A Child Is Born

"Oir rugadh dhuinne-cloinne, thugadh dhuinne mac; agus bithidh an uachdaranachd air a ghualainn; agus goirear mar ainm dheth, Iongantach, Comhairliche, and Dia cumhachdach, an t-Athair siorruidh, Prionnsa na sithe!"

For those of you who don't read Gaelic, the above is Isaiah 9:6 -- "For unto us a child is born. Unto us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder: and his name will be Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

I didn't fully appreciate those words until the day -- over sixteen years ago now -- when Duncan arrived in our world. After the difficult birth was over and I heard the nurse say, "You have a son", Kami was taken away to rest and I walked down to the hospital chapel to pray. Once in, I could only look at the cross on the wall and say, choking back tears, "Thank you," again and again and again. I couldn't believe that God would love us so much to give us another child, a son. We thought our line would die out with me. I was the first son of the first son going back for hundreds of years, but that seemed to be over. We weren't sure Kami could bring another child into the world so we contented ourselves with our wonderful daughter.

And then a surprise. God gave us a son.

A couple of weeks later I sat in the worship services holding my boy. There has never been a man more proud and content than I was at that moment... until I heard the bread break during Communion. It became real to me in that split second. It overwhelmed me that "oir is ann mar sin a ghradhaich Dia an saoghal..." That God so loved the world that He gave his son. He gave his son.

I hugged Duncan more tightly and said, through tears, "not my son." I couldn't imagine giving up anything this precious to anyone but especially to a people who would reject and kill him.

To this day, when I see the flurries, the tinsel, the trees and lights, and hear the carols I think back to what a gift was given us. We have His Son. He gave us His Son. Whether I find myself walking around Great Lakes Crossing mall, driving to the office, or standing on a windswept moor on the Isle of Skye watching the Atlantic waves crash against the rocks I make sure that -- every day -- I remember what God did for us.

He gave us His Son. Joy to the World.