Joy to the world, the Lord is come…

Jesus came to earth
which means
He had to leave heaven.

I’ve been thinking about what it was like for the Father to send the Son off on this holy mission. I’ve been wondering if the heavenly hosts threw a going away party or if He slipped away quietly with little fanfare. I’ve been pondering what heaven was like without Jesus for the thirty-three years He spent on earth.

Did they miss Him? Was something a little “off” in the heavenly realm without the Son? Were the angels on the edge of their seats in the unseen world, watching over the birth, the life, the death? Did the Father count the days until His Son’s return in a glorious, resurrected body?

Jesus left the splendor of heaven
to be born in a barn,
sleep in a pile of hay,
hang with stinky fishermen,
take a lot of abuse,
and be misunderstood.
Why?
For love of us.

How kind of the Father to lend His Son to earth for a time.
How generous of the Son to leave His home to come here.

The return trip can’t be far away.
Let every heart prepare Him room.