HOTW: Born This Happy Morning
Simeon and Anna Recognize the Lord in Jesus, Rembrandt, 1627
Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be all glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.
What a happy day indeed that saw the promises fulfilled – a Savior born to a fallen world! This verse makes me think of Simeon and Anna in the temple, though they did not find out the Lord had come until the Babe was a few weeks old. Do you know their story? Simeon had been promised by the Spirit that He would not see death before he had seen the Messiah. Can you imagine that old man’s joy in seeing the promises come true? And Anna, an elderly widow who shared the hope of the Savior with Temple-goers night and day, must have been overjoyed. It delights me to think of their expressions when they saw their Infant King! Read their stories in Luke 2:21-39.
As we have studied this week, Jesus, the King whose birth we celebrate at Christmas, is fully man, but also fully God. As God, He should be worshipped and given all glory. John 1:14 says:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
And so, Jesus is the Word of God become flesh, a man, in order to take the punishment for our sins so that we could be reconciled to God. His birth is a joyous occasion, but we should remember that the joy comes from our Father God’s love for us:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16
Let’s not ever forget that! The joy of Christmas is our joy in God’s tender love for us, that He sent His Son to live as one of us and to die in our place. Thank you, dear Father.