“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!”
It is here…the day we have all been planning for, for weeks. It’s Christmas. I have noticed that the last few years, I have awoken on Christmas morning and thought, “I hope I’m ready. I hope I’ve accomplished everything I needed to, to make this day special, beautiful, and worshipful for our family” Part of me is frustrated that my first thought on Christmas day is “Am I ready?” instead of “This is the day that Jesus gave up heaven to be born on earth.” What went through your mind as you opened your eyes today?
I have a Christmas play list on my phone that I have running in my car as I do errands and I stream it through the house as I do chores during the month of December. This year a little phrase in one of the songs stood out to me each time I heard the song. Two words, that’s all the bigger the phrase is. “Heaven’s generosity” This phrase is so rich and full of promise. It encompasses the entire list from Isaiah 9 printed out in the opening paragraph. Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace…all of that gifted to us if we accept. “Heaven’s generosity” simply states the ultimate gift given to us, Jesus becoming human, walking in “our shoes”, and dying a human death to pay the price for buying us back from our deserved consequences. This is the wonder of Christmas. Heaven’s generosity is what brings joy no matter our circumstances today. It’s what brings hope every day of our lives. It is the passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies that we have a way to be washed clean so we can be in His presence while we are on earth and for eternity.
I am so humbled today by Heaven’s generosity. I don’t have the words to express my gratitude for someone trading their life for mine. I am less than He is in every way, yet He still chose to give me this gift. I don’t deserve this crazy compassionate love, the grace He showers me with over and over again. “Thank You” is too mild, too weak, too trite to convey the gratefulness in my heart, mind and soul. I hope that this morning we are all overcome by gratefulness for Heaven’s generosity.