Discipleship Corner by Wendy Sykes
Apart, Yet One
The great sacrifice of God’s beloved Son was not a single occurrence on the Cross at Calvary. It actually began in a makeshift cradle in Bethlehem….
They were together from the very beginning—of everything! All of eternity past they shared together. Yet now, for the very first time (at least in a physical sense) there is a separation between God and Son. Yes, they are one in being, purpose, and Spirit, but a great chasm now lies between them—the distance from heaven to earth. This speaks of God’s determined love for His people. It is quite magnificent to think about—for thirty long years God made this “sacrifice of separation” on our behalf.
Imagine your child being transferred to a different work location that is halfway around the world from where you live, and will be stationed there for thirty years! Yes, you could communicate through phone, text and email, but that would be a poor substitute for being in the presence of your loved one. Because of God’s great sacrifice we are able to be in the presence of our Lord—loved, cherished, and forgiven—now and throughout all of eternity.
Father and Son still communicated, of course, but we get a sense of just how much God misses His Son on two very sacred occasions: immediately following Christ’s baptism, and again on the Mount of Transfiguration. On both occasions, He was brimming with Fatherly love and pride when He said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. These two historic occasions were merely the audible words for man to hear, but I am convinced God whispered these thoughts, among many others, into the mind and heart of Christ throughout those thirty, earth-trodden years.
Scripture informs us that to God, a thousand years is like day. We can only hope that the sorrow felt between them was exceedingly brief in the face of the dark, steely suffering that was to come—scoffed at, rejected, and despised; beaten, bruised and crucified.
Our Savior, owner of Eternity, nestled down in a feeding trough in a stable in Bethlehem, surrounded by animals. This scene is reminiscent of God with the first Adam—surrounded by animals in a garden.
That is how the world began for man in Eden…this is how eternity begins for man in Bethlehem. There is no time or distance too great for which God is not willing to make this sacrifice on our behalf through His beloved Son. What a Father…What a Savior…What a gift!
A Christmas Prayer:
Oh precious newborn King, incarnate God, Giver and Healer of everything, how we adore You, how much we want to remain as one with You, never straying from Your precious bleeding side that would later come. You alone are the Christ Mass, the great and holy Love that came down to us from heaven and in Whom we worship, praise and adore, and Whose sacrifice we shall remember for all eternity.
Amen and Amen.
