One of the things I love about the English language is its ability to morph, to ad lib, to accept new words. Last year the word "Merriam-Webster Dictionary" chose as word of the year is a great example of the new and unusual. At first I thought it was a typo, but it's not: "w00t."

W00t is: "expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all); similar in use to the word 'yay.'" This word comes from the world of geekdom, where numbers are often used for letters. Video gamers use the word. It is an exclamation of joy, often upon the completion of a task or the besting of an opponent.

Some say it's a great expression of pure enjoyment and unvarnished joy.

So, "W00t to the world, the Lord has come." Thank God, he was willing to risk.

Have a w00t filled Christmas!

Inspiration: Into the Deep

There were just too many people; the little village was overwhelmed. Mary and Joseph had to settle for a make do, cave-stable on the edge of town. She was weary, separated from family, and feeling the pains of labor. Everything was strange and new to her. Was this the way she was supposed to feel? Was it supposed to hurt this much? Was it supposed to take this long?

Alone, but not forgotten, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy, a helpless incarnation of the Creator, himself. So it began.

Jesus spent his first night wrapped in human skin sleeping in a hay-filled feed trough. While the God of creation was getting used to human limitations like breathing and crying, Bethlehem slept. The God who created time placed his future in the unproven and inexperienced hands of a teenage girl. The plan was risky.

The Savior of the world, the Messiah, the Christ, the Prince of Peace, the Son of God, was sleeping in an ordinary stable on the edge of a tiny little village, in a troublesome province of the Roman Empire. Nobody knew that this birth would change everything, everywhere.

Did it work?

Finally, heaven could not keep quiet. The nameless shepherds heard the news. They were stunned by the dazzling brightness filling the sky around them. The news was incredible, "The Messiah has come." They had to go; they had to see for themselves.

On that night centuries ago, God opened the windows of heaven, and for a brief moment ordinary shepherds could glimpse the glory of heaven itself. Have you ever wondered why it was that shepherds were given this gift? Why not the religious leaders, the Sanhedrin, the politicians, the prominent people, the powerful people? Perhaps they were too busy looking down on others, to look up to God? Or, maybe they couldn't see God's world, because their eyes were too focused on their world.

Jesus traded the joys of heaven and the power of the Creator to become the created. He gave up everything for the willing arms of a novice mother, from an ordinary town, in a forgotten corner of the world. Yes, the plan was filled with risk.

Did it work?

Game Plan: Living Beyond Yourself

If you miss the w00t, you have discounted the plan. Your task this week is simple find w00t each day ... Look for the Jesus; he is still here.

 

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© 2008 FaithFitness and Ron Rose.

Title: "A Time of w00t"
Author: Ron Rose
Publication Date: December 21, 2008

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Ron Rose is a noted author and leader of Faith Team. His new email ministry, Faith Notes, provides practical resources for growing faith. Email Ron!

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