Spurgeon: December AM
* 12/25/AM
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
his name Immanuel."
--Isaiah 7:14
Let us to-day go down to Bethlehem, and in company with
wondering shepherds and adoring Magi, let us see Him who was
born King of the Jews, for we by faith can claim an interest in
Him, and can sing, " Unto us a child is born, unto us a son
is given." Jesus is Jehovah incarnate, our Lord and our God, and
yet our brother and friend; let us adore and admire. Let us
notice at the very first glance His miraculous conception . It
was a thing unheard of before, and unparalleled since, that a
virgin should conceive and bear a Son. The first promise ran
thus, " The seed of the woman ," not the offspring of the man.
Since venturous woman led the way in the sin which brought forth
Paradise lost, she, and she alone, ushers in the Regainer of
Paradise. Our Saviour, although truly man, was as to His human
nature the Holy One of God. Let us reverently bow before the
holy Child whose innocence restores to manhood its ancient
glory; and let us pray that He may be formed in us, the hope of
glory. Fail not to note His humble parentage . His mother has
been described simply as "a virgin," not a princess, or
prophetess, nor a matron of large estate. True the blood of
kings ran in her veins; nor was her mind a weak and untaught
one, for she could sing most sweetly a song of praise; but yet
how humble her position, how poor the man to whom she stood
affianced, and how miserable the accommodation afforded to the
new-born King!
Immanuel , God with us in our nature, in our sorrow, in our
lifework, in our punishment, in our grave, and now with us, or
rather we with Him, in resurrection, ascension, triumph, and
Second Advent splendour.