Have you ever thought about Jesus being formed in Mary’s womb? Scripture tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made in God’s image– that we were formed in our mother’s womb.
And Jesus was too…
Though He was the Son of God…
He was formed in His mother’s womb.
As we reflect on Jesus’s birth, it is equally compelling to think about Jesus being formed
and carried in His mother Mary’s womb. Fully God and yet fully man. God came to earth to open the door for our salvation, but He also came and showed us the way to carry His Presence. As Mary carried her child to full term, we as Christians, formed in His image, carry His Presence. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit being transformed day by day into the fullness of Christ, and one day we will come to full term; that day when we meet Him face to face.
As the Holy Spirit hovered over the waters in the beginning of time, this same Spirit overshadowed and hovered over the waters in the womb.
Consider this. Mary was told by the angel Gabriel that though a virgin, she would be with child; that the Holy Spirit would overshadow her. Mary questioned how this could happen.
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called Son of God.” Luke 1:35
Mary was overshadowed by the Most High God. His Presence and power working in unison with the Holy Spirit produced a miracle.
And so it is with us as believers. The Holy Spirit, God’s Presence, resides within us and as we yield to His work within us, He consumes us with His Presence and the miracle is our transformation. We carry His Presence and He changes us from within. We become the temple where He dwells.
This week we celebrate Christmas, the arrival of the Son of God. As we consider the miracle of His coming and saving mankind, let us also consider the miracle of His dwelling with us and then sending His Spirit to continue to lead, guide, and transform us– the daily miracle of carrying Him in our spiritual womb.
Christmas begins with His advent but that is just the beginning. Daily we celebrate His coming as we carry the light of His Presence to a broken world.
Joanne
