The Path of Peace

Have you ever wondered what it would be like for Mary? I am always astounded with how she responded to the news the Angels proclaimed to her. News that would threaten to break up her engagement, make her an outcast and most likely make everyone think that she has lost her mind. 

God had been silent for 400 years. Why would anyone believe that He had sent His angels to talk to her? 

In the midst of all of that, her response is,  “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” 

That is a very agreeable response to such life changing information. I have always wanted a heart that responds like Mary's. She is a class act. If you have read any of my post's you know I am hesitant and argue with God. Sure, I don't get a face to face with Angels, but honestly, I don't think it would change much. Mary is truly one of a kind!

Maybe I identify with Zechariah more. He laughed when the angel told him that he and his elderly wife would finally have a son. As a result, he was not able to speak until his son was born and confirmed that he and his wife would name him John. You would think I might learn something from that ;).

Zechariah’s Song is found in Luke chapter one.

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:

 “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

    because he has come to his people and redeemed them.

He has raised up a horn[c] of salvation for us

    in the house of his servant David

(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),

 salvation from our enemies

    and from the hand of all who hate us—

 to show mercy to our ancestors

    and to remember his holy covenant,

    the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,

    and to enable us to serve him without fear

     in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;

    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

 to give his people the knowledge of salvation

    through the forgiveness of their sins,

 because of the tender mercy of our God,

    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

 to shine on those living in darkness

    and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

I love this song, I love what it declares about who God is and the mercy of his plan for redemption. It is a declaration of God's might, faithfulness and kindness. It is powerful to me. It causes praise to rise in me from the depths of my soul.  "Because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace." 

God has given us the light, removed the shadow of death and gave us the path to peace.  All that, delivered with the child promised to Mary. A baby. Thank you Lord!

God with us

I love to sit in my living room when the house is decorated for Christmas. In the darkness the lights of the Christmas tree glow, the ornaments glitter and there is an atmosphere of calm solitude.

At the base of the tree, we set up a Nativity scene. It is to remind us of the meaning of this season. 

Why is Christ's birth so significant? Why is Immanuel, God with us, so life changing?

God unwraps this truth a little more for me all the time. There is more to Christ's birth and death than we can comprehend. Not only did he take on our sin and pay for it. Not only does Christ cover us through his sacrifice and make us right with God. He lived a human life. He knows our joy, He knows our pain. He knows our struggle. He knows our life.

Christ does not look at us when we mess up and do a face palm, or shake his head. He sits at the right hand of the Father and actively prays for us. 

How do I even try to understand the greatness of that!?! 

His prayers for us are personal, empathetic and powerful because he has lived the life we live. He gets it. Personally. Intimately. He identifies with all of it. He even knows the weight of sin because God put it on him when Christ was on the cross.

He knows.

Christ was both God and man. This is a difficult truth for many. Our finite minds cannot fully comprehend the infinite. Jesus set aside his power to live here as a man so that he could relate personally to us. It was about so much more than dying for and redeeming us. He wants to enter all of life with us. To do that, he chose to live a human life. What other god has done that?

Have you ever been lied about? Slandered? Jesus was. He can be with you, in that pain, understanding and knowing it. Have you lost someone close to you? That physical ache of loss is known to Jesus,  he mourned with others over Lazarus. Have you been betrayed? Abused? Opposed? Misunderstood? Have you been frustrated with people who are slow to catch a vision? Do you struggle with family? Jesus knows all this and more. 

Why does this matter so much? 

Have you ever struggled and had someone who had a similar experience go through it with you? They know what to say and what not to say. They know your hurt and handle it carefully. They can walk alongside like no one else. 

That is Jesus. 

That is Immanuel, God with us. 

How amazing is that? What lengths he has gone to. What great love and power.

He is not some God, sitting back removed from us or judging us. 

We have access to Jesus, who, identifies, empathizes and walks with us in life.

He sits at the right hand of the Father actively praying for us. This is God's perfect plan. More than a mighty act of salvation but a personal relationship. A relationship based on understanding and compassion.

Immanuel.

God with us.