, full of grace and glory…From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.” John 1:10-12, 14, 16

One day in skin called Jesus, the God of Heaven stepped out of the Book

To walk and talk and eat among us,

And let us feel His breath upon us—

To let us touch Him with our fingers of flesh,

And give us a closer look.

For He was the Word loosed from the pages, laughing and sweating, with dusty feet—

Wisely passionate and meekly glad,

The pride of His Father in humility clad,

From His seat in the Throne Room to the Place of the Skull

So that agony and ecstasy could meet.

Gritting His teeth, God withheld His hand from His Son now covered in sin—

And the man in skin called Jesus died—

And with Him the shame God could not abide.

His humanity had bought us eternity;

God lost so that we could win.

Think of it! What must it have been like for God to watch His perfect Son growing from year to year “in wisdom and stature” knowing that each day brought Him closer to the agonizing death which was the purpose of His life? No one but the Omniscient could have fathomed such foreboding agony; no one but the Omnipotent could have borne it. Ponder such love and live out your deep gratitude this Christmas and in the new year.