December 14th

Daily Reading

Psalm 22:16

My enemies surround me like a pack of dogs;
an evil gang closes in on me.
They have pierced my hands and feet.

Zechariah 12:10

“Then I will pour out a spirit of grace and prayer on the family of David and on the people of Jerusalem. They will look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died.

John 20:25-27

They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”

(Readings taken from Bible Gateway, https://www.biblegateway.com/ New Living Translation)

Take my Hand

Every time I have the privilege of holding a newborn baby, I marvel at their tiny nails. They are miraculous to me. Perfectly crafted, these tiny little inclusions on a baby’s fingers and toes remind me that we have been marvelously made. Knit together by a process that is both scientifically quantifiable – and yet practically, unfathomable.  Consider this: the tiny hands of baby Jesus matured into Divine hands.

Hands that touched the diseased; women and men living lives of rejection and social isolation.

Hands that healed the blind; gently and mercifully extending intimate touch that transformed their futures.

Hands that welcomed children; counter-culturally acknowledging their value and contribution to their community.

Hands that released a woman from a torturous death by stoning, by extending grace and kindness.

Hands that humbly washed feet, caked-on mud and blood and animal waste; modeling servanthood in the most practical of ways.

Hands that blessed food, and then miraculously broke basket after basket of heavenly manna to care for men, women, and children’s physical needs.

His hands brought restoration to brokenness. Traded law for Love. Offered inclusion to the lonely.

But these hands were pierced. Crushed. Crucified.

After everything Jesus’ hands endured, it overwhelms me to think of the way he gently offers his wounded hands as a tangible touchpoint for our enduring doubt. His scarred, marred hands tell us a story. They demonstrate the pain and suffering of the human condition, endured by Jesus on that dark Passover Friday. They tell the story of a God who understands our experience and continues to offer himself in such a gentle and intimate way.

These hands are captivating.

Kind.

Consistent.

They are the hands of Jesus, extended to us so that we might know the Father this Christmas.