GOD HAS BARED HIS HOLY ARM!
[BREAKING THE BREAD OF GOD’S WORD]
CHRISTMAS DAY 2015
GOD HAS BARED HIS HOLY ARM
Promise has come to fulfillment today. A child is born for
us; a Savior is sent to us. All our longings, from the historical viewpoint,
took place in history. All our dreams and desires, have been given a definite
pledge of fulfillment, though the fullness of which is not yet with us.
But the already of His birth has come to pass. The “not yet”
of the fullness of salvation is something we still need to work for “in fear
and trembling” but with a definite outcome on the side of the God of promises
and the God of fulfillment.
Isaiah is definitely inspired today. He speaks of God
“baring His arm.”
The arm is a symbol of power. The arm is a concrete sign of
presence. When one’s arm is outstretched, it could be a hand of blessing or an
arm of support. But the arm outstretched could also be an arm that reprimands,
that punishes, that reminds us when we go our wayward ways.
But a gentle outstretch arm is also a sign of support, of
caress, of tenderness and care.
The arms of the baby Jesus are now outstretched, reaching
out to the world. For he was born for us and for our salvation.
Christmas has always been a time of giving and sharing, And
it is so precisely because God has bared his arm to His people.
But there is a word that cannot be glossed over. God has
bared His HOLY arm. That arm is geared for life, for support, for care, for
mercy and compassion – the very same
virtues that ought to be characteristic traits of everyone this Jubilee
Year of mercy, for that was what God did. That is what and who God is. For you.
For me. For the world.
Christmas is not just sentimental recollection of events
past. No … It is a coming to fruition of what God has promised. And it is
bearing fruit in plenty for the life of the world. It means being what the
Child Jesus is, was and will be forever.
A Son born for us … a Savior given to us!
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