Psalm 89
December 24, 2023
O Lord God of the Highest Heavens,
Today we anticipate the arrival of your Son who descended from the throne of heaven to a meager manger in Bethlehem.
Words would not do justice to capture the wonder of such condescension, but we rejoice in what you have revealed to us through your Spirit and through Psalm 89 and so we sing of your steadfast love.
Today we celebrate the arrival of Jesus, David’s descendent, the king who will reign forever and ever. He is the exalted one chosen from the people.
He was not outwitted when he faced Satan in the wilderness and the crashing sea of Galilee submitted to his hand. He is your Son in whom you constantly delight and You are His Father. He is the firstborn, the inheritor of all that is yours, and the highest of the kings of the earth.
In Him Lord, your covenant of grace is firm, all your promises are sure, and we rejoice that no other king but Him will reign.
But our Lord, the truly spectacular reality at Christmas is not only that you would send your anointed Jesus, but that He would one day suffer in our place. You would become full of wrath against your anointed so we would not have to bear your wrath ourselves for our fallenness. Jesus was the cast off one and suffered the rejection we deserved to suffer so we could be brought into your family. He became an object of scorn in order for his enemies (including us) to be objects of blessing. The crown of glory he had from all creation … he exchanged for a crown of thorns… that we might receive the crown of righteousness. He was covered in shame, that we might be liberated from ours. And His youth was cut short that we might have everlasting life.
Because of Christ … our souls can truly be delivered from power of the grave.
Lord, “thank you” is not strong enough to convey our gratitude … so may we, like the Psalmist, with every ounce of our being, bless your name forever for who you are and what you have done.
Amen and all God’s people said … Amen.