"Changing Luke's diaper is a challenge. He's now so squirmy and tries to roll off the pad. This morning, in an attempt to keep him distracted, I handed him the small wooden cross that sits on his shelf. The cross is there to remind him of what Jesus did because He loves him. But what came over me as he held that cross in his hands was unexpected. It was not joy that holding that cross might begin to teach him of Jesus. Instead, it was an icky stomach-sinking feeling. My son was holding a symbol of torture, a symbol of torture that was used to kill our King.
Many thoughts flooded my mind. The creation of a baby is a miracle in itself. God sending his son through a virgin birth is an even greater miracle. God sending his son KNOWING that the cross would be his destiny is THE greatest miracle of love. As my baby lays here, I cannot fathom the knowlege of that fate. And Mary, the mother destined to care for this little one...she must have done similar things that I have done; stayed up late feeding and rocking him, changed his diaper, cheered for him as he began to crawl, prayed over him, sang to him. She must have had great expectation and anticipation as she waited to see how this baby she would give her life for, the Son of God, would change the world. What heartache, her son's life, her expectations, her investment of love and sacrifice into that little one, ending on the cross. What she must have felt that day, I cannot imagine. One thing I do know, from the day of his birth "Mary treasured up all of these things and pondered them in her heart." Though her heart must have been ripped out on Friday, the redemption of the world had taken place, and death defeated on Sunday with Christ's rising."
We celebrate Jesus birth because it was a miracle, yes, but because his destiny was to save us from the punishment of rejecting Him. What love is that? What King would step down to stand in the place of someone who has committed treason and take their punishment? How truly great is our God.
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