How He Came
By Sarah Walker
By Sarah Walker
Behold, the virgin shall
conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14b (ESV)
Isaiah 7:14b (ESV)
At
this time of year, we often hear how Jesus came to earth as an infant. And
there is complete truth in this. But being pregnant at Christmastime this year,
I have found myself considering that while Jesus did come to earth as a baby…He,
in fact, arrived sooner than His birth. In both Matthew and Luke, the two Gospels
which contain the story surrounding the birth of Jesus, we hear about His
conception. We are told the details around how He came to earth, but His
arrival didn’t begin the day of His birth.
He
was present in Mary’s womb, where she carried Him for nine months before anyone
else got to meet Him. He chose to arrive as a zygote…a fertilized egg…a fetus. Call
it what you will, and regardless of the precise specifics around how it
happened, Jesus made His incarnation first known in the tiniest form of life
possible. Often overlooked today, He was present in the most helpless of
human forms inside Mary’s womb, as fully God and fully man. He arrived humbly and unseen, more like a seed planted and
hidden away to grow.
In
much the same way, Jesus often starts His work in us as a tiny seed which first
gets planted and hidden away where no one can see it. But over time, no one can
deny its presence. His work in us starts as something small and barely
perceptible, yet something that requires the supernatural work of the Holy
Spirit to accomplish. Then, over time, the seed that He plants may begin to
grow. It may grow so that we can no longer deny its presence. Those closest to
us may become aware of the changes. Next, the seed may grow so that anyone who
looks at us notices a difference in us. Eventually, what started out as a small
seed is birthed, and the world encounters God in a new way.
Even
when no one else was aware of it, Jesus came and dwelt in Mary. So too will He
come into our own lives, making Himself known first in the smallest of forms. And
then growing until the time is right for Him to be revealed through us to those
around us.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
What seeds has
the Holy Spirit planted in your own life? If you haven’t yet seen them come to
fruition, ask God to give you His insight and appreciation for the growth He is
doing in your life.
Sarah is
married to Scott and is a full-time mom to their two young sons. She and Scott
are involved in a small group focused on prayer and are expecting to welcome
their third son in January.
