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Advent Devotional - December 5, 2014

“The King of Kings lay thus in lowly manger
 / In all our trials born to be our friend”


-O Holy Night

How expensive is a meeting including every king or ruler on the planet? The figure is incalculable. Simply maintaining Britain’s royals is estimated at around $7000 per hour! With this enormous gap between citizens and kings, how can the monarchy relate to common man?

But this Christmas lyric tells staggering truth. The true God and King, Jesus Christ, ruling every king, is not supplied through taxes or inheritance. Colossians 1:16-17 tells us He owns all things, “...by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers... all things were created through Him and for Him... in Him all things hold together.”

The King over kings and countries, how can He relate across the unthinkable gap between Himself and humanity? See the complete humility of this King, with no demands for palaces and parades. He was born like us, naked and vulnerable, wrapped like every poor baby in Palestine, in frightening care of young mom and puzzled fiancée. He sleeps in the feed trough of a peasant dwelling, where the family animals gathered nightly, animals He designed before He was born!

But also, see the complete humanity of the child, “In all our trials, born to be our friend.” Jesus was born into powerless poverty that we naturally fear and despise! Hebrews 4:15 explains Christ’s identity with our condition, but without our sins, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Not a rich ruler who cannot relate, but a friend to poor rebels who deny our spiritual state before the righteous King! Praise God for Jesus, humble friend to sinners and perfect high Priest, who won our hopeless case through his sinless human life, suffering death, and glorious resurrection.

King of Kings...born to be our friend!