“She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated “God with us.” Matthew 1:21-23.

Have we ever stopped to really consider what that event meant? I remember talking with a family member who had a difficult time grasping how Jesus could be fully God and fully human – knowing how sinful humans are. He loved the fully God part but some did not. “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. And he marveled because of their unbelief.” Mark 6:3-6. 

In our chapter, Job 25, Bildad would have had a hard time believing “God made flesh to live among us” (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). The whole chapter in Job is short enough to share here: Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: “Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven. Can his forces be numbered? On whom does his light not rise? How then can a mortal be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes, how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot – a human being, who is only a worm!” v. 1-6. 

I can’t help but marvel at the grandeur in sheer number, diversity, complexity and beauty that is the creating of our God – Father, Son, Spirit. God is not about limits when it comes to beauty and numbers! I marvel at how often we humans have been surprised by what God has done throughout our history. Abraham was told by God that his descendants would number more than the grains of sand on the seashore or the stars in heaven and how could Abraham have comprehended that? Yet look at how many people have lived and died and will yet live! Our God is amazing! We are not maggots or worms to our God who created us in His image and likeness – and One pure was born of a woman of flesh. Our God loves us so much He became one of us to show us the love of God in action. On this day celebrated by people around the world, presents will be opened and loved shared. Our greatest gift? For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16. Lord, help us be ready to believe You.