ALTDORFER, Albrecht,Nativity, c. 1513

 John 1:14

^“14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

1 Timothy 3:16

^“16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness:

He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated by the Spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.”

This is the mystery of Godliness: His mission to be flesh starting off as a baby.  God coming as a baby in order to be like us.  Fulfilling what it is to be perfection.  Sacrificing Himself  to bring us to Himself. 

This is the mystery of Godliness: His vindication through His resurrection after being crucified.

This is the mystery of Godliness: His victory…even the angels witnessed His power over all spiritual forces.

This is the mystery of Godliness:  The proclamation of His gospel has broken the barriers of race and religion to reach all nations.

This is the mystery of Godliness:  People all over the world have believed, do believe, will believe in Him for salvation.

This is the mystery of Godliness: He was taken up into glory.

And GREAT is this mystery.  How privileged we are to know it…to have it!

If you can, look into the eyes of a baby this Christmas and imagine what it would’ve been like to look into Jesus’s baby eyes.  The eyes of a baby whose mission was to one day be a victor who would break down walls of race, religion, language and social standing in order to reconcile ultimately to Himself.  A most zealous soldier, desiring victory for His name which is mercy, justice, righteousness and peace.  He would fight not by His sword but by His enemy’s sword allowing it to bring him to the cross and plunge into His own side.  

The only man to choose to be born…because He is the God Man. This was this babe’s mission…by choice. 

To do right now: Meditate on the above verses.  Listen to the song: From the Squalor of a Borrowed Stable . This song gives us a larger life view of the baby in the nativity and takes us beyond it.  Write a prayer or journal your thoughts. If you click on the link below, you can download the entire first week of this devotional and print it out.  There is room on the print out to record thoughts, journaling and prayers.  The lyrics to the music are recorded in the pdf as well.

BEYOND THE NATIVITY DEVOTIONAL IN PDF FORM