They Fell Down

Matthew 2: They saw the child; they fell down; they worshiped Him.

Jesus – I see You. Full of grace. Full of truth. I see you coming to be with me. You pursue me. You know me. You come after me. You love me.

Jesus – I see You. Full of power. You heal. You feed. You know the beginning and the end. You command storms. And you command my story.

Jesus – I see You. Full of wisdom. You teach me. You call me away from self to salvation. You dismantle all that comes intuitively to me and you call me from greatness to service; from first to last; from programs to people; from grabbing to giving; from covetousness to contentment; from lying to truth; from striving to Sabbath; from scheming to trust; from wallowing to worship.

Jesus – I see You. And I see that You are so utterly other. There is no one like You. In Your very being You have always been and will be all that I long for – power, control, knowledge, prestige, preeminence, beauty, belonging, possessing and completeness. You lack nothing.

And yet….this is not what You lead with. You come draped in humility. It’s as if the list You give in the beatitudes is really about You.

You come poor in spirit – an infant born into a day-laborers home. You have no permanent place to lay your head. You seem more concerned to pray than to possess.

You mourn – You stand over Jerusalem and You weep over those who are harassed and helpless. You cry with friends when death appears to win. You are never at a distance but always near and with.

You hunger and You thirst – You enter into the fullness of humanity. You feel all that we feel and are tempted in every way. Even on the Cross these are Your words: “I thirst”.

You are merciful. We run from You and yet You run to us. You keep no record of wrong. Seventy times seven – You forgive.

You are pure in heart. You call children to come to You. You wash feet. You listen to women tell their stories. You come to serve, not to be served.

You are the ultimate peacemaker. You are the Son of God who knew no sin but became sin on our behalf to bring us to God. Peace.

You are persecuted – they cast insults, they crucify. You say not a word.

And truly, You are the light of the world. One day there will be no need for a sun or a moon – You will be the only necessary light. You illumine all things. You shine brighter than all the stars combined.

And we fall down. And we worship….You.