Words of Advent: Behold

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. ~ Isaiah 7:14

It's the King James version for today. This week, the word is "behold..."
LOOK!
And the KJV is the place where we find it. It's probably the version we are most familiar with from our childhood.
Behold.
Look.
See what God is doing.
Take a look in the manger. See the young man and woman - strangers in a far away place.
Refugees seeking shelter in a barn. Or cave.
Alone perhaps. Or maybe a kind stranger stops to help them in their hour of need.
Behold their fear. Their hope.
God with us.
Emmanuel.
Is this where you would expect him? Is this where you would look for the virgin to give birth to God with us?
What does it mean to us to really look?
To truly see.
To behold that which we never, ever could have predicted or expected.

Lord open my eyes to see what you would have me see. Amen.

Thoughts for engagement:
What is the most surprising thing you would notice if you had been at this first Christmas scene?

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