Carol Two: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Listen to this version of our second Carol...pay attention to the final verse:

Born thy people to deliver,

born a child and yet a King,

born to reign in us forever,

now thy gracious kingdom bring.

By thine own eternal spirit

rule in all our hearts alone;

by thine all sufficient merit,

raise us to thy glorious throne.

I am so struck and taken by that second line ~ born a child and yet a King.  In the manager there is a puzzling paradox ~ God in the flesh.  Not among the princes or powerful...not in palaces or even religious temples...God in a barn.  This is not how the story is supposed to go (and don't even get me started on the ending of the story on God's Friday where God's love incarnate - in the flesh - is hung on a cross, really?)  The story is supposed to be about climbing the ladder of success.  More loaves and fishes miracles, less of that 'picking up your cross' stuff if you really want to lure people to your movement.  And this whole born in a barn beginnings, I guess we can talk about humble beginnings. But the point of Jesus is Christmas is not something to leave behind.  It is actually the key to the whole story.  If we don't want to linger in the scratchy straw, next to shepherds of questionable hygiene, we might be missing the point.  This is more than likely why we repeat Advent every year, because this big, bold, scandalously truth needs to keep working and wearing on us - day after day - year after year.

Let that Spirit make room in Your heart this day...and listen to this beautiful rendition again because it makes me smile and warms my soul better than a sugar cookie straight from the oven.

Prayer: Enter in my heart, O God, for You alone are the One who can strengthen and steer and sustain my whole life.  Amen.