Awe and Wonder

Have you ever stopped what you were doing, taken notice of something around you and simply thought, ‘wow!’ 

Maybe you had one of these moments when watching a magnificent sunset where all the colours blended perfectly together. Maybe while staring out at the vastness of the ocean and wondering how deep it was. Maybe while looking out of an aeroplane window, and noticing how small the world actually is.

Maybe it was none of these. Maybe you thought ‘wow’ when a student brightened your day, or when a friend listened to you when you were going through a hard time. Maybe it was through the generosity and kindness of your community.

The common denominator in all of these ‘wow’ moments is God. God is the creator of every good thing because God is goodness, truth and beauty; and God delights in us too. 

We are God’s ‘wow’ moment.

As human beings, we are created with a huge capacity for awe and wonder, to see and know the presence of God everywhere and to be amazed by it. But we can also find the fingerprints of God in our brokenness and difficulties too. God doesn’t leave us, but instead encourages us to have faith, and recognise those ‘wow’ moments even when it’s hard.

One of the biggest ‘wow’ moments in the history of the world happened around 2000 years ago. A young woman was greeted by an angel who told her that she would bear a son who would become the saviour of the world, and in a daring act of faith, she said ‘yes.’ 

Not only that, but the man that she married also trusted God, and loved the unborn child as if He was his own. Then, after asking an innkeeper for space to have her baby, the young woman gave birth to her child in a stable, and three men from Jerusalem brought Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. God even chose shepherds to be the first ones to worship this newborn King. This is, without a doubt, a massive ‘wow’ moment! 

As we approach the celebration of Christmas, we ask God to help us find the ‘wow’ moments in our everyday lives, even when they’re difficult to see. Let’s pray for each other that we will experience the awe and wonder of the birth of Jesus; the true ‘wow’ moment of Christmas.