Of the Father’s Love Begotten
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Of the Father’s love begotten,
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore!
At His Word the worlds were framèd;
He commanded; it was done:
Heaven and earth and depths of ocean
In their threefold order one;
All that grows beneath the shining
Of the moon and burning sun,
Evermore and evermore!
O ye heights of heaven adore Him;
Angel hosts, His praises sing;
Powers, dominions, bow before Him,
and extol our God and King!
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert sing,
Evermore and evermore!
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; with- out him nothing was made that has been made... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1: 1-3, 14
As I imagine the Great Creator God designing and speaking creation into existence, it brings me great joy to picture Jesus there in that process. Poignantly, we see in Genesis with Adam being asked to name the animals, that you and I are called to be part of that creating, too. I think it is easy to forget how much God values us. Through Jesus we understand God’s power, his gentleness, his commitment to all they made.
Isn’t it amazing that this carol says Jesus was of the father’s love begotten? That Jesus was created, born, begotten of the Father’s love, not of anger or wrath. Instead of God being an angry old man in the sky, God is a force of love that longs for relationship and community, and that love was there since the beginning of time. That love was the impulse from which all things were made.
Christmas, then, is a celebration of God’s longing for relationship made human. As Jesus broke in on Christmas, he came to show us the love from which he was begotten. The one whom heaven adored, whom powers and kingdoms bow down before, he is born. “Let no tongue on earth be silent!”
Prayer: God, thank you for loving us enough to send your son Jesus. In His mighty and holy name we pray, Amen.
—Merideth Hite Estevez