itsawonderfilledlife

“Don’t pre-mourn me …”

Though the words were not spoken by someone I knew, thought they were not spoken to me …
they have been reverberating through my mind and heart for days, weeks, months. I am so glad my friend shared these words of her mum, when told her cancer was terminal.

After almost three years of fighting, struggling with and against that dreaded diagnosis (cancer), my brother was told just a couple of weeks ago that they estimate he has only eight weeks left …

and, as he spoke these words, over 5000 km away, I heard in my heart those words …

don’t pre-mourn me

And now you are thinking, this is an odd message of encouragement for Christmas Day …

And I would say,

nope!

For today, we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus, as told in Luke 2:

“And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”

As Christ-followers the birth of the Christ-Child is the only the beginning of the story which leads to the cross, to the empty tomb. It is the story of the greatest sacrifice, our redemption story.

But …

We cannot, should not, jump from advent to the cross …

for God sent his Son as a babe,
born of a young, human virgin,
in a humble stable,
with a human dad to raise him.
The first birth announcements delivered to the shepherds,
out in the remote quiet of fields,
outside of Bethlehem.
All of this under a star.

God is in the details and we must sit with those details awhile, letting the significance of each and every one pierce our hearts. We must linger here awhile, looking on the innocent babe.

Yes, he is a like the perfect, spotless lambs that were born to be sacrificed,

but He is also a baby beloved. With ten tiny fingers and toes, with air in his lungs, with lips pursed in sleep.

He, the babe, was a bundle of possibility. He was born to fulfil the prophesies, but he was also born … like you and I … with choice.

No pre-mourning today!

Come, let us adore Him, just as he was in that manger … a babe, a precious, miraculous infant … a gift of God.