The Wonder of the Word
The Adoration of the Shepherds by Bartolome Esteban Murillo
Artwork is in the public domain. Held in the collection of Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain
The Word became flesh
And we beheld His glory
God Himself walked among us
Oh, the wonder of this story!
From the beginning of time
He was there to shine upon the earth
And He, the Light, came to His creation
Wrapped as a babe of humble birth
The beauty of the Word!
Immanuel has made the way
For those who come and receive Him
To be sons of God who love and obey
The Only Begotten Son
He has made the Father known
To those He has called forth from darkness
Grace and truth to us He has shown
Behold the Lamb of God!
He has taken away the world's sin
The lost have become saints by His blood
To God's presence we may now enter in
Celebrate, all the earth!
Burst into songs of jubilant praise!
The Word, your Creator, stepped down from the throne
He shared with the Father, the Ancient of Days
Us He did come to redeem
That to eternal death we might not go
For by His righteous sacrifice
Eternal life to us He can bestow
The wonder of the Word!
Let us draw near to worship at His throne
And recall again how He suffered death
That we might become His very own
One day every eye will see Him
Risen Savior, Awesome Lord
Then every knee shall bow before
This Holy King who is the Word
About the Poem
Meditating on the awesome story of Jesus coming to redeem us is something I love to do every year at Christmastime. The fact that God so loved us is the reason why we need to have a holiday to celebrate at all. Though December may not be the time of year Jesus was actually born, it is fitting to have a day set aside to stand in awe of Immanuel—God with us. This poem springs specifically from my meditations on John chapter one. The beauty of John's description of whom Jesus is and what He did for humanity stirred me to put those descriptions into verse. Of course, the Word becoming flesh is a subject worthy of our thoughts not merely once a year, but every day. He is so wonderful, and no one will ever compare to Him. Thinking of Him coming the first time sets my heart towards the day when He will come again. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
