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So, Advent is “Coming,” and we grapple with mystery. Some of us with abstractions, others with personal fervor. Can one who has in delight cradled a newborn transfer all the reciprocal sensations into his or her heart — the center of being, of life? The “Yes” is possible because we are whole, integrated beings, whose cradling arms enable our hearts to cradle the Child, or is it the other way around?

The Baby is Paradox itself, himself: God the Son limiting himself to become a human person, growing up, showing the way to full personhood, all the time relying on the Father, all the time cradling culture’s captives in his arms of truth, mercy, and grace. Sinless. Yet, at the end is the cross, a cruel cradle, and the cradling Sufferer does his work, though with, only with, both arms nailed wide apart as if helpless, and indeed so, but for the moment. It is a work unto death, yet the grave does not cradle Jesus Messiah long; his cross-work paradoxically is not yet his completed work; the Father does not orphan the Child who in resurrection, his work now complete, again takes his rightful place in the Cradle of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

And yet a greater Paradox: you and I are invited to the Cradle. Would we embrace the Child? But we need his embrace more: Can we embrace and be embraced? Now is the time to embrace the Paradox and settle your mind, down to the core of your life. Consider the song by Bailey and Larson:

Cradle the Baby, cradle the Child, sing to Him softly and gaze on His smile.

Infant of mercy, envoy of grace, look at His eyes and you’ll see heaven’s face.

Come to the manger, cradle the Light. Jesus is waiting with arms open wide.

Cradle the Savior, fell His embrace. Hold close the gift of God’s infinite grace.

God reached in mercy from heaven above, sending Christ Jesus to hold us with love.

With grace so amazing and love so divine, He merits our praises, devotion, our lives.

So cradle the Baby, worship the King, join with the angels and joyfully sing.

Love Him and serve Him, bring Him your praise. Cradle the Child, Messiah of grace.

Cradle the Messiah of grace.

(Lynn Shaw Bailey and Lloyd Larson, Glory Sound, Nashville, (c) 2007)

We’ll be singing this at Central Baptist Church, Marshall, Texas, on the 16th.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 10th, 2007 at 7:41 am and is filed under Religion (Again), Where/How We Live. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.