Praises at Birth

 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies and exalts the Lord,
47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
48 “For He has looked [with loving care] on the humble state of His maidservant;
For behold, from now on all generations will count me blessed and happy and favored by God!

Mary’s joyful response to the coming of Christ was to bring praises in song.

Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus 1744
By: Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Joy to those who long to see thee,
Dayspring from on high, appear;
come, thou promised Rod of Jesse,
of thy birth we long to hear!
O’er the hills the angels singing
news, glad tidings of a birth:
“Go to him, your praises bringing;
Christ the Lord has come to earth.”

Charles Wesley carefully crafts this advent hymn and prayer of celebration and an invitation to bring praises for the coming and arrival of Christ.

PARABLE:  Other than the birth of my own two adored children, I have had the opportunity to be present during two extraordinary births. One was when my friend Mary and I were present during the birthing process of a young Haitian mother at the Northwest Haitian Christian Mission Prenatal Clinic in St Louis Du Nord, Haiti. Spending two days with her in moments of pain and joy of the anticipation of her first child without her husband (he had to work several cities away and could not afford the privilege of taking off work to experience the birth of his child) was a gift. We shared the love of Jesus, pampered her, and passed the lonely moments with reassuring smiles, hugs, and hand-holding during walks. This meant so much to her that she let us name her child. We named her Hope. This honor was priceless.

The second extraordinary birth I experienced was the birth of my great-niece Samina. I drove eleven hours alone and spent several days with my niece before the birth of her first child. When she went into labor, my niece and son also drove eleven hours to be present at the birth. We were on pins and needles counting the hours and praying that the baby did not arrive before they arrived. Ten minutes before Samina came to earth, my niece and son arrived exhausted from the long drive but in joyous anticipation of the birth of this special child. It was as if God stopped time to let them catch up with time and be present for Samina’s birth. This was a special birth and meant so much to us because my niece is the daughter of my sister who had recently passed away. Us being there for this special occasion was like being a proxy for my sister in Heaven. On both occasions, we prayed and gave thanks and praises to God for the coming of the children. While both births were extraordinary, neither were as significant as the coming and arrival of Jesus. 

It is a birth of the past that brought us blessings in the present and in the future. Jesus’ birth brought hope, love, joy, and peace. As the songwriter, I invite you during this advent season to bring your gift of praise to celebrate and reflect on the birth of Christ, acknowledge the gift He gave just for you, and give praises for the birth of Christ who has come to Earth.

Soul care training exercise: Go to him, your praises bringing; Christ the Lord has come to earth. As we experience this advent season, will you take time to Ponder the question “What did the arrival of Christ bring specifically for me?”

• Reflect and let the Holy Spirit reveal to you what gift you received from the arrival of Christ? Let it be personal. Perhaps complete the sentence without the birth of Christ I would not have _____________________.
• Notice without judgment and with a curious awareness of what comes to your mind. Invite God into your sanctified imagination. Ask Him to bring to your attention what He wants you to know about the gift you have because Jesus was born.
• Next scan your mind and notice what the Holy Spirit is sharing and bringing to your mind’s awareness.
• Finally, Focus on what you see and hear. Ask the Holy Spirit what you need to know, hear, or do. Expand your thoughts, it may be something you never heard told this way before. With a breath of gratitude, breathe in and breathe out and accept what Jesus is offering to you.

PRAYER: Abba, I give thanks, I rejoice, I sing praises that Jesus was born for me. Thank you for the gift of love that requires or expects nothing. Accept my response of praise and thanksgiving. Let me accept the gifts of hope, joy, love and peace that come so freely not because of the Advent season but because of the Gift-giver. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. 

PRAISE: Now that you have emptied your mind of the clutter and wandered with Jesus, take a closing moment to give thanks to God for His hope, joy, love, and peace. Then take the mindfulness of Jesus’ Presence in these last few minutes of wandering into the next ones and beyond.

Until next time, be Resonant.

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Image attributions:  Text art app with words added