“O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant!
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!”

These words from one of my favorite Christmas hymns put me in a thoughtful mood.

I didn’t see him in the manger or watch him grow to be a man.

I didn’t walk with him by the sea or hear him teach.

I didn’t talk with him as you and I would speak.

I wasn’t with him in the garden or at the trials or the cross.

I didn’t see him placed in the borrowed tomb or look inside after he had risen from the grave.

I didn’t touch his scars or watch him ascend in a cloud back to his Father in heaven.

Why should I believe?

After his resurrection Jesus appeared to his disciples. He showed them the scars in his hands and his side, but Thomas wasn’t there.

Later, the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.”

Thomas declared, “Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.” He was one of those “seeing is believing” folks.

Eight days later Jesus appeared again to the disciples—including Thomas—and said to him, “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”

Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God.”

Jesus said, “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (See John 20:19-29). These believe without seeing.

I’m in that group. I never saw Jesus face to face, but through eyes of faith I saw him. In this matter, seeing isn’t believing. Believing is seeing.

I never saw Jesus face to face, but through eyes of faith I saw him. In this matter, seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing. Click To Tweet

Have you seen the Lord? He calls us to be not faithless but believing.

“O come, let us adore Him Christ the Lord!”

(Adapted from Cabbages and Kings—Reflections on Living Abundantly in Christ)

© Dianne Barker 2019

Please tell me about the moment when you saw the Christ the Lord and received him as your Savior. And I’d be grateful if you’d share this with your friends!