“God With Us” Digital illustration by Heidi Solie
What does lavish love sound like?
Isaiah’s prophetic voice declaring, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given.
The voice of an angel delivering the message to a young virgin, You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.
The exhaustive bray of a donkey following a long journey to Bethlehem.
The whisper of the first breath exhaled by the baby in a manger.
Angel choirs proclaiming, Glory to God in the highest.
The bleat of a lamb being carried in its loving shepherd’s arm as they journey to the manger.
The response from the Youth, I had to be in my Father’s house.
A voice in the wilderness crying, Prepare the way for the Lord.
The sound of water lapping at the river’s shore as God proclaims to Jesus, You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.
The convicting words during the last supper, I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.
The moan in the Garden of Gethsemane, Father,…Yet not what I will, but what you will.
A crackling fire ineffectual in muffling the sound of a rooster crowing three times, confirming a denial.
Jeering mobs hurling insults as a rugged cross is carried through city streets.
A nail being pounded through flesh to the cross at Calvary.
The resounding reality as Jesus uttered, It is finished.
The astonished gasp at the sight of an empty grave.
The song of a soul set free by the blood of the Lamb.
The grateful response of a leper cleansed.
The promise of another Helper to come who would be with us forever
The final words Jesus spoke before he ascended to heaven, But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
The sound of a mighty rushing wind as The Helper came from heaven.
The final words for us at heaven’s gate, Well done, good and faithful servant!
That’s what the Father’s lavish love sounds like, revealed through Jesus personified. How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!
Isaiah 9:6: Luke 1:30, 2:14,49, 3:4,22; John 13:4; Mark 13:46; John 19:30; Acts 1:8; Matthew 25:21,23; 1 John 3:1 (NIV).
Joyce Olsen (Sonrise Magazine Editor) Author. Majored in Child Psychology and Elementary Education at Biola University and Fresno State University in California. However, her natural bent seemed to better match business and administration. In those fields, she worked in corporate administration, church administration, and also as an Information Security Analyst in the medical field. The focus of her writing is to inspire and provoke thought. Find her book on Amazon: Extraordinarily Crafted: Uniquely Designed for Kingdom Impact Reach me at olsen_jm@hotmail.com
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