Advent Day 5: Mighty God | The Almighty

Mary Holding Jesus, Phil Boatwright, 1998. Illustration from the publication entitled Mary Did You Know? Written by Mark Lowry, Published by Waterbrook Press, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Used with permission from the artist.

Jesus Walking on the Water, Phil Boatwright, 1998. Illustration from the publication entitled Mary Did You Know? Written by Mark Lowry, Published by Waterbrook Press, Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Used with permission from the artist.

“Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty” performed by First Baptist Dallas Church and Orchestra, composed by Reginald Heber.

“Mary Did You Know?” from the album The King’s Men Christmas. Performed by The King’s Men, composed by Mark Alan Lowry.

Poetry:

“11 Addresses to the Lord (4)”
by John Berryman

If I say Thy name, art Thou there? It may be so.
Thou art not absent-minded, as I am.
I am so much so I had to give up driving.
You attend, I feel, to the matters of men.

Across the ages certain blessings swarm,
horrors accumulate, the best men fail:
Socrates, Lincoln, Christ mysterious.
Who can search Thee out?

except Isaiah & Paul, who saw,
I dare not ask that vision, though a piece of it
at last in crisis was vouchsafed me.
I altered then for good, to become yours.

Caretaker! take care, for we run in straits.
Daily, by night, we walk naked to storm,
some threat of wholesale loss, to ruinous fear.
Gift us with long cloaks & adrenaline.

Who haunt the avenues of Angkor Wat
recalling all that prayer, that glory dispersed,
haunt me at the corner of Fifth & Hennepin.
Shield & fresh fountain! Manifester! Even mine.

Mighty God, The Almighty

One of my favorite modern hymns of Christmas is “Mary, Did You Know?” That hymn and the two paintings encapsulate the incarnation, the miracle of Christmas. The image from the hymn and from the illustration Mary Holding Jesus, is Mary holding her son, a tiny baby, the ultimate expression of vulnerable humanity. Yet He is so much more than a human baby; he is the Mighty God, the Almighty. As the first line asks, “Mary did you know that your baby boy will one day walk on water?” And later, the song says, “Mary, did you know that your baby boy would calm a storm with His hand?” The second illustration, Jesus Walking on the Water, depicts Jesus as a man walking on the Sea of Galilee in the midst of a storm. This event reveals his divinity to his disciples, who cowered fearfully in the boat as the waves tossed them to and fro. Their fear increased as they saw Jesus walking toward them on the water because they thought He was a ghost. (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-53; John 6:15-21). In this event, we can see his divinity because only God has power over nature, the ability to calm a raging sea, and then supernaturally walk on that sea.

The hymn continues with the story of salvation.
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Would save our sons and daughters?
Did you know
That your baby boy
Has come to make you new?
This Child that you delivered
Will soon deliver you.

God became a man and dwelt on the earth to live a perfect life, become the sacrifice for our sins, and then rose from the dead and returned to Heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father, where He is today.

The last stanza of the hymn declares that he is the Almighty God:

Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Is the Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know
That your baby boy
Will one day rule the nations?
Did you know
That your baby boy
Was heaven's perfect Lamb?
And the sleeping Child you're holdin'
Is the Great I Am!

Jesus was the same God spoken of in the Old Testament, I Chronicles 29:11-13 and Zephaniah 3:17. One day at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow. Those in Heaven will sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty!”

Prayer:
Lord, during this Christmas season, may we remember that although you entered the world as a tiny baby, you are the Mighty God, the Almighty! May we spend time reflecting on your greatness and praising you as the Creator, our Savior, and the Ruler of all Nations!
Amen

Dr. Alicia M. Dewey
Professor of History
Biola University

For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, please visit our website via the link in our bio.