In a very real sense, God has always been with us. He is, after all, the Maker of all that is, the omnipresent Creator. Thus, people have always been able to call on his name and request his assistance.
But something special happened that first Christmas. The God who had always been present actually took a giant step closer to us. Instead of simply being “in the neighborhood,” rather than merely peeking into our world, God became one of us. Indeed, he not only stooped to become a human being but he forever united himself with humanity. The Lord from heaven, without losing his magnificent divinity, permanently took on the nature of his creatures.
What sort of strange metaphysical accomplishment is this? How can the infinite be joined to the finite? What exactly is the formula for incarnation? These and many other questions remain basically unanswered. Sure, we can (and must) do our best to make sure that we stay within orthodox parameters, stating and thinking about the hypostatic union in ways that are consistent with Scripture. Still, at the end of the day, we are always faced with immense mystery.
God becomes a human and reunites fallen humanity with its holy maker. God becomes a man in order to reconnect heaven and earth. God becomes a man to rescue you and me from our rebellion, our stupidity, our selves. God becomes one of us in order to show us love and, in the process, to rejuvenate and reshape our hearts and lives. God becomes a member of the human race, and in doing so shows us our truest purpose.
Christmas is many thing to many people. But, above all, it is about the miracle of incarnation and the fruit–especially that which came via his eventual death and resurrection–it would yield. The Lord of all is now a human being, the Son of God is a man, and he did it all . . . for us! As we sing: “Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel.” Wow! Thank God for such an incentive to joyful living. Thank God for this genuine hope, this reason to sing!
But something special happened that first Christmas. The God who had always been present actually took a giant step closer to us. Instead of simply being “in the neighborhood,” rather than merely peeking into our world, God became one of us. Indeed, he not only stooped to become a human being but he forever united himself with humanity. The Lord from heaven, without losing his magnificent divinity, permanently took on the nature of his creatures.
What sort of strange metaphysical accomplishment is this? How can the infinite be joined to the finite? What exactly is the formula for incarnation? These and many other questions remain basically unanswered. Sure, we can (and must) do our best to make sure that we stay within orthodox parameters, stating and thinking about the hypostatic union in ways that are consistent with Scripture. Still, at the end of the day, we are always faced with immense mystery.
God becomes a human and reunites fallen humanity with its holy maker. God becomes a man in order to reconnect heaven and earth. God becomes a man to rescue you and me from our rebellion, our stupidity, our selves. God becomes one of us in order to show us love and, in the process, to rejuvenate and reshape our hearts and lives. God becomes a member of the human race, and in doing so shows us our truest purpose.
Christmas is many thing to many people. But, above all, it is about the miracle of incarnation and the fruit–especially that which came via his eventual death and resurrection–it would yield. The Lord of all is now a human being, the Son of God is a man, and he did it all . . . for us! As we sing: “Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel.” Wow! Thank God for such an incentive to joyful living. Thank God for this genuine hope, this reason to sing!
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