“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel (God with us).”
Isaiah 7:14
Sentimentalities abound during Christmas. The virtues of family, giving, selflessness and even romance (just ask Hallmark) are emphasized as the “reason for the season”. And lest I be labeled a Grinch, I will stipulate that some of these virtues are certainly worthy of being underscored and yes, I have seen the videos of spontaneous Carol singing at box stores across the country which certainly is encouraging. All of that being said, the day signifies something far more profound. It emphasizes the incarnation.
I realize people, even Christian people, can be uninterested in doctrine. The very word suggests in many people’s mind some theological technicality which probably has little connection to practicality. The depth of most people’s hermeneutic is the question, “What does that mean for me?” -or “What does it even matter in my life?”
More than you might know…
Incarnation is the truth that God enfleshed Himself. God became human. There is a lot packed in that three word sentence. The technical term for that is called, hypostatic union. It means that Christ is a single person with two distinct, complete, and unmixed natures. Jesus was fully human and fully divine. These two natures were united without confusion or separation. He was 100% God and 100% human. Believe me, there were centuries of debate and argument that took place in the early centuries of Christianity in an attempt to figure all this out. Smarter folks than I couldn’t do it perfectly, so I will simply rest in the truth that Jesus was God incarnated.
And Christmas is the celebration of that amazing reality.
Why is that important? Let me suggest 5 reasons and while there are more I will let these suffice…
- It was an INTRODUCTION. We see with our own eyes what God is like.
If there could be any question of what God is like, one need not look any further than Jesus Himself. When Phillip asked for Jesus to show them the “Father” (John 14:8), Jesus replied, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve sen the Father”. It’s pretty clear.
- It demonstrated an INVESTMENT. We understand our value in God’s mind.
When Adam and Eve sinned and stained the whole of humanity with this death virus, God had options. He could have said, “I tell you what, I am going to erase these two and just start over.” That’s not the story however. The Lord institutes the plan of redemption from the earliest moments of the Garden and demonstrates our value in His eyes. The Lord doesn’t excuse the sin, but rather provides the only option for our redemption. That is why Jesus arrives. He has to clean up our mess on His terms and He’s the only one who can do it. We were of such value, He willingly entered our sphere and provided the costly price.
- It revealed He INITIATES. When we could not reach Him, He reached down to us.
The Christmas story is the unarguable account that God must initiate salvation and we are incapable of saving ourselves. No one “finds” the Lord. I understand what people generally mean when they say, “I found the Lord!”, and I rejoice with them. But truth is, He wasn’t lost; you were. You didn’t find Him; He found you. Jesus came for that express purpose. He came looking for His own and we celebrate that He came for us..
- It was the ultimate INTERVENTION. God steps into the mess of our life with redemption.
We all need an intervention in our life. Jesus’ birth was an intervention (and for many an irritation) for the addiction we have towards sin. We are addicted to ourselves and our inclination for selfish and self-centered desires. We want life on our terms and our way. But Christ’s coming challenges that out of the gate. Even Joseph and Mary couldn’t have this baby on their terms. His incarnation is an unavoidable intervention.
- It solicits the IMAGINATION. We are filled with hope because our future can be different.
The coming of Jesus was the ultimate game-changer. He not only demonstrates to us what God is like, but He models for us what we might aspire to. He came to call us up to something we couldn’t reach on our own. His life (along with the death, burial, resurrection and ascension) provided possibilities for an abundant future.
His incarnation made Persian Maji seek Him out…
His incarnation made evil rulers paranoid…
His incarnation made everyday people rejoice…
His incarnation made demonic forces tremble…
His incarnation signals to you, God makes good on all His promises.
You may not like theology, or think doctrine to be important…
But Jesus coming to us, in the flesh, is the best news you will ever hear.
Merry Christmas.
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