I must confess.  The following thoughts are not my own.  They come from the blog of Dan Bode.  This article simply made me think.  So many of the thoughts here have been running circles in my mind for so long, except without any clear articulation.  Dan Bode has helped place my thoughts in order.  And I am blessed.  I wanted to pass it on so you can be blessed as well.

It was indeed a Silent and Holy night.

There was little left to do but watch. The animals had long since fallen asleep. The small town activities had for the most part ceased, and those who still escaped the realm of dreams were oblivious to the occasion to which they were not witness. Most were merely puzzled by the Star never seen before even though it seemed to hover right over this little town of Bethlehem, a town whose very existence was based on the industry of providing sacrificial lambs for the temple in Jerusalem.

The only sounds were the moans of a young, soon-to-be mother in the final hours of a labor that had begun in the Garden so long ago. The will of her body was overcome by the need of the moment as contraction after contraction contorted her features with pain. But she had known this was out of her control from the moment she became aware of His presence.

The only other person aware of the import of this moment is the man at her side. The one on whose shoulders fall the responsibility of helping to bring into this world He who will be the Flesh of God.

All the questions that race through their minds are pushed aside as the symphony of the birthing process reaches its crescendo, and suddenly the Life of Man is Present in this world.

I find myself envious of their perspective. They were there at the beginning, and all they knew of the child at that moment was the name of His Father and His role as Savior of the world. They could take joy in the grasping hands and the baby’s laughter.

I, on the other hand, have the historical perspective as well.

I can look back at His birth, and look back at His death as well.

And there lies the difference..

I cannot see the newborn babe without the grown man on the cross.

I cannot see the grasping hands without the nails piercing His flesh.

I cannot see the smooth brow without the thorns.

What I can see is the mercy of our maker.

Some would say we deserve only His pity for what we’ve done with what He’s given us, but pity is merely mercy without action, and God can never be described as complacent.

He has always been active in His love for us, even undeserving as we are. And because of all this I will always see the whole life of Christ as the Great Substitution. Completely undeserved.

Undeserved by Christ for suffering penalties not meant for Him.

Undeserved by me for being unable to make the necessary sacrifice.

It took so long for me to discover that I truly needed a Savior.

And so I sit as the world goes by around me; almost everyone once again oblivious to the occasion to which they are not witness.

So, into this Silent and Holy Night I have these three things to say:

God have mercy.

Joy to the world when you recognize your Lord.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

May your Christmas be full of thoughts and images about the reality of our existence.  May you focus on our Creator, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Friend.  Merry Christmas.