ON THIS CHRISTMAS DAY OF OUR LORD

   I marvel at it all! This most Holy day, set apart from all the rest. For just this moment in time a calm has settled on the earth. The quiet, stillness speaks so loud of its holiness and you can almost hear the angels sing, “Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:8-14 And it is said, “This day is holy to the Lord your God.” Neh. 8:9

   All pause and fall under the hush of this day, a Selah moment in time. The busyness of mankind has ceased and the hustle and bustle and the running to and fro have halted, even for just a moment. A hallowed quiet has been planted in the hearts of mankind, and “the whole earth is at rest and quiet.” Is. 14:7 This consecrated day of our Lord serves a higher purpose than man can comprehend.

   This blessed peace that is here today falls upon us, on this most sacred day of His birth, fulfilling the promise that had long been told. He came for ALL mankind and He alone is worthy!

   It was Christmas time and I had been asking the Lord to give me a deeper understanding of what Jesus had done for us on that Christmas so long ago. Every day I searched the scriptures and prayed, until one day He showed me a new perspective from the book of Isaiah, a peek behind the veil at the beautiful story of redemption.

   Would you journey with me to a place far, far away. A place beyond our physical reach or even beyond our comprehension, a place so glorious that it will move us at such a deep level because of its glorious splendor.

   As we enter our destination, please be still. See through the eyes of your heart, allow “God to illuminate the eyes of your imagination.” Eph. 1:18 Really see it! Do not let one detail escape from your memory. Sear it in deeply through the layers of your heart and remember it well.

   Holy Spirit is our guide and he leads us to the Throne Room of the Lord, found in the book of Isaiah!

   “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wing; with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!

   And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said; “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”  Isaiah 6:1-5

   Did you see Him? Did you lift your head upward, stretching the muscles and pulling at the fibers of your neck as you look at Him who is high and lifted up?

    Did you happen to notice His robe, filling the whole, entire temple?  So majestic and magnificent is His splendor that fills the room with its beauty.

   Did you also feel the humility of the seraphim; did you cover yourself in His awesome presence? And did the words spill out of your mouth, pouring forth in praise, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts?”

   Did the sound of the shaking reverberate within the chambers of your heart, thump, thumping to the sound of Him? And did the smoke sting at your eyes, or was it the tears that really stung at the realization of your own uncleanliness in the presence of holiness? For it is you and I that Isaiah was speaking of when he said that he ‘dwelt in the midst of a people of unclean lips.’

   Were you in that Throne room in the presence of the Most High God?

   And now, once again, we will take another journey, a different kind from the last one, to a quiet sort of place marked with the scent of manure and urine. Quiet, except for the soft bleating of sheep and the continuous chewing of oxen, and the occasional swishing of tails. Animal dander and dust float in the atmosphere, drifting into the shadows that hold the cold, damp darkness, but still the only resting place for the mother of our Lord. Peer into the interior of this worn out stable and see the only cradle available for the Most High God, a trough still with the remains of the animal fodder.

   And now let us return once again to the Most Holy of places, the Throne room. Lift your eyes upward and see Him there. Our Lord. The ancient of Old, The Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings! Don’t tear your eyes away from Him.

Hold fast! See Him as He slowly stands.

   He removes the crown from upon His precious head. He releases the clasp that holds His royal robe and lets it fall from His shoulders, and He starts the downward trek. Step by step He leaves His throne, His position, His rightful place. He turns away from the continuous praise and worship and walks away from the sovereign reign with His Father.

  He puts on flesh and steps down into the earth, into the stable, small and helpless.

   And why would He do that?

   And He speaks His answer and it rings loud in this season of grace. Love was the driving force. It was love that took Him from the throne room straight into the manager that Christmas long, long ago.

 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16 NKJ)

   Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” Luke 2:8-14