“Have I not realised one thing? You have come in the weak, the lowly, the helpless, the vulnerable.“

In cross-cultural mission today, we follow in those footsteps – serving in the unseen places, loving the overlooked, and bringing light into the darkness. This reflection, He Has Come, invites us to pause and marvel at the humility and hope of Christ’s coming into every unknown corner of the world.

He Has Come

My heart is full. My precious one has finally come. I am in love. He is perfect. I touch his tiny fingers. I stroke his sleeping face. He has come.

I lift my eyes to the darkness of my surroundings – a cave belonging to a kind stranger. My lips move in silence.

“Thank you, Adonai.”

My eyes rest upon this little boy again. Wrapped in white linen cloths, he squirms, then settles in my arms.

I am grateful we found more linen to use. It was already here, folded neatly and tucked away. Perhaps it was here for the newborn lambs. The lambs purposed for sacrifice.

And now I have swaddled my newborn son in these sacrificial cloths.

I hear Joseph preparing a bed for our child. I hear him praying to you, Adonai, while he moves about.

My beloved Joseph. We have been through so much. And in everything, he kept my honour. He cherished me with Your love.

And he loves Your son as his own.

I am so tired. Give me strength, Adonai. To take care of my new family. To make sense of how this has all happened. And it happened here. I don’t even know where I am.

If he has come to save us, why here? Why has he entered our world here?

 In the darkness, there is light. Light is seeping in, exposing the crudeness of the cave.

Where is that light coming from? It is night time Adonai. How can this light be?

My mind wanders in exhaustion. My body is sore. I wish to sleep and shut my eyes.

But I must stay awake for this treasured baby I am holding. I shift my position, grimacing with pain.

He opens his tiny eyes, searching for my face. They rest upon me, and for a moment I gaze back, adoration bursting within my soul. He has come.

Joseph takes him from my arms.

“Sleep, beloved. Get some rest. I will take care of him.”

I drift into a fitful sleep, knowing I am blessed. More blessed than I will ever know.

I awake to the sound of voices outside. I see unknown faces appearing at the mouth of the cave.

Startled, I squint my eyes. Who are they? Joseph is talking to them. I am thankful for his protection.

He invites them in to meet our son. I am filled with shock and surprise. The visitors are shepherds.

Our first visitors are shepherds. Shepherds? Don’t You know they are despised? Nobody wants to know them. They want nothing to do with them.

I sit up as Your word cuts deep into my heart. I know full well when I am wrong. Again.

Forgive me, Adonai. For everyone is the same to You. They have come because You have called them. You sent them a messenger, just as You sent me a messenger all those months ago.

Have I not realised one thing? You have come in the weak, the lowly, the helpless, the vulnerable.

He is here. He has come.

Just as Christ entered the world among the lowly, our workers today follow His example through their ministries. The ‘secret place’ in Bethlehem reminds us that God’s light shines brightest in the dark. His love reaches the forgotten, the hidden, the overlooked.

‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.’  John 1:5

As we celebrate that He has come, may we also pray for those who carry this message to the ends of the earth, support them in their calling, and consider how we, too, can be part of His story.