Thou didst leave thy throne…- 9 February 2010

There is an old hymn with the above title.  It always makes me weep.  It talks about the incarnation, of Jesus, of God coming and living among us.  Each verse points out the deprivation and difficulties of Jesus’ life.  I am so thankful to Jesus that he had a tough life on my, on your, on our behalf.

Isn’t it great that we worship a God who chose to come to earth and be born in a shed, among the animals?  When we are in poverty, we know Jesus chose to know what poverty is like too.

Isn’t it great that, as a small child, he learnt what it was like to be a refugee?  When we have to flee from situations, we know that the infant Jesus suffered this too.

Isn’t it great that he knows what a hard day’s work feels like?  When we sweat and pray for strength, we are not praying to a “soft handed deity”, but entrusting ourselves into the callused hands of Jesus the carpenter.

Isn’t it great that he took on Satan single handed in the desert without food or drink and beat him 3-0.  When we wrestle with temptation, we pray to a God who won out against temptation.

Isn’t it great that he came and lived and died for us, because the heart of God cannot bear the thought of eternity without you or me?  That’s the reality of the situation.  It doesn’t matter how little we feel we are worth; it doesn’t matter what lies we have been told by dark voices in the past.  We are each of infinite worth because the God who made the universe came looking for us.

Oh come to my heart Lord Jesus, there is room in my heart for thee!