Grace Came to Stay

Hey friends and family and readers who feel like friends and family. I hope all of you had a lovely Christmas filled to the brim with peace, love, and joy. The man and I are Louisiana bound today after a Houston visit with the Baby Beau Czars and their parents. I’m riding shotgun, totally wrapped up in the new Logos 5 upgrade to my beloved Bible Study software, a Christmas gift from this darling chauffeur posted below. (Silly Ipad is being persnickery aboutt letting me paste it in here.)

While studying a few moments ago, I was reminded of a short piece I wrote about the ongoing blessing of Christmas. I share it with y’all as we look to the New Year. It comes with my heartfelt gratitude for your kindness in continuing to read my words, and with ongoing prayers for you to know more and more of the depth, width, height, and length of the love of Christ Jesus. Blessings, friends~

“Grace Came to Stay”

Sweet baby Jesus, Mary held you tight
your tiny hands clutching her fingers
your baby scent caressing her senses as she
breathed in the wonder of her first born son,
the promise of an angel asleep in her arms.
What did she know? What did she feel?
Run with this precious gift? Disrupt the plan
formed before ever the world was? And then grace
came, that marvelous grace and her aching heart eased.

Little boy Jesus, Mary watched you run and play,
enjoying your giggles and kissing your scraped knees.
How much did it hurt to consider the thoughts stirring inside?
What lay ahead for a child born of a virgin?
And then grace came, that marvelous grace and her
aching heart eased.

Young man Jesus; they called you names, lunatic,
crazy, Son of Joseph claiming to be deity.
What did your Mother’s heart feel, Mary?
How many times did his arms surround your shoulders before
grace would come, that marvelous grace and your
aching heart would ease?

Sacrificed lamb, Savior Jesus, Mary beheld you on
the cross. You were the Son of God, paying a bill
in full. How her heart must have broken to let go of your
humanity– for you were also born of woman, Son of man.
And then grace came, that marvelous grace and her
aching heart eased.

Risen Jesus, Resurrection Life, Mary watched
you ascend in the clouds.
Sweet Mary, waiting there in Jerusalem,
watching with the others,
aching for her firstborn son.
And then, just as the Father had promised,
Grace came to stay.

(John 16:5-7: But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you ask me, where are you going? But because I have said these things, sorrow hath filled your heart…It is necessary that I go away; for if I go not away the Comforter will not come to you, but if I depart, I will send him unto you.)

Dearest readers, I pray the New Year will bring you ever closer to God the Father through Jesus, the Son, and the Spirit of Grace who came to stay.

Happy New Year Hugs,
Shellie