“Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” In response, Abraham prophesied, “My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together”. Genesis 22:7-8

It can take a long time for God to answer prayer. We can wait decades and it’s hard to persevere. We faint, question God’s love and attention, and fight for faith. Between the time of Abraham and the fulfillment of a Lamb spanned many generations.

Travel with me as we stand at the door of a stable, looking in.  We see a young man and woman holding a newborn infant in their arms.  The mood is hushed.  The moment is holy. We enter, are warmly welcomed, and ask Joseph and Mary, “May I hold him?” 

Jesus is just not Joseph and Mary’s baby.  He belonged to the ages. Abraham and Isaac, in heaven, felt the impact! And, He’s our baby too.  “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”  Holding the little Lamb of God is very personal because He is here to forgive our sins and wash away our guilt.  Our fallen nature has eaten away at our psyche until we’re left feeling like a shell of a person.  We are agitated and tormented until we are loved and forgiven.

The hardest things in life are often bittersweet.  Against the backdrop of tragedy, beauty arises out of the ashes.  The manger and the cross are in each other’s shadow, and Mary invites us to ponder the enormity of the implications. 

My Lamb.  You are Your Father’s provision for my sin. Amen