Director of Missions for the Church of God
Many years ago I heard of a mother and her young son walking through a neighborhood during the Christmas season. They came upon a church yard where the Nativity scene was prominently displayed, complete with its depiction of the Wise Men, angels, cattle, and Mary and Joseph. The child was captivated by the entire scene, but was especially mesmerized by the portrayal of the infant Jesus lying in the manger. He had never seen the Nativity before and asked his mother about the Christmas story. She patiently told him the account of Jesus’ birth, using each statue and prop for visual impact.
The mother couldn’t tell it fast enough for the young boy and he kept interrupting her with the question, “Who’s the baby?”
She continued to tell of the other characters standing quietly in the yard and once again the child inquired, “But, Mother, who’s the baby?”
Finally, she finished the story by telling the child about the greatest gift of all, our Savior, the Lord Jesus.
As we move through what the commercial world has come to refer to only as the “Holiday Season,” maybe someone needs to ask again, “Who’s the baby?”
Have you found yourself bustling through the mall at breakneck speed attempting to beat someone to the early morning “half-off” sale on the latest electronic “gotta’ have it” item? Maybe you need to rest a minute and ask yourself, “Who’s the baby?”
Are you caught up in another musical production at the church? Are you worn out with learning new music, making costumes, and memorizing lines in this year’s play? It would probably do you good to stop and ask yourself, “Who’s the baby?”
Who is this all about, anyway?
Why Him?
Why us?
Why now?
Who is the baby?
The writer of Hebrews had a concise answer to that question.
Look at what he said in Hebrews 1:1-3 … “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, (2) hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; (3) who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
How wonderful to understand that contained in that verse we learn the Baby is:
Heir of all things.
Creator of the universe.
The Radiance of God’s glory.
The exact Representation of God’s nature.
He is the Sustainer of all things.
He is our Savior.
And He’s seated at the Father’s right hand.
No wonder the angels sang “Hosanna in the highest.”
No wonder one lone star illuminated the sky with beams of brilliant light reaching from God’s throne to Bethlehem’s stable.
No wonder the very gates of hell trembled when He whimpered in Mary’s arms.
No wonder from the depths of my spirit I cry in jubilant praise …
”Then sings my soul, my Savior, God to thee—
How great thou art,
How great thou art!”
Who’s the Baby?
None other but the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
Tim Hill
