in the darkness He came

In the still, quiet, darkness she sneaked downstairs, plucked her Bible off the shelf and crawled up into my lap. Wrapped together in a blanket, by lamp light we read our Bibles together silently. After awhile she turned to her favorite story, the birth of Jesus,and whispered, "mama, you read?"

Brushing her unruly blonde curls from my face and settling her in my lap, I began

Everything was ready. The moment God had been waiting for was here at last! God was coming to help His people, just as He promised in the beginning. 

But how would He come? What would He be like? What would He do?

Mountains would have bowed down. Seas would have roared. Trees would have clapped their hands. But the earth held its breath. As silent as snow falling, He came in. And when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came...

The anticipation of Advent came rushing back to me and with bated breath I continued to read until my favorite words rolled off my tongue

Mary and Joseph named him Jesus, "Emmanuel"-- which means "God has come to live with us."

Because, of course, he had.

We continued on and my heart joined the shepherds and the wise men as they journeyed and bowed their heads to the ground before the baby King.  When we finished she whispered "mama, we sing?"  From my heart I began "Amazing Grace how sweet the sound..."

She gently placed her finger on my lips, shook her head and said, "no mama, Hark the Herald"

And so as light began to first break through the window this morning, snuggled in our blanket we sang,
Hark the Heralds Angels Sing...Away in a manger...O Come, O come Emmanuel...Joy to the World the Lord has come!

One after another she led me in song and I began my day reminded that Emmanuel did come, has come.  And [this morning] when no one was looking, in the darkness, he came.

As we look through the lens of Christmas to the Cross in this season of Lent, may you be reminded, led to bow your head to the ground before the infant King turned man, and know the reason He came.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. ~ Galatians 4:4-7