Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, BEFORE Abraham was even born, I AM!" (John 8:58 NLT — emphasis added.)
BEFORE the Magi…
BEFORE the manger…
BEFORE the shepherds watching their flocks heard the news…
BEFORE the angels filled the sky with their songs of joyous praise…
BEFORE the visit to Elizabeth offered hope and affirmation to Mary's heart…
BEFORE Mary's hard conversation with her betrothed Joseph and his incredibly courageous choice to stay and believe...
BEFORE the angel appeared to the virgin Mary with the startling words of God's plan and the Holy Spirit's mysterious work and Mary's breathtaking words of faith and commitment…
BEFORE the words of the prophets that anticipated his coming and his ruling and his redeeming…
BEFORE the coming of King David and The Holy One's promise of a royal descendant whose reign would never end…
BEFORE Abraham received God's promise of a people and a place and a blessing through his seed that would bless all nations…
BEFORE there was a beginning of creation…
BEFORE all things we know, Jesus had always been I AM.
When we think about the tiny boy in that Bethlehem manger, the baby we call the Christ child, the little boy born with no place to stay and no one to open their arms to welcome him except Joseph and Mary, we must also remember! We must remember that this child is God with us, Immanuel, the great I AM. This baby is the Creator of the universe and the sustainer of all that we know. This baby is the God who is the giver of every good and perfect gift.
This child lying in the manger is the gift of eternity wrapped in a tiny living bundle of fragility. This baby is the immortal and unbreakable God willingly clothed in mortal and vulnerable flesh so that he could bring life and immortality to light as Jesus. This baby is God as one of us.
The miracle of the manger is not just that God came near; the miracle is that God chose to come here as one of us. He came to us wrapped in strips of cloth and named Jesus. So look at this little baby and know that he
[I]s the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is BEFORE all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17 — emphasis added.).
This baby, this Jesus, is I AM. He is BEFORE! He is BEFORE all things regarding rank, importance, and value. He is BEFORE all things in terms of time, existence, and creation. And this one who is BEFORE all things came into our world of limitations and owned those limitations as his own so that he could bring life and future without limitations.
As we welcome Jesus, let's remember who he is. Let's remember what he has done for us. Let's remember and realize that he chose to pay the price to fix our messes by coming to our world and sleeping in a wooden box at his birth and then went to a wooden cross at his death to free us from our boxes of death and limitations.
See the child in the manger? Remember that this tiny one is also the one who is BEFORE!
Readings this week to help us focus on the Jesus who is BEFORE:
Tuesday: Colossians 1:15-23
Thursday: Hebrews 1:1-3
Friday: Exodus 3:7-15
Saturday: John 6:35, 41, 48, 51; John 8:12, 23, 28, 58; John 9:5
Sunday: John 10:7, 9, 11, 14; John 11:25
Monday: John 14:6-20
This is part of a four-part Christmas series entitled: "Give Me Jesus":
Each has a YouTube video attached to add to their impact and blessing.
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