The First Noel Verse 6

I actually don't remember this verse, but I found it looking up the exact lyrics online yesterday, so hey.

Then let us all with one accord

Sing praises to our heavenly Lord

That hath made Heaven and Earth of nought

And with His blood mankind has bought 

 Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel

 Born is the King of Israel.

Man, that's a message we could all use this time of century.  This time of political season.  This time of international crisis.

And since the first two lines are fairly simple and necessary, I'm going to just let them be.  They are important.  We should remember them.










The second two lines are one of the mysteries of God I've never really been able to get a handle on -- much less begin to unravel.  There are a lot of mysteries of God I've thought about and prayed about that get more complex as you look at them or twist on you or otherwise prove their infinite depth through careful study.  This one is more that it slips from my grasp like that silly children's toy any time I make a grab at it.

If God made the universe and all it's rules -- why did He have to die to save us from them?  What is so precious about the rules that they were worth His sacrifice?  Why set things up that way in the first place?  What is so precious about what/who it makes us?  What is so important about the gauntlet our world presents us...

Or is it nothing to do with us?  Is there something beyond us going on that God had to deal with and step in to save the bit players in the grand celestial drama because He couldn't bear to see us be casualties -- collateral damage -- to that fight?  To be honest, that's the closest I come to seeing any sense in it.

Which just shows that these blogs are my way of really meditating on the nature of the universe and God's grace.  Just throwing thoughts up here until something sticks in as good faith as I can manage.

But whatever the reason -- I think it makes Jesus's sacrifice of Himself, His willingness to change the nature of God to include a death, even a conquered death -- I think that the choice element of the equation just makes it all more remarkable.  God didn't make the choice because He was backed into a corner and chose to protect us.  He set up the system, knowing what He would have to do for us.  He set up the gameboard, whatever its ultimate purpose, knowing that that was a move He would have to make for our sake.

I've thought about this on a smaller scale.  Because it grosses me out to think of God interfering with the system to say, reverse someone's sickness via a miracle.  Because if He does that, if that's a thing He does, then He and I are going to have Words about Him not doing that for my dad.  To be really, really frank: I get mad as hell when people talk about God stopping a sickness or, at the faculty retreat this semester, stopping a bullet on their behalf.  If God interferes with the system, then...I really can't think beyond that.

And Mom, when you read this, I know that your reaction will be to try to talk me around it.  Please don't do that.  I am not ready.  I don't want to talk about it.

But one of the things I do believe in is God sending little signs and blessings -- because that's PART of the system.  Because that's something set in motion eons back.  And that makes it MORE loving and awesome.  That worked into the delicate creation at the beginning of things, there was a little niggling thought of me that would, billions of years later, send a butterfly to cross my path on a hard day to remind me that everything's okay.  That's unimaginable love.

And there are so many beautiful things that could stir my heart that were worked into the system that the real miracle might be me noticing them in the first place.  And I do believe in God and the Holy Spirit filling us up so that we are more aware of these blessings.  I do believe in Him helping us find the strength and the way to be better people.  I believe in His spiritual interference, in short.  That's all part of the Plan.  Just like His death was, shockingly.

He planned to die.  When He was creating this imperfect world with all its problems and sins -- whatever purpose they serve -- He knew He would someday die for us.  And He set everything in motion just the same.

That's more love than Him looking around one day and only making the decision then.  And even that's an incomprehensible amount of love.