Wednesday Wanderings ~ The Alpha and Omega

Well - since my last blog, I have truly been wandering!  I braved the winter storms and left Chicago on Sunday, driving through Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas.  It was a bit dicey at times but I arrived at James and Ashley's house safe and sound.  Ashley skated out in her snow boots to greet me!

It has already been a great time of painting kitchen cabinets and visiting with friends.  I'll be making my rounds and then meeting up with Alan to head up to the mountains of Colorado.

I was taking a moment this morning to do my daily Bible reading in Revelation 1.  Revelation is such an amazing book and I love the descriptions of Jesus in this first chapter.

"John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from 

Him who is and who was and who is to come, 

and from the seven Spirits who are

 before His throne, and from Jesus Christ,  

the faithful witness, 

the firstborn of the dead, 

and the ruler of the kings of the earth. 

To Him who loves us and

  

released us from our sins by His blood— 

and He has made us to be a kingdom, 

priests to His God and Father—

to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. 

Behold, He is coming with the clouds, 

and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; 

and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen."

 

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” 

says the Lord God, 

“who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. 

And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands;  

and in the middle of the lampstands I saw 

one like a son of man,  

clothed in a robe reaching to the feet,

and girded across His chest with a golden sash. 

  

His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; 

and His eyes were like a flame of fire.  

His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace,

  

and His voice was like the sound of many waters.  

In His right hand He held seven stars, and  

out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; 

and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

 

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. 

And He placed His right hand on me, saying, 

“Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, 

  

 and the living One;

and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, 

and I have the keys of death and of Hades. 

What description is your favorite?

For some reason today, (maybe it is the sunshine that is melting all this ice!), I was particularly struck by the phrase "His face was like the sun shining in its strength."  I think about how hard it is to look right into the sun because of its intensity, but how the sun warms us and gives us light.  I love that description and and I think it speaks to how impossible it was for John to put what he is seeing into words.  "Sun shining in its strength" is a phrase that I think I understand and then when I read it again, I realize that is speaks of something so amazing that it defies words.

There is something comfortable about God as an infant.  There is something nice about Christmas lights, nativity scenes, pretty packages and trees that sparkle.  I actually love all of those things, but I never want to forget just Who that infant was and is and will forever be.

When I read that passage and those descriptions of Jesus, I am just in awe of the power and might of our Lord.  I am humbled that this Mighty God came down so that I could have life in Him.  This warrior was willing to war on my behalf.  

May the power of that babe in the manger be very real to you this season!