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He whom
the world cannot enclose
In Mary’s bosom doth repose;
To be a little Child He deigns
Who all things by Himself sustains. Alleluia! (ELH 136:3)
In Mary’s bosom doth repose;
To be a little Child He deigns
Who all things by Himself sustains. Alleluia! (ELH 136:3)
What
a marvelous thing to ponder. This
beautiful hymn stanza was written by Martin Luther for Christmas Day. With it we consider the marvel of the
incarnation and the humility with which the Son of God chose to become true
man. Nothing was made without him. He sustains all things he made. He cannot be contained or limited by anything
in all creation. And yet to save us he submits
to extreme limitation. He joins his
creation in the truest, most literal sense by becoming a real human being. Taking both human body and human soul he is made
true man. He contains himself in the
womb of his mother. He who is himself the
source of life relies for a time on Mary for the life he needs. He sweetly rests in her lap. Thus he deigns to visit man and rescue us and
serve us in our greatest need. Hidden in
his weakness is the greatest power in heaven and on earth. In a helpless display of infant slumber, he
is at the same time preserving the entire universe.
