“Oh Great God, be small enough to hear me now.”
The words of the song by a popular Christian singer ease through the grill fabric of my desktop speakers, like thousands of others which have squeezed out of the little electromagnetic devices in nights past. Most of those nights have been spent in hours of thought, and moments of prayer, and fleeting instants of inspiration.
This time, the words seem to fall from the little off-white plastic towers and land right-side-up on my desktop, looking for all the world like inspiration to me.
I have been contemplating Christmas this evening. It is now, after all, the eve of that holy day–the day when all of the world pauses, if only for a moment, to acknowledge the Infant King lying in the manger. That manger, meant to hold fodder for the beasts of the field, for just this single moment in time, holds the King of all Creation.
I look at the words, lined up on my desk, awaiting my instructions.
“Be small enough…“
In my mind, I saw our family gathering earlier in the evening. My great-niece, not yet two months old, was the center of attention as she was passed from the loving arms of one person after another. Even the little children had their turn at holding the helpless child. She can do nothing for herself, but is dependent on those who care for her–for food, for warmth, for comfort.
I couldn’t help but turn my eyes to the other children present and think of a time when they also were as helpless. No more.
Our Christmas gatherings have seen the ebb and flow of babies and children, grown to adolescents and adults. With the new babies now from those who were babies in my arms just a few years ago, the process has come full circle, and promises to go around again soon. It seems that they grow so fast.
It has always been so.
I stroke the little tyke on her face and speak in baby talk. I care not one whit that I am surrounded by others who are adults and even children. They do the same, completely at ease with the sweet girl. How easy it is to crowd around her and show her love.
“Oh Great God…“
The words begin to take hold and I begin to understand anew the King who became a helpless baby.
In the famous children’s tale, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, L. Frank Baum brings together his fantastic crew of characters, all needing a life-changing touch, and he moves them through a series of adventures to the Emerald City. When they finally come into the throne room where the Great and Powerful Oz supposedly will see them, they are in awe and terror of this fearful ruler. He does nothing to assuage their fears, with his illusions and fakery. They leave in despair, having received no hope–only a futile assignment.
How discouraging. And tragic. But that is the image many of us have of the King of all the universe. To us, He is a distant, powerful, and unreasonable despot. We couldn’t be more wrong.
I sat beside my grandson, already so tall, this evening, and brushed the unruly blond hair away from his eyes. He is growing up faster than I want him to, but no faster than he should. It seems only months ago, he was a baby in my arms to be held and quieted as his mother and father had some much needed time to finish their meal in peace. Now, he is explaining the purpose of the maneuver we call the pass in several sports.
“Not that I know everything about all sports, you know…” I hide my smile of pride, so he will not be embarrassed. His vocabulary is extensive and the grasp he has on his world is expanding exponentially. It is a process I have lived through myself, and then experienced with his mother and uncle before him.
“…be small enough to hear me now.”
The great and powerful King became one of us. Not full grown and regal, to rule over us, but He came–a helpless baby–dependent on those who loved and cared for Him. He grew to be an intelligent child, explaining things to the adults in His world. When He had matured into the stature of a man, other men readily followed Him.
He came as a baby–giving up absolute power in order to accomplish the ultimate feat of love and redemption.
He came as a baby.
Is He small enough to hear me?
What a Great God we have.
Worship Christ, the Newborn King.
“I am Oz, the Great and Terrible,”
spoke the beast, in a voice that was one great roar.
“Who are you, and why do you seek me?”
(From “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” ~ L Frank Baum ~ American author ~ 1856-1919)
“The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:14 ~ NIV)
© Paul Phillips. He’s Taken Leave. 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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