sit in the stillness...sit at the foot of the cross...trace the fingerprints of the Father...a quiet night in Bethlehem...a town with no room for Mary and Joseph...a world with no room for Jesus...angels sang and shepherds worshiped...and Mary sat in awe as she gathered these moments in her heart of hearts...her wonder only growing as Jesus grew...kings came with gifts and bowed low before a toddler who although human was God Himself...a 12 year old boy now sits in the temple teaching the learned about Himself...they simply did not recognize Him...and Mary again treasures the moments and memories...a ministry begun...disciples chosen not from royalty..rather from the ordinary and everyday...for is that not where Jesus always shows up? people came from everywhere to see this Jesus...to be healed...forgiven...fed...loved...and accepted...to look into those eyes of compassion...to feel His touch of tenderness...to hear words so unlike any words ever heard before...loved by thousands...hated by a few...by a powerful and vocal few...and is that not how life tends to play out? and even the demons knew His name and begged to be left alone...and the few plotted and planned...how to kill the One loved by so many...as His fame grew so did their panic wrapped in hatred...one disciple loved money more than Jesus..and the plan already known by the One who hung the stars in space unfolded...a night of agonizing prayer...disciples who just couldn't stay awake...and in them I see myself...torches and swords and a kiss of betrayal...disciples run as Jesus is led away...interrogations...mock trials...denials by one so loved...Pilate afraid...afraid of Jesus yet more afraid of losing his reputation...Jesus turned over to the those who hated Him...the One who willingly came into the world He had created now tortured and spit on and bleeding from the flogging and the thorns twisted into a crown only to be pressed into flesh so soft...a cross carried...hands and feet nailed to that cross...and He hung to die so we could live...and His Father turned His face away...could a darker darkness possibly exist? His side was pierced to fulfill prophecy...His body tenderly wrapped and laid in a grave...and all of heaven and earth was silent..tears fell from heaven as Jesus lay in the tomb...but oh the joy as the plan of salvation written by the Father from before time began reached a culminating moment...Jesus defeated death forever...and that for which the baby in the manger had been born was now complete...
the fingerprints of the Father covered the Son from His first breath as a newborn to His last breath on the cross to His resurrecting victory to His ascension.
...and those fingerprints cover me and you and every life and heart beating since the dawn of time...
as you sit in the stillness of this season of waiting...allow yourself to feel the arms and hands and fingers belonging to those fingerprints holding you securely...fall back into His love as you lean forward in anticipation to the manger...
and remember always that a love so priceless and pure and extravagant and furious and glorious gives you hope upon hope because of the
manger turned cross.
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