On Being Made Part III

It was as though the whole universe was pressed into the size of a baby’s fist;
as if eternity was forced into a moment of time;
as if all goodness, grace, and love took human form;
as if the All-Powerful One somehow made himself quite vulnerable;
as if the all knowing one dressed himself in ignorance and walked among us.
There He was, the One through whom all things were made, frail and needy,
being held ever so cautiously in the crook of Mary’s arm.
What do we make of the maker becoming one of the made?

It is understandable that we are being made. It makes sense that we are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory. That is because we are frail creatures, faulty and broken souls. We desperately need to be remade—God does not. It is we who have a need to be made new, a need to be made more human. It was for our sake that Christ became human, for our sake—Bethlehem!

I have many friends in many places and I love them all. But there are moments, hours, days of self doubt in which I might cling to the closest soul if they would just hold me and tell me—it’s all right. In moments of crisis the voice of a friend can sooth me from miles away by telling me—that I am precious to them. And while God could simply speak across the chasm of our sins, while He could transform us from a far, He has stooped to be near us. Through the words of scripture we are told that we are precious to God—and in the coming of His son He has offered elegant proof.

Now that the Son has been made human He can touch us in our moments of crisis. Now He is here to tell us, “It’s all right! Do not be afraid. See how precious you are to me?” In a world where little remains the same—He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And yet, the Timeless Creator has chosen to become one of the made in order that here and now we might know His love is true, that He might save us from ourselves, that He might make us new. Now I see how precious I am to Him.

What do we make of this mystery; the maker becoming one of the made? What do we make of the hands that shaped clay becoming clay? The Son of God, Who was with God in the beginning, Who is God, made himself nothing and—taking the very nature of a servant—was made human. I need no further proof that He loves me, no further proof that I am precious to Him. I need no other guarantee that His promises are true. I need no other sign than “a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Emmanuel! For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Is. 43:4, Luke 1:43, Luke 2:12, John 1:1, 1Cor 6:19, 2Cor. 1:20, 2Cor. 3:18, Phil. 2:7