Author: haley montgomery

SONG:
It’s my first time to see the dark of night.
So, this is what the underside of stars look like.
My very first tear and the feeling of cold –
how odd that my body will actually grow.

My first few feelings of being human
are the same but different from what I imagined.
I know this body in intricate detail,
but, my knowing of the Father is different – I can tell.

Heaven looks hazy and faded from below,
but, inside a deep seeking, a longing to know.
It must be man’s emptiness, the one I will  fill,
when I become their Savior and all their sins heal.

SEARCH:
How are the diety of God and the frailty of man resolved in the flesh of one tiny babe?  What was it like for the One who made the world to be born into it?  Was His vision of heaven the same from within our firmament?  What was it like for the Light of the World to look into the dark night sky for the first time? Was His “knowing” of God, His Father, different after taking on human flesh?  Did He sense the human longing for God?  Through infant tears, did He remember what it was like to rest in the perfect peace of the Father’s bosom?  Mighty God.  Infant God.

SCENE:
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed… And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.  And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the house and lineage of David.  To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.  And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.  And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him  in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:1, 3-7)

SYNTAX:
Crowd.to press, cram, or force tightly together,
to put Pressure on 

SONG:
Running, bumping, pushing and shoving
Busy, busy, everyone is rushing.
So many visitors in Bethlehem  that night,
but, something was strange about this family’s blight.
We didn’t have a room, but he was quite insistent.
Imagine traveling in that condition –
a young man and his wife about to deliver.
She was already cold and starting to shiver.

The inn was all full, not a single bed open.
I know that our stable was not what they were hoping.
My wife and I helped her when it was time for the birth,
and she bore the pain bravely, for the babe had more worth.
They watched Him for hours, seeing something almost wise,
like they saw the face of God when they looked into His eyes.
I never would have believed in the bustle of that night
that we would find such stillness in a tiny infant’s light.

The others without time to wonder what they missed
didn’t see the face that tears had barely kissed,
but, we were reluctant witnesses to an evening filled with awe,
and the busy-ness of our hearts was stilled by what we saw.

SEARCH:
Born in a barn.  How odd.  There, in an animal stall with it’s hay and manure, it was not exactly a scene that commanded attention.  And, by our estimation, it was not a scene fit for a Baby King.  I’ve been in barns.  I wouldn’t want to lay my Baby Girl there.  Yet, by God’s estimation, it was the chosen spot.  The Sovereign Babe had been crowded out by so many other travelers, busy about their tasks.  The Savior of the world had arrived, and there was “no room in the inn.”

A good friend sent me some comments on my recent dignity post, and they really resonated with my hopes for this season.  It was another reminder to pay “intense” attention in our homes so that the important messages aren’t crowded out.  “It is so easy to get caught up in the endless urgency of mothering and miss the quiet, yet intensely important moments,” she said (you know who you are My Fair Lamb–“composition-challenged?” Harumph!)  Truth revealed.  Don’t we live in a world of “endless urgency?”  Each activity, mode of entertainment, and work task is vying to be heard above the din.  Each voice is screaming to be louder than the next.  Especially at Christmas time, our schedules are filled with events and to-dos clamouring to get to the top of our priority list.  Quietness is sometimes lost.   The moment, the experience, the person that is not able or willing to shout is sometimes lost.  As Karol Ladd wrote in her book, The Power of a Positive Mom, the most important thing (or person) is not always the one screaming the loudest.

Mary’s moment of pregnant urgency crashed head-on into Bethlehem’s bulging flow of urgent travelers.  Who knew that the Christ child was about to be born?  No doubt if there had been an ad placed in the Bethlehem Times announcing “New King Born Tonight – Free Drinks,” many would have lined up for tickets.  If a media consultant had sent flyers promising “New King Campaign Rally — Featured Speaker: Joe the Carpenter, t-shirts and bumper stickers for sale, sponsorships available,” many would have raised their signs and cheered.  If the local talk show had announced “Virgin Birth — Live on Monday — Vote for a boy or girl in our on-line poll,” millions would have tuned in.

But, God did not choose to clothe Himself in flesh that way.  Salvation was not designed to be a spectacle.  The God of the universe does not desire to compete to be seen or heard.  No wonder His birth assembled such an odd blend of worshippers.  I hope I would have been one of them.  I hope I’ll choose to be one of them now, this day, this afternoon.

His birth calls me to be still.  Listen.  See.

SCENE:
Behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)

SYNTAX:
Faith.
Belief 
that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence

SONG:
Mary is kind, gentle and pure.
No thoughts of deceit, that’s why I chose her.
But, when she told me what she’d heard and seen,
the story was really too amazing to believe:
that God was going to send His Son
to be born of a woman, and she was the one?
Betrothed to be married, but now with child,
She would be accused, the baby reviled.

Then in a dream the angel came to me, too
with a message that all Mary said was true.
God’s only Son was growing in her womb
and I was blessed to raise Him as my own.
A carpenter by trade, a simple life to trod,
how can I be father to the Son of God?
I’ll make her my wife, the one you have given.
I’ll embrace this child of grace, this tiny view of heaven.

I’ll trust You to be faithful in spite of such a scandal.
I know you won’t give us more than we can handle.
Lord, I believe even though I can’t see.
Your word is enough, whatever the end will be.

SEARCH:
 Since my children were born, we’ve been on the continual mission of teaching them to obey.  As the boys are growing older, they are learning more and more about playing together, sharing, and taking turns–habits hard to master even for adults sometimes.  One of our challenges is to teach them to let Mommy and Daddy handle the moments of conflict, rather than giving in to whining, angry outbursts or tussling over toys.  The learning steps along the way reiterate how important fairness is, how important it is to carefully hold the wishes and desires of each child equally, and how easy it would be to instill jealousy and a competitive spirit without even realizing it.  I’m reminded that obedience is so much easier when you trust the one you’re asked to obey.

It’s amazing to think of how courageous Joseph was to accept the calling God had for him, taking on the challenge of a scandalous marriage and child–not to mention the daunting task of being a surrogate father to God’s son.  Although we don’t know much about him, he was obviously a man of action.  There was no wavering in his commitment to obey God.  We can see it in his willingness to take Mary as his wife after the angel’s visit, despite what I’m sure the “neighbors” would say.  The neighbors weren’t privy to an angel message.  Joseph was willing to have them think ill of him, to accuse him of wrong, to whisper behind his back.  His faith was so deep that he was willing to lose his reputation to obey.  He didn’t need to justify his own innocence.  He didn’t need to disavow the rumors.  He was able to trust that God’s path was leading somewhere worthy, no matter how incredulous it seemed.  It’s a stark contrast to the appearance-focused culture we live in, where every hint of opposition or unpopularity must be assuaged.  Where every out-of-vogue, politically incorrect gesture must be decried.  Where every decision must be weighed against the opinion of those speaking the loudest.  For Joseph, it was enough that God approved his task.

SCENE:
And Mary said, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.  For He hath regarded the low estate of His hand-maiden.  For, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.  For He that is mighty hath done to me great things, and holy is His name.  And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation.” (luke 1:46 – 50)

SYNTAX:
Humble.
marked by 
Meekness 
or modesty 
in behavior, 
attitude or spirit 

SONG:
How could You have chosen me, just a simple maiden,
to bring Your Son into a world sin and sorrow laden?
How can I hope to nurture and raise God’s Son?
How can such a human raise a perfect one?
The lips that spoke creation I must teach to speak.
The feet that walked on clouds I must teach to leap.
The mind that conceived salvation I will teach to read
the truth within scriptures You Yourself breathed.

To shape the life of God is an overwhelming task.
I know I am not worthy to accomplish what You ask.
I lay my soul before You, a vessel clean and empty.
Mold in me the mother You need me to be.

SEARCH:
When I think about the awesome responsibility God entrusted to Mary and the qualities He must have seen in her, it is easy to see why so many have revered her over the centuries.  Although I don’t agree that she should be worshipped as she is in some circles, her life and character rightly warrant a closer look. But, strangely enough, I think Mary would be the very last person to see herself as worthy of anyone’s adoration.  Her immediate response to the angel’s message was to acknowledge her own “lowly” state and expound on the glories of her God.  She seemed quite surprised that God had given her a second look, much less chosen her to raise His Son.  What qualities must this young girl have possessed for God to have selected her to train His Son, to nurture Him, to love Him and to show Him her God?  What confidence He must have had in her desire to serve, in her ability to love.  What can this girl from Galilee teach me about mothering as God desires?

© 2008 Haley Montgomery

SCENE:
And the angel came in unto her, and said, “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee;  blessed art thou among women… And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus.”  (luke 1:28, 31-33)

SYNTAX:
Messenger.
an envoy, a prophet, a bearer of 
News 

SONG:
Wonder filled my face when His Highness gave the news
that I was to deliver, and my heart was quite confused.
He said He’d send His Son into a human’s womb
to be born upon the earth, and it would happen soon.
The Beloved would be leaving – an awesome revelation,
entrusted to this woman, just a mere creation.
The thoughts of the Omniscient I seldom can surmise,
but I always do His bidding, trusting He is wise.

Of the countless missions I’ve been given for His cause,
this one bears a sadness not seen since Eden’s loss.
His Highness calls it “love”, which no angel’s ever known.
The only ones that know it bear an image like His own.
This “love” has often grieved Him since that moment long ago.
But, somehow now His Son will enable it to grow.
This, a thought too lofty for angelic minds to see,
is the reason for my message to the one in Galilee.

Heaven holds a mystery, some enigmatic plan,
deep within Almighty that I don’t understand.
When You choose to send me, to go is my reply.
But, if I could be human, I know I’d ask You why.

SEARCH:
“things into which angels long to look” — I’ve always been fascinated by that verse in 1 Peter.  It reminds me that salvation is a plan designed for humans.  How gracious it was of God to create us with the ability to choose or reject Him.  It was at great personal cost to him, considering His powerful love for mankind.  How it must grieve Him to be rejected.

I’ve often wondered what angels think of humans and the plan God has to redeem us.  I’m sure they were baffled by man’s choice in Eden and equally as baffled by God’s choice to take on flesh.  I wonder from Gabriel’s perspective if the “good news” was really good from heaven’s side.  Although their view of God’s plan is somewhat veiled, their view of God Himself is unimpeded.  They must have missed the nearness of His presence on that Bethlehem night.

© 2008 Haley Montgomery